A paid job through volunteering

In 2015, Faten fled from Syria to the Netherlands. Now, seven years later, she speaks Dutch almost fluently, has made nice friends, and even has a paid job. Volunteering was her first step: “I felt like the world was opening up to me instead of just sitting at home doing nothing.”“When I came from the asylum seekers’ center in Amsterdam, I started taking language lessons, but after a while, I felt like I couldn’t learn the language if I didn’t talk to people and that I needed more space to have various conversations on different topics. This, combined with my desire to help other people, led me to immediately start volunteering in Amsterdam Noord at Stichting Warm Welkom. Stichting Warm Welkom aims to help newcomers navigate their new environment in a warm and accessible way by acting as a link between the newcomers, the neighborhood (residents), and the professional network. For example, meetings are organized where a guest comes to talk about the organization, and sometimes we also visited organizations in the neighborhood. Initially, I helped with translation during these meetings, and later I took on a role as an expert by experience and also attended training sessions.”

A bridge

“What has this volunteer work brought me? A lot! I have built a network, greatly improved my language skills, and made friends through volunteering. Moreover, I feel useful and that I can truly make a difference for others. At Stichting Warm Welkom, I was able to contribute to both newcomers and the foundation. Being the bridge between two parties is very rewarding.”

“It has made the biggest impact on my life”

“Through my network at Warm Welkom, I also got in touch with Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam. A colleague working there suggested that I could replace her during her maternity leave, and I found that wonderful. It has had the biggest impact on my life, going from volunteering to a paid job. Because after the replacement, I could stay. I am convinced that a network is very important, especially for newcomers, it can bring you a lot.”

A new and exciting step

“At the Volunteer Center Amsterdam (VCA), I took on the project ‘Statushouders Amsterdam Noord.’ I match newcomers with volunteer work and approach organizations to create new volunteer positions for newcomers. Through my volunteer work, I gained work experience and was able to attend multiple training sessions to develop myself. Recently, I started a new additional step within VCA, namely regular mediation. I haven’t really experienced that yet, but it is indeed a new and exciting step.”

“You can really achieve something if you want to”

With her story, Faten hopes to inspire other newcomers. “You can really achieve something if you want to, it can be built up step by step. Volunteering is an accessible way to start working and to learn a lot. Of course, you are responsible, but you also learn a lot, you give and you take. The stories I hear from the newcomers I have matched with volunteering and the impact it has on their lives are very valuable. The majority have had very positive experiences.”Photo: Jackie Mulder
Text: Kiki Dusebout

Are you also interested in volunteering?

In our online job board, there are about 1000 fun and meaningful volunteer opportunities in the city. For everyone’s talent and schedule.Search online or make an appointment with one of our mediatorsVCA is committed to new Amsterdammers. We do this together with volunteer organizations, Municipality of Amsterdam, language schools, and a team of ambassadors in theProject Status Holders:This is a non-translatable text.hereRead more about it. This project has been made possible by: