Experts By Experience

At Refugee Action, Experts by Experience are at the heart of all that we do. Experts by Experience are persons with lived experience of the UK asylum system and who give their time voluntarily. Some have refugee status, whilst the majority are awaiting a decision on their asylum claim.

Experts by Experience volunteers (referred henceforth as volunteers) work as a team across different services. Existing Refugee Action clients are encouraged to participate in Experts by Experience groups and receive training and support to allow them to do so. Our Experts by Experience work aims to empower refugees and people seeking asylum to campaign for change in the system of Protection and Integration in the UK. Volunteers play a leading role in helping design and deliver Refugee Action’s work in the areas of campaigns, frontline and non-frontline services. The latter ensures that services reflect the current needs of clients. The Experts by Experience Steering Group is central and instrumental in shaping Refugee Action strategy, governance and management. The Experts by Experience programme has become a central element of Refugee Action’s work, underpinning our strategic commitments to removing barriers to power, both internally and with partners, and to becoming an anti-racist organisation.