Meet Susi, our new Training and Development Officer! She will be delivering our training programme on refugee and asylum rights.
Tell us a bit about yourself
“Previously, I worked with the Prince’s Trust in a similar role, delivering training and casework to young people. The focus was to support young people starting their businesses. I’ve worked with Scottish Detainee Visitors and other charities in the past. When I saw this role with Scottish Refugee Council, I was genuinely excited.”
What attracted you to work for Scottish Refugee Council?
“I was attracted to Scottish Refugee Council because of the work that it does in supporting people through a very tough time in their lives. It supports people throughout their journey whether it’s their first day in the UK or whether they have just received their refugee status. There’s support at every stage. Working somewhere I care about is really important to me. And I like that the organisation has got an emphasis on learning both internally and externally, I think it makes a stronger team.”
What do you hope to achieve in your role?
“In the short term, I want to start delivering the training and get into the role properly. I’ll be continuing to develop the training courses and ensuring we’re keeping up with changes in legislation. Fundamentally, my goal is to empower practitioners and organisations to better understand and support refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland.”
What do you like to do outside of work?
“I’m an outdoorsy person, and Edinburgh is a great city for that. There are plenty of parks and green spaces. I’m also in the Edinburgh Brass Band, which is a lot of fun, even though it can be pretty loud. It’s especially fun during the Christmas season when we get to play festive tunes. We practice every week and have two concerts a year. We also take part in a marching band competition, which is quite challenging. It’s surprisingly difficult to march in sync, avoid bumping into people, and play the right notes at the same time. Aside from that, I enjoy life drawing. But most nights, you’ll probably find me watching Netflix or cooking dinner.”
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Oh, there are so many places I want to go. Either Japan or Australia. They’re the ones I’d really like to visit. I think Japan looks beautiful and I’d love to try the food. I think Australia would just be really good fun and a bit of an adventure and lots of sunshine.
Find out more about our training courses.
