We are proud to be organising the coming up networking dinner and social gathering. This event will be an excellent opportunity to network with students  and non-students from various backgrounds.

■Venue: Tara Restaurant, Green Lanes N4 1JX, London

■Date & Time: 06 October · 18:30 - 21:30

FOOD & PRICE
——————
2 courses (mixed starters and main meal from the open menu) for £10 per head (You can bring your own bottle of wine/beer/ wisky etc…)

The restaurant caters for all tastes and diets, it has fresh fish, lamb and chicken dishes as well as a variety of vegetarian dishes, and fresh tandur/nan bread baked in the restaurants clay traditional oven, the dishes are from all parts of Kurdistan.

GETTING THERE
——————-
UNDER/OVERGROUND — Nearest tube stations Manor House on Piccadilly line (10 mins walk) or Finsbury Park on Victoria/Piccadilly Lines (then take bus 29, 5 min) or Haringey Green Lanes Station on the Overground, which is 5 mins walk to TARA restaurant.

BUS—- 29, 341 and 141 buses stop opposite TARA restaurant
CAR—- There is free parking after 18:30 on Haringey Green Lanes high street and on the side roads.

For further information see at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=205363739528823

Speaker: Ms. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman of Kurdistan Regional Government‘s High Representative to the UK

Chair: Dr. Konrad Hirschler, Senior Lecturer in the History of the Near and Middle East, SOAS

Date/time: 20^th March 2010 at 5:00pm

Venue: G2, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS) Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Organised by Kurdish Studies and Students Organisation (KSSO) and Kurdish Society at SOAS (KSSOAS)

Seminar Abstract

In the 1980s, the people of Kurdistan in Iraq were under chemical bombardment, thousands of villages were being destroyed and the people were being massacred in their thousands by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Today the people of the Kurdistan Region live in a peaceful and stable environment, the number of universities has increased from one in 1991 to more than 10 today with more on the way, thousands of villages have been rebuilt and infrastructure projects undertaken. As well as having their own regional government, the Kurds hold key positions in the federal government in Baghdad. These achievements cannot be underestimated in the context of Iraq and the Middle East, however, the path has not been smooth and there are uncertainties that lie ahead of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s High Representative to the UK, will discuss the challenges ahead.



MAKE KURDISH IDENTITY COUNT!

THE KURDISH STUDIES AND STUDENT ORGANISATION CALLS UPON UK KURDS TO PARTICIPATE IN UK CENSUS 2011 AND MAKE KURDISH LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY COUNT!

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out more about the people who live in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and about the make-up of local neighbourhoods.

The next census will take place on 27 March 2011, when ONS will be sending out questionnaires for around 25 million households to complete.

The census asks about work, health, national identity, citizenship, ethnic background, education, second homes, language, religion, marital status and so on. These statistics are then used to build a picture of today’s society.

Census 2011 is paramount important for Kurdish communities to be visible in the UK official data.  Researchers of London Metropolitan University, who carried out an ESRC – funded research project on ethnic minorities including   Kurdish population in London, state that the Kurds do not appear in much of the UK statistical data. Kurds are registered in the UK to “their” nationality, not their ethnic affiliations and therefore Kurds remain unrecognised as they are classified as  ‘Turkish’, ‘Iranian’, ‘Iraqi’ and ‘Syrian’ within the UK. This impact on the services provided to the Kurdish community through information, advice and guidance as some Kurds are unable to access the local and national social services provided for migrants in Britain (Holgate. J et al 2009). Emphasis on official data such as the Census and the Labour Force Survey provide vital information on identity, ethnicity, religion, employment, and economic activities of the population in the UK. However, such data collection in the past have restricted any gathering of information on Kurds living in the UK and leaves Kurds invisible to the public sphere. “Kurds are therefore left with little option other than to define themselves as ‘Turkish’, ‘Iraqi’, ‘Syrian’ or ‘Iranian’.

