Meaningful Lives
The Boaz Trust is an organisation that seeks to care for and serve destitute asylum seekers as holistically as possible. Refused asylum seekers are not allowed to work or to access higher education. They have no income and are unable to pay travel expenses. Days can quickly become empty and meaningless, compounding mental health problems for many.
In response to these needs Boaz has developed the ‘Meaningful Lives’ programme. Our activities allow clients to socialise, gain new skills and integrate into the community.
Classes - including ESOL classes, sewing, and computer classes. These are very popular, with around 40 individuals attending each week.
Crafts - our craft group has made a range of products including jewellery. notecards, Christmas and Easter cards, cushion covers and origami pots. This provides an opportunity to socialise and to give something back, as the products are sold on behalf of the Boaz Trust.
Gardening – in 2010, we ran gardening projects in the gardens of two Boaz houses, which was a popular and well-harvested activity.
Volunteering and training opportunities – we provide volunteering opportunities at Boaz events and at the church drop-in. We also help our clients to access training courses and to get voluntary jobs at local charity shops and other organisations.
Over the summer, the usual programme of classes is stopping and we’ll be doing different activities each week with the clients. Examples of previous/ongoing events include:
Days out to enjoy each other’s company and other activities – including trips to the Sisters of Jesus Way on the Wirral, Dovestones Reservoir at Greenfields, as well as trips to concerts, circuses, museums & art galleries
Retreats to the Iona Community for a week, a holiday with the Anabaptist Community at Darvell Bruderhof in Robertsbridge, and a week focusing on ‘Healing the Wounds of Trauma’ which we ran at the Sisters of Jesus Way.
Boaz Life Programme is a new programme of activities, classes and projects for our clients to get involved in, inspired by the ’5 ways to wellbeing’, a fascinating piece of research into mental and physical health, conducted by the New Economic Foundation. To see the programme click here:
All our Meaningful Lives Activities are run by volunteers. Get in touch if you would like to get involved.
