Rowena Reed Email & Phone Number

As a Service Manager within the Refugee Support team, I provide direct line management to two project teams; - the Youth Team working with refugees and asylum seekers aged 16-25 - the STAR team working to support client to access asylum support

Glasgow

In this role I undertook casework which aimed to reduce and resolve destitution experienced by refugees and asylum seekers living in Glasgow. This work required that I utilise a knowledge of the local network of support services. Management of relationships and cross-agency partnerships was vital in providing valuable support and advice to clients. This included identifying opportunities to utilise our legal partnership with Just Right Scotland and work through complex or challenging cases. I started in this role as the sector began to see the impacts of the 2016 Immigrant Act come into force. The removal of particular support entitlements as part of this legislation meant I relied on an evolving knowledge of asylum support rights and entitlements and had to adapt my practice to new processes. This role also included providing emergency casework to clients who needed urgent on-the-day assistance. This includes, but not limited to, responding to homelessness, trafficking disclosures, domestic abuse, mental health crisis, and presentations of unaccompanied children. The primary function of this emergency casework is advocacy on behalf of the client to enable their immediate access to services and entitlements.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Govan Community Project is a charitable organisation based in Glasgow working towards social justice for the local community, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. This role involved working primarily with refugees and asylum seekers. During 'drop-in' hours I signposted and assisted client to access; asylum support, education, and local services. Beyond integration work, I frequently worked with individuals who are highly vulnerable and in crisis situations with no recourse to public funds, facing homelessness and destitution. The casework I undertook required persistent advocacy, as well as liaising with both statutory and non statutory bodies.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

This was a voluntary internship supporting the Event Co-ordinator with the planning of the popular heritage festival Glasgow Doors Open Day. During the development and coordination of the festival I was responsible for keeping in communication with building representatives. This guaranteed that everyone felt supported with up-to-date information and marketing materials, as well as ensuring that everyone was following our timeline leading up to the event. My marketing duties involved working with the Events Coordinator on the design/writing copy for the final event brochure and publicity material. Independently, I was responsible for drafting digital marketing activity, including e-news, blog posts, and all social media accounts. After the event I contributed to the production of the evaluation report. This involved collecting data from feedback surveys filled out by festival attendees and participants. Analysis of this feedback has been used to inform subsequent Doors Open Day planning.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

I volunteered in the university archive gathering data to be used in Glasgow University’s International Story Project - researching the University’s historic connections with particular countries. In this role I used the university’s archive to record Alumni from British Guiana. This involved finding where Guianan students appear in handwritten matriculation and graduation records from the 19th and 20th century. Where further information of their postgraduate careers could be found I included this, for example one individual went on to become an internationally renowned optometrist. The information was subsequently collated and published to the university’s website.

Master'S Degree, Global Security

Completed Modules - Global Security: Theories and Concepts - Thematic Issues in Global Security - Media, War and Security - Critical.

Undergraduate, History

Completed Modules : - The United States & the Outside World - The Second World War: A Clash of Ideologies, Cultures, Economies and Armies.