As such, the “Kurdish identity is not only subsumed under　ethnic categorizations that do not distinguish from other minority ethnic groups, but it also imposes upon Kurds an unacceptable national identity that most have spent their lives opposing” (Holgate. J et al 2009* also see King**).

Moreover the Kurds from Kurdistan region in Turkey, who have their own language and culture, are defined falsely as “Turkish Speaking Community”.  Encompassing the Kurds and their language, identity into “Turkish Speaking Community” is ideological, discriminative and  problematic because it leads to the invisibility of the Kurds in the UK and also to a situation where ‘not only has Kurdish origin been masked prior to leaving Turkey … it is also hidden from the moment of arrival on foreign soil’ (Laiser, 1996). Yet the Kurdish community DOES NOT define itself as ‘Turkish Speaking Community’ and is critical of a term that it sees as a ‘deliberate attempt to import a Turkish hegemonic and nationalistic ideology into the European context. This ideology is, for many Kurds, officially codified within the Turkish constitution (Article 3, 1982) when it writes that ‘the Turkish state, with its territory and nation, is an indivisible entity. Its language is Turkish’ (Thomson et al. 2006) and ‘in Turkey, from the point of view of citizenship, everyone is a Turk’ (Article 66, 1982) without regard to ethnicity.  However the deliberate attempt of some “academics” and institutions to imply a homogenous and unified Turkish nation in Europe does not really take into account the cultural, social and political circumstances of Kurds and their struggle for ethnic recognition in their homeland and in the UK and also the multi-cultural setting in the UK.

Although Kurds settled into the UK years ago, the British authorities still are unable to divulge the number of Kurds living in the UK and are consequently unable to plan service provision accordingly. Excluding Kurds from previous Census data means that Kurds are not integrated into issues such as provision of health care, employment, education and economic activities as they are not recognised under their own ethnic identity as being ‘Kurds’.

Kurdish communities have been lobbying for the recognition of the Kurdish ethnic identity within official government　data. Relevant papers produced by different government institutions highlight that the local and national government should introduce “Kurds” as a separate ethnic category within the Census in order to rectify the problems Kurdish people are facing in their everyday life accessing hospitals, schools, and employment related matters.

It has now been acknowledged by UK institutions that official data has led to ethnic groups like the Kurds becoming “invisible” within institutions in the UK and nationally. This means that the Kurdish population in the UK has the opportunity to overcome their subordination and invisibility　and reject the imposed identities such as Turkish, Iraqi, Iranian, or Syrian and write down their　ethnicity　and language on Census 2011 forms. KSSO has started a campaign to encourage the Kurdish population in the UK to attend the Census 2011 survey　and put their language and ethnicity as “Kurdish” on the census forms. We need your help to promote greater awareness of the Kurds in the UK and to inform and　encourage the Kurdish population in the UK to fill in the census forms on 27 March 2011.  All the households in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will receive a census questionnaire in the post. You can either complete and return this by post, or complete an online version of your questionnaire. The questionnaire should be completed on, or as soon as possible after, Sunday 27 March 2011.This will help us locally and nationally to give us an overview of demographical information of the Kurdish population in the UK　and their　needs including work, education, housing, health, economic activities as well as will make visible the Kurdish national and ethnic identity and language in the UK official data. ONLY according to these demographic data, the local and national government will be able provide a proper service to　Kurdish people. We have only one month to inform and encourage the Kurdish population living in the UK to fill out their Census forms.

KSSO aim to promote greater awareness of the Kurds, their political and cultural struggle in the Middle East and as a significant minority community in the UK. Therefore we call all the Kurdish population living in the UK to attend Census 2011 and register their country of birth, national, ethnic and linguistic identity as Kurdish because this will help UK Kurdish communities to overcome their subordination and invisibility and will create for  Kurds  valuable political, cultural and economic opportunities in the British public sphere.

