Phoenix Project (now Modern Slavery Innovation Team)

The Phoenix Project (now Modern Slavery Innovation Team) was an award-winning scheme for members of the community to come together to support victims of modern slavery.

For many victims of modern slavery, they have lost their ability to trust. Volunteers help grow their confidence and allow these individuals to lead an independent life.

We are looking for volunteers to support survivors to engage and connect to their local areas, through exploring individual interests and skills and linking them with activities in the community.

By sharing your time, you have the ability to make a real, positive impact in their lives.

In 2020, the STEP Project, in which the Phoenix Project existed, won the Collaboration Award at the Thomson Reuters Foundation's annual Stop Slavery Awards.

How to get involved

Keep an eye on our Modern Slavery page for more information

Rewards

As a volunteer for Hestia you qualify for Hestia Rewards. It’s our way of saying thank you for the amazing work you do. Rewards include:

• Reimbursed expenses for travel and £5 per day for lunch
• An invite to our volunteering awards and celebration events
• Access to a dedicated volunteer training programme, e-learning materials, and face to face learning & development programme.
• References for future job applications

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Cynthia's Story

Cynthia experienced modern slavery here in the UK. After being supported by our Modern Slavery Response team, she was supported by our Phoenix Project (now Modern Slavery Innovation Team).

"I was struggling because of my mental health; I was feeling isolated and was worrying a lot about the refusal of my asylum claim. 

My caseworker supported me in attending meetings with my immigration solicitor and helped me source important documents for my appeal. I was also referred to further mental health support and was matched with a community volunteer (Phoenix Project) who supported me and my children to feel comfortable in our local community.

I am now hoping to register both of my children in nursery and access part time employment – my community volunteer has been helping me with my CV. Things are starting to get better and I am looking forward. Without the support of the Phoenix Project, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

Read Cynthia's full story

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The Phoenix project was part of the STEP Project “Sustainable integration and Trafficking human beings through proactive identification and Enhanced Protection” which was co-funded by the asylum migration and integration fund of the European Union.

Read the 'Hope for the Future: Support for survivors of trafficking after the National Referral Mechanism' evaluation and policy report, looking at the STEP pilot project created in partnership with Ashiana and the British Red Cross.

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