Information Coordinator

Role: Information Coordinator

Location: Calais, France

Commitment: Minimum 6 months (generally 5 volunteering days and 2 days off each week)

Start date: August 2022

Accommodation: Shared accommodation provided

Reimbursement: Flat rate £450 per month

Holidays/breaks: 14 days every 2 months

Refugee Info Bus provides Wi-Fi, charge, phone services, as well as practical and legal multilingual information guides to displaced people in Northern France. We work across different living sites in Calais, working out of a van with a team of 5 to 6 long-term volunteers. Our charging sessions are 2.5 hours long each with 3 volunteers present. In addition to the services mentioned above, our aim is to create a community space around our van by offering tea, water, board games and sports equipment in our sessions. Finally, we aim to facilitate inter-organisational projects in Calais and Grande Synthe. As a small grassroots organisation, we rely on donations from supporters and funders to carry out our work – we encourage all volunteers to get involved in helping us raise awareness and support fundraising.

Responsibilities

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• Maintain the monthly New Arrival Guides (NAGs). The Information Coordinator is responsible for collecting updates from other organisations and state services present in Calais and Grande-Synthe, and communicating with translators to publish a comprehensive guide for new arrivals.
• Coordinate translations. Info Bus works with a team of remote translators to facilitate access to information in 10 languages. The Information Coordinator is responsible for facilitating translations for other organisations as well as Info Bus documents.
• Oversee relationships with a network of information partners in the UK, keep the team members updated in Calais and share information to other associations in Northern France. Attend weekly information trainings, forum meetings, requesting documents and facilitating translation.
• Update team members on relevant news and events/actions in Calais and Northern France.
• Work with the Refugee Info Bus Fundraising and Communications Coordinator to ensure the organisation’s work and the situation on the ground is effectively communicated to supporters, potential donors and journalists.
• Facilitate information training for new volunteers.
• Maintain and build ties with other organisations based in Northern France to be aware of potential changes, news and coordinate responses.
• Regular presence in the field (3/4 shifts per week): Working with other volunteers on stocking the van, setting up charging stations, spending time with the people using our services, providing refreshments, cleaning down after shifts, and other tasks as required.
• Create information updates for Info Bus to share on social media.

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Requirements

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Essential

• Clean driving license.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Highly proactive and organised, able to manage and prioritise a busy, high-pressure workload and long working days.
• Experience working in a grassroots charity or NGO or in a similar field (work with refugees, asylum seekers and/or displaced people).
• Interest in the UK and French asylum process.

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Desirable

• Knowledge of any of the languages spoken by people in Northern France (Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Tigrinya, Sorani, Oromo, Amharic, German or Italian).
• Experience working in a similar role.
• Legal background or experience in providing legal information.
• Previous experience working with displaced people in Northern France.
• Knowledge of French.
• Graphic design skills.