KSSO

www.ksso.org.uk

Email: mc@ksso.org.uk

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Census-2011-Make-the-Kurdish-Language-and-Kurdish-National-Identity-Count/149258751797049

*http://www.workinglives.org/research-themes/wlri-project-websites/$-emraw/reports.cfm

**http://www.sussex.ac.uk/migration/documents/mwp51.pdf

Leaflets in 5 languages

English

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London offers a two-week intensive Kurdish course for beginners.

SOAS offers a two-week intensive course aimed at those who wish to learn to read and write in the northern dialect of Kurdish (Kurmanji) and to acquire a basic conversational ability. Course will take place between Monday 4 April and Saturday 16 April. Interested? Then enrol NOW!!! Places are limited, so early enrolment is advised to avoid disappointment. Enrolment has now opened for two-week intensive Kurdish course. Contact SOAS at http://www.soas.ac.uk/languagecentre/languages/lwtintensiveeaster/introduction-to-kurdish-kurmanji-.html or call at 020 7898 4888

or  School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
The fee for this 20-hour course is £280 payable in advance.

SOAS will also offer regular beginner and advance Kurdish course in September.

If you are interested in learning Kurdish Kurmanji, please apply now. SOAS language centre need 5 people to start a Kurdish class. If 5 students cannot be found then SOAS will not be able to offer this course.

Kurdish (Kurmanji) Beginners Course
A one-year course in beginners spoken and written Kurdish, at SOAS Language Centre in London

Duration: This is a one-year course with three 10-week terms

Mode of Attendance: Part Time

Description
The aim of the course is to provide a thorough introduction to contemporary Kurdish. By the end of the course, students will have covered basic grammatical constructions and acquired an essential working vocabulary allowing them to communicate within a limited range of situations in which learners are likely to find themselves. The language is presented together with the cultural context in which it is used so that learners are able to appreciate such things as appropriateness and linguistic etiquette when interaction takes place in the target language.

Method
The course is taught in English and Kurdish with coverage of the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, and a balance between communicative activities, structure practice and grammar. Class size is limited to twelve to allow for close involvement.

Assessment for Course Placement
If you are not a complete beginner, you need to take an assessment in order for SOAS to place you on the course that is the most suitable for your language learning needs.

Fees for this Course
The fee for each ten week term is £255 payable in advance

For further details, including terms and conditions, required materials and how to apply, please visit the following page:

http://www.soas.ac.uk/programmes/prog14152.html

Contacting the SOAS language centre

Visiting address:
22 Russell Square, London WC1 – just around the corner from SOAS main buildings.

Office hours:
Monday to Friday 10am to 6.45pm
Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm

E-mail: languages@soas.ac.uk
Telephone: UK: 020 7898 4888 World: +44 20 7898 4888
Fax: UK: 020 7898 4889 Int: +44 20 7898 4889
Post: The Courses Secretary, SOAS Language Centre, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG

Date/time: 28th January 2011 at 6:00pm

Venue: Institute of Education Bar (Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG)

Organised by Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation

The Kurds do not appear in much of UK statistical data. Official data, like the Census and the Labour Force Survey provide information on identity, ethnicity, religion, employment, economic activities’ of people and  communities in the UK.  However, “Census, Labour Force Survey or other survey questions do not provide any information on Kurds living in the UK and renders Kurds as “invisible” and questions relating to nationality provide Kurds with little option other than to define themselves as Turkish, Iraqi, Iranian, or Syrian.  As such, Kurdish identity is not only subsumed under ethnic categorizations that do not distinguish from other minority ethnic groups,… but it also imposes upon them an unacceptable national identity(ies) that most have spent their lives opposing”(Holgate at el 2009:23). As one writer notes, this has led to a situation where ‘not only has Kurdish origin been masked prior to leaving Turkey…it is also hidden from the moment of arrival on foreign soil’ (Laiser 1996: 127).

