Lived Experience Committee - Migration/Asylum-seeking

About us 

Rights & Security International (RSI) is an international human rights organisation that stops governments from committing human rights abuses in the name of ‘stopping terrorism'. In the UK, we uphold the rights of migrants, asylum-seekers and people applying for British citizenship. 

We believe people with direct, lived experience of the issues we tackle should have real power to shape our work. 

About the committee 

We are seeking approximately 4 to 6 people to join a Lived Experience Committee for up to 12 months. 

If you are selected as a member of the Committee, you will be a volunteer. We will invite you to meetings and other conversations with our staff and/or trustees where we will discuss our work and strategies with you, and listen to your input. You will be able to choose whether to attend or skip any meeting, and you’ll be free to end your membership of the Committee at any time. 

If you are a member of the Committee, we will offer you an honorarium of up to £50 per meeting to acknowledge your time and thank you for contributing to our work. You will be able to accept or decline any honorarium.  

This is not an employment or trustee role, and you don't need any prior experience in the charity sector or campaigning to apply. 

The issues we address 

We currently focus on several human rights issues related to migration and asylum-seeking: 

• Barriers to becoming a British citizen (or being recognised as one) 

• Harms faced by migrants and asylum-seekers in Northern Ireland 

• Barriers to settled status / indefinite leave to remain, including for people who have been asylum-seekers 

• Deprivation of British citizenship 

If you have personal experience of any of these issues, we encourage you to apply to be a member of our new Committee. 

You don't need to have all of these experiences, and you don't need any formal qualifications. We're interested in what you think RSI should know and how you think we should do work. 

Opportunities for Committee members 

As a Committee member, you would be able to: 

• Help shape the work of our organisation and gain insight into how human rights investigations and campaigning work. 

• Receive a basic training on human rights law. 

• Attend up to six remote meetings per year, each around two hours, with our staff and/or trustees to exchange ideas and share perspectives. 

• Accept the honoraria we offer, if you like (up to £50 per meeting, depending on how long the meeting is and how much you would need to read in advance). 

• Network with other Committee members and, potentially, staff from other human rights groups. 

RSI will cover any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses you incur as a volunteer. 

How to apply 

Please click “Apply” and answer the five questions we have listed. 

Your CV can be simple and short – a few sentences about your earlier work or volunteering experience would be enough. You can tell us about your education if you like, but this is not required. 

If you have any questions before applying or need any reasonable adjustments, please contact us directly using the email address listed at the bottom of the homepage on our website.

By submitting your application, you consent to our processing and retention of your personal data to the extent, and for the time period, necessary to consider the application. We will keep your application on file for no more than one year.