The New North London Synagogue based in Finchley, facilitates provides a drop-in centre for destitute asylum seekers (not refugees) every month.
Launched in 2006, the centre offers legal signposting, food, medical treatment, clothes and shoes and medical treatment. More than 800 people are on their books from over 50 countries.
Young volunteer Angus Mayer has taken some time to tell us here at Refugees London what it’s like volunteering at the centre.
The drop-in fizzes with love, energy, time and commitment. It really is an incredibly warm, friendly and happy place. Everywhere is activity. Whether it’s the kitchen packed with delicious, wholesome food, the new clients queue being maintained with steaming coffee and tea, or the people waiting patiently outside the doctor’s and lawyer’s room, the drop-in is a very lively place.
In my time there (approaching two years now), I have witnessed a lot of happiness. We know the smiling faces, the arguments over who is first in line for the clothes section, the man sitting gladly munching away at a hearty meal (pasta, chickpeas, beans, tomatoes and salad). We know the runners dashing around looking for the hard-to-pronounce name who might have left by now: did she get to see the doctor? Yes. Phew.
The strength of the asylum seekers combines with the dedication of the volunteers to create a remarkable, thriving, evolving and loving culture
Behind these faces there are stories that are often hard to see. There are the stories which make their way into the conversation, the stories of the three-bus treks and the endless “chasing charities”. The stories of the nights slept on friend’s floors and the night’s spent without sleep, worrying. And then there are the deeper stories, the harder stories, the ones which aren’t for me to tell. People come to the drop-in from all over Africa and other continents. Their stories are present in the hallways and bright halls of the NNLS Drop-In. As a younger volunteer, I am yet to hear many of these stories. But despite this, they evidently emerge amongst the older volunteers here.
Diane’s monthly report creates a connection between the volunteers and the asylum seekers, helping us to better understand the complexities of their situations, and provide more material about which to speak when we come together on the day. But even without that, the drop-in seems to establish its own connective energy. The strength of the asylum seekers combines with the dedication of the volunteers to create a remarkable, thriving, evolving and loving culture whose impact is apparently beyond measure.
Refugees London 