“This invisibility has practical implications. Despite a long period of Kurdish settlement in the UK, local and national authorities are still unable to assess the number of Kurds and are unable to plan service provision accordingly.  The exclusion of Kurds from the Census means that there is no information such as issues of health care, employment, education, economic activities of Kurdish population in the UK ”(Holgate at el 2009: 24). (Further information at http://www.workinglives.org/research-themes/wlri-project-websites/$-emraw/reports.cfm)

Kurdish communities have been lobbying for the recognition of the Kurdish ethnic identity in the official data and in other relevant papers produced by the different government institutions and highlighting that  the local and national government should introduce “Kurds” as separate ethnic category on the Census in order to rectify the problems Kurdish people are facing in their everyday life  at hospital, schools, and employment related matters. It has now been acknowledged by the UK institutions  that official data has led to group like Kurds becoming “invisible” to the institution in the UK and national, local government have no idea about the needs of Kurdish ethnic minority in the UK (Holgate at el 2009) therefore the Census 2011 will give “the acceptability of the ethnic group question” . In the paper of ‘[f]inal recommended questions for the 2009 census rehearsal and 2011 census’ states that “[t]he national identity question may also provide some scope for disaggregating ethnic categories …for example Kurdish. One local authority (2007) stated that: … ‘National Identity may identify significant groups in the UK which have not been recognized effectively in the past, for example, Kurds. [This information] could provide a rich dataset to complement country of birth since it is how people view themselves rather than a fact e.g. a person born in Turkey might rather write in Kurdish than Turkish or British.’”

This means that now the Kurdish population in the UK has the opportunity to overcome their subordination and invisibility and reject the imposed identities such as Turkish, Iraqi, Iranian, or Syrian. Kurds can write down their ethnicity and language on census 2011 forms.  Therefore KSSO has started to encourage the Kurdish population in the UK to attend the Census 2011 survey and put their language, ethnicity as “Kurdish” on the census forms. We need your help to promote greater awareness of the Kurds in the UK and to inform and  encourage Kurdish population in the UK to fill in the census forms. This will help us and local and national government to have an overview of demographical information of Kurdish population in the UK and their needs including education, housing, health,  and their number, how they define their ethnic, national, religious background. ONLY according to these demographic data, the local and national government can provide a proper service to Kurdish people.  We have only two months to inform and encourage Kurdish population living in the UK  to attend Census. KSSO is keen to inform actively the Kurdish community organizations and individuals on Census 2011

KSSO needs people who can help us to promote importance of Census 2011 for Kurdish population in the UK and  inform as well as  encourage them to attend census 2011.

Please contact us at mc@ksso.org.uk

George W. Bush’s Policy Towards Iraq: Change or Continuity?

Speaker: Dr Mohammed Shareef, recently awarded PhD, School of Government and International Affairs, University of Durham, England

Date and Time: 11.01. 2011 @ 7:00pm

Venue: School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, Room B104 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Organised by Kurdish Studies and Students Organization (KSSO) and Kurdish Society at SOAS (KSSOAS)

Kurdish Studies seminars are open to interested students, academics and people who interested in Kurdish matters

Seminar abstract

A substantial amount of commentary has been dedicated to George W. Bush’s policy towards Iraq, with many perceiving it as a departure from traditional US foreign policy practice. The objective of this seminar is to address and challenge this contention. In this seminar the speaker contends that US policy towards Iraq has two major dimensions: the first is US policy towards Arab Iraq and the second its de facto policy towards Iraqi Kurdistan; both are defined by US strategy at the supra-national level. The speaker argues that US Iraq policy is primarily one of continuity rather than change, as US national interests and security, as regards Iraq, are defined by the same fundamental concerns, regardless of the nature of the American administration in office. The seminar concludes that, from the inception of the Bush administration, and the attacks on 9/11 that followed, the actual invasion of Iraq and US actions in its aftermath were all guided by the same considerations and goals.

Further information

www.ksso.org.uk

mc@ksso.org.uk

Researchers at London Metropolitan University have published a report on key findings of their research on the social and economic lives of Kurdish migrants in London

According to the report entitled “Diaspora, work, employment and community. A report on Kurdish workers in London” Workers from Kurdish community in the UK face an advice crisis that can ruin their lives, a study by the Working Lives Research Institute shows. (The report is available for download http://www.workinglives.org/londonmet/fms/Kurdish%20Diaspora__work__employment_and_community.pdf )

Researchers found that people facing bullying, racism, withholding of pay and even violence and sexual harassment, were unable to get practical help and advice in particular the lack of English language skill amongst first-generation Kurdish workers cause ‘exploitive community solidarity’ in the ‘ethnic economy’ where the long work hours (up to 72 hours), lack of holiday entitlements, low payment without any proper contract, overtime, sick pay or holiday pay become normalised. Outside the ‘ethnic economy, Kurdish workers are at a greater disadvantage in the labour market as a result of prejudice, racism, xenophobia, ethnic penalties.

Finding useful employment advice from sources other than trade unions was very difficult – very few workers interviewed know about or used government or voluntary sector advice available online or by phone.

When advice was available – from the Citizens Advice Bureau or law centres – there were problems with access, restricted opening hours and ineligibility for legal aid.

While workers talked about the using Kurdish community advice services for issues of immigration, housing and language, this was not really the case for employment problems due to lack of the lack of specialist employment advisors in advice surgeries and other issues

Workers who approached ‘no-win-no-fee’ solicitors could be asked for £2,000 up front or were pressed to settle their case so that the solicitors’ fees would be paid.

Researchers found that people experiencing problems at work want to talk through the details of their problem and to have someone represent them in dealings with managers.

Dr Jane Holgate, who coordinated the research, said: “The research showed how the problems that people face at work can have a serious impact on their personal lives in terms of ill-health, unemployment and poverty.

“The consequences for companies in terms of increased costs and for wider society in terms of picking up the pieces is much greater than most people perhaps realise.

“The lack of support for employment problems is a serious issue. Current advice agencies are seriously underfunded and this is likely to get worse because of forthcoming cuts.

“If the Big Society is to be meaningful, resources need to be directed at community level to provide the advice and support that is needed. Trade unions and voluntary sector organisations are best situated to protect the interests of workers.

“Some of our interviews revealed bullying, racism, withholding of pay and even violence. Yet many of these workers had no place to turn when they desperately needed help and advice.

“A number had developed mental health problems and others had lost their jobs.

For some, trade unions were able to provide the help they needed, but many interviewees did not have unions at their workplace and voluntary sector organisations like Law Centres and Citizens Advice were unable to provide employment advice. Trade union membership is very low amongst the Kurdish workers interviewed and only nine interviewees held union cards.

If the Big Society is to be meaningful, then resources need to be directed at community level to provide the advice and support that is needed. Trade unions and voluntary sector organisations are best situated to protect the interests of workers as they are positioned where local people can reach them

The research focused on ethnic groups in three London boroughs: Kurds in Hackney, South Asians in Ealing and Black Caribbeans in Lambeth.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 185 people – 100 individually and 88 in16 focus groups. They represented a fair cross-section in terms of age, sex and type of work.

One aspect of the research was the use of photography to express the sense of collective identity in the groups surveyed. Some images might are available at: http://www.workinglives.org/research-themes/wlri-project-websites/$-emraw/photos.cfm

For more information contact

Dr Jane Holgate
Work and Employment Relations DivisionLeeds University Business SchoolMaurice Keyworth BuildingUniversity of Leeds LS2 9JTemail: j.holgate@leeds.ac.uk

You are kindly invited to our forthcoming KSSO and Kurdish Society at SOAS (KSSOAS)

The forgotten People: Kurds in Syria

The state of statelessness, rightlessness and systematic marginalization of the Kurds in Today’s Syria

Speakers

Ms. Sheila Mosley, Co-chair of SKS International Support Kurds in Syria Association
Mr. A.Semo Independent researcher

Date/time: 19th November 2010 @19:00

Venue: B 102/ School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Seminar abstract:

This seminar will focus on marginalization of Kurds in Syrian since its establishment in 1946. The Kurds in Syria have been subjected to discriminatory practices for decades. The exclusive ethno-centric Arab nation-building project also officially called the Arab republic of Syria has denied other ethnic and cultural groups equal and law full existence. The Census in 1962 deprived 100,000 thousands of Kurds to become citizens and they are now de-jure stateless.  This means they are not allowed to own property, or to work within the state institutions, they have been denied education in their own culture, they do not qualify for state aid, and they cannot travel as they have no documents.

Furthermore about the marginalization policies of Syrian state against the Kurds their land rights have been abused and the Kurdish areas have been raised, through the state giving strips of land to Arabs in order to break up the Kurdish geographical and cultural cohesion. The latest discriminatory law – Decree 49 - implemented on 10/09/2008 makes it a condition that in the Kurdish areas, a license must be obtained for building, renting, selling, and buying property but licenses are not given to Kurds.  This is affectively destroying one of the key sources of income for Kurdish families, that is to say, the construction industry. This policy is forcing Kurds to move out of their area into the cities through poverty.

Moreover about Syrian state fight against the Kurdish culture and heritage a systematic cultural attack practiced daily attempting to undermine the use of Kurdish language, for example, Kurdish shopkeepers are threatened with closure if they use the Kurdish language on the shop frontage, Kurdish children are not allowed to have Kurdish names – and these names would not be registered. Cultural rights are being abused: Newroz is the Kurdish celebration of New Year, and takes place on 20/21 March. It is recorded that in 2008 and 2010, people were killed in the street whilst celebrating Newroz,

The economic and welfare rights of the Kurds have been abused: the Kurdish area are being affected by drought due to climate change,  and the natural water that would have flowed to the area from Turkey is being rerouted into Turkey which has resulted in the agricultural industry being decimated as the land is becoming barren. People are suffering, and although international aid is being given to the Syrian Government, there is as yet no evidence that this aid is reaching Kurdish families.  The UN Rapporteur for food rights recently raised this issue with the Syrian authorities. People without citizenship are not entitled to food aid.

Political rights are being abused: There are no legal Kurdish political parties in Syria.  They are all banned. There has been a state of emergency since 1963, ostensibly to counter a threat from Israel; however, it is used to make arbitrary arrests and to imprison political activists indefinitely without trial. Sentences given to political activists by the courts are disproportionate and this system is designed to create fear in those who wish to challenge the Government.  The UN Committee on Torture in May was highly critical of the Syrian Government for its use of torture on prisoners, and in particular on political prisoners.

Relevant reports about the abuse of human rights in Syria are available from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Home Office, Kurdish Human Rights Project.

Further information

www.ksso.org.uk

mc@ksso.org.uk

233915@soas.ac.uk

Images of working lives: Experiences of Kurdish migrants in London

Photo Exhibition

Organized by Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University

Date: Friday 16th- 23rd July 2010 ( Exhibition opening reception 5pm on Friday 16th July 2010)

Venue: RenkArt Centre, 86 Stoke Newington High Street, Stoke Newington N16 7PA

Images of working lives is an exhibition held as part of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded research project conducted by Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University to highlight the working conditions of an ‘invisible’ community, Kurdish Diaspora, in London.

The study focused on minority ethnic workers who experienced difficulties at work and how they developed strategies to solve work related problems including racism, discrimination, bullying, exclusion and isolation. We chose three different minority ethnic communities- locally based ethnic groups, Kurds in Hackney, South Asian in Ealing and Black Caribbeans in Lambeth- in London to enable us to compare and contrast a whole range of different issues. We interviewed total of 185 workers – 100 individually and 88 in 16 focus groups and 64 interviews with ‘key respondents’ who were officials from trade unions, advice agencies and community groups.

Our research team will give brief information on our research findings on the working condition of the Kurdish workers and their strategies to solve work related problems and difficulties.

The exhibition illustrates different experiences of the Kurdish Diaspora in the context of ethnicity, identity, belonging, community and working lives. The audience is invited to take a closer look at the migrants’ life experiences reflected to the lens of photo journalist Jim Hodson, Ümit Avcu and Kurdish photographers’ group RenkArt including Döndü Demir, Erdogan Guccuk, Bektaþ Arif, Alper Taþçý as well as locally based Kurdish photographer Ümit Avcu.

Research team: Dr Jane Holgate (Principal investigator), Janroj Keles, Dr Leena Kumarappan and Professor Anna Pollert.

For further information please contact Dr Jane Holgate or Janroj Keles

j.holgate@londonmet.ac.uk or j.keles@londonmet.ac.uk

This research project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is being undertakeby the Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University.
For further information about our research please visit our website
http://www.workinglives.org/research-themes/wlri-project-websites/$-emraw/emraw_home.cfm

Work opportunities

There are currently four volunteer positions available at Roj Women’s Association.

Volunteer Titles: Counsellor / Adviser

Project – Professional advice and counselling services for Kurdish women facing gender or honour-based violence

FEMALE APPLICANTS ONLY. Section 7 (2) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 applies to all these posts.

Roj Women’s Association provides culturally sensitive advice as well as individual psychological support for Kurdish women who face gender and honour-based violence.

The uniqueness of this project resides in the integral nature of the services provided which unite advice and casework as well as psychological counselling while focusing solely on women’s issues. Another singularity is the fact that our advisesr and counselors are fluent speakers in languages relevant to Kurdish women such as Kurdish dialects – Kurmanci, Zazaki and Sorani –,or Turkish, as well as English speakers, which allows us to break through user’s isolation.

Time commitment: Three hours per week (Monday to Friday)/ 12 months

Description of the post:

We are recruiting four female volunteers to work with us in providing culturally sensitive advice and psychological support for Kurdish women who face violence.

As an advice worker you will provide impartial and confidential advice to our clients on a wide range of issues (debt, housing, employment, welfare, immigration) including violence against women. You will research individual cases, assess problems and identify possible courses of action, guide clients to decide on the best course of action, mediate on their behalf, refer clients to other sources of help and keep up to date with appropriate legislation and policies.

As a counsellor, you will help users to explore feelings and emotions related to their experiences with violence. You will establish a relationship of trust and respect with clients, helping them towards a deeper understanding of their problems and to make choices regarding possible ways forward.

What you will be gaining from this position:

The volunteer will gain free training and career development with the support of a training analyst, an experienced counsellor.

The training, that would comprise three courses for each volunteer will provide volunteers with specialized tools and knowledge to work with victims of domestic violence and in particular with victims of honour-based violence and forced marriage. A training analyst will follow up on volunteers’ work and will act as a mentor.

We can provide valuable working experience that will improve your chances of getting a job and you will receive a letter of recommendation on completion of your volunteering. Voluntary work is unpaid, although travel and lunch expenses are provided.

Essential Skills

• Interest and commitment to women’s rights;
• Willing to gain experience in counselling and advising victims of violence against women;
• Excellent spoken and written Kurdish (any dialect) and fluent English;
• Graduate or student in final year of Counseling / Psychology Degree (applicable to Counselor Volunteer Post)
• Graduate or student in final year of Law / Advice Studies (applicable to Advice Volunteer Post)
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills;
• A caring, sympathetic and sensitive manner and a non judgmental attitude;
• Ability to cope with stress and emotionally-charged issues;
• Tact and diplomacy to deal with sensitive and confidential information;
• Ability to liaise with other professionals and organizations.

To apply for this position, please submit CV and cover letter by 5pm on Wednesday 5th January 2011 to rojwomen@gmail.com.