New Programme

Start to Prove

AI-powered volunteer outstaffing that matches immigrants with community tasks, builds verified contribution records for settlement, teaches practical AI skills — and creates a direct pipeline to paid employment.

Start Contributing. Start Learning. Start to Prove.
How It Works ← Back to StartNewLife
The Problem

Two converging crises. Zero infrastructure.

The Settlement Gap

The UK’s Earned Settlement model (November 2025) proposes that community volunteering can reduce the settlement period by 3–5 years. But there is no framework for what counts, no way to find tasks, and no way to verify contributions. Over 300 charities have warned it is unworkable.

The AI Skills Crisis

The Government aims to upskill 10 million workers by 2030 to capture £400bn from AI. Yet immigrants — in roles most exposed to automation (care, hospitality, cleaning, logistics) — are excluded from training due to language, status, and access barriers.

How It Works

From sign-up to settlement record in 5 steps

1

Sign Up

Join via Telegram bot or startnewlife.uk. Select languages, location, interests. Takes 2 minutes.

2

Get Matched

AI matches you to available tasks based on location, language, skills, and availability.

3

Do the Task

Complete the task: translate a leaflet, help at a food bank, teach digital skills. 1 hour to 1 day.

4

Log & Verify

Submit a photo + 2 sentences via Telegram. Partner confirms with one tap. AI generates the log.

5

Build Record

Every task added to your Digital Contribution Record. Exportable as PDF for immigration applications.

The Tasks

Simple, real, needed — with AI skills built in

Every task includes a 5-minute AI Skills Micro-lesson — practical instruction on using an AI tool relevant to the task.

🌐

Community Translation

Translate GP leaflets, school newsletters, housing notices into community languages.

AI-assisted translation tools
💻

Digital Help

Help elderly residents set up email, teach online banking, assist charities with social media.

Digital literacy teaching
📊

Data & Admin

Enter survey data, organise contact lists, transcribe meeting notes using AI tools.

Spreadsheets + AI validation
🤝

In-Person Support

Assist at food banks, community gardens, libraries, and local events.

UK workplace norms
🎨

Content & Creative

Take photos, write blog posts, create posters using AI design tools for charities.

AI design + content creation
🤖

AI Micro-lessons

Every task starts with a 5-minute lesson on the AI tool you’ll use — delivered in your language via Telegram.

Practical AI skills
The Model

Volunteer outstaffing, not a marketplace

Existing platforms ask immigrants to browse and apply independently. We operate like a staffing agency — organisations tell us what they need, we deploy the right person.

Traditional volunteer platforms

Marketplace model

Organisations post opportunities. Individuals browse, apply, manage their own onboarding. Requires English fluency, system knowledge, and confidence. Fails immigrants.

Start to Prove

Outstaffing model

Organisation says: “We need someone to translate our leaflet into Russian.” We deploy the right person — vetted, briefed, DBS-checked. One point of contact. AI handles everything else.

The Pipeline

From volunteering to paid employment

One continuous relationship from arrival to settlement. The same person, already vetted and trained, moves seamlessly through each stage.

Stage 1 · Arrive

Start to Prove

No right to work yet. Volunteer outstaffing via Mendee CIC. Build Contribution Record. Learn AI skills. Get DBS checked. Improve English.

Stage 2 · Transition

RBT.LDN

Right to work granted. Paid placements in hospitality via rbt.london. Same person, already vetted and trained. No recruitment from scratch.

Stage 3 · Settle

Both

Employment provides NI contributions. Continued volunteering provides community contribution. Both count toward Earned Settlement.

Settlement Pathway

Aligned with Earned Settlement criteria

The Digital Contribution Record is designed to produce documentation valuable under any reasonable interpretation of “community contribution”.

Contribution

Verified hours log with organisation confirmations, exportable for ILR applications. Aligned with the “extensive community volunteering” criteria for 3–5 year settlement reduction.

Integration

Tasks naturally develop English through real-world interaction. Programme tracks language progression through task complexity over time.

Character

Sustained, documented pattern of positive community engagement. Timestamped activity log serves as supplementary evidence of UK presence.

Year 1 Targets

What we will deliver

100
Participants registered
500
Tasks completed
2,000
Verified contribution hours
15
Partner organisations
Implementation

12-month delivery plan

Month 1–2

Build & Recruit

Telegram bot MVP. 5 pilot partner organisations. 20 task templates.

Month 3–4

Soft Launch

20 participants from existing community. Iterate. Build AI micro-lesson library.

Month 5–6

Public Launch

10+ partners. Web interface on startnewlife.uk. First Contribution Records generated.

Month 7–9

Scale

80+ participants. Ukrainian and Uzbek languages. Council partnerships.

Month 10–12

Full Capacity

100 participants. 500 tasks. 2,000 hours. Impact evaluation. Year 2 applications.

FAQ

Common questions

How does AI power the programme? ▼
AI is the operating system, not a feature. It handles task matching (analysing participant profiles and past tasks), task creation (converting organisation needs into structured briefs), multilingual delivery (automatic translation), verification (processing submissions and generating logs), Contribution Record compilation, skills micro-lessons, and impact reporting. The programme runs with minimal human administration.
Is this a jobs programme? ▼
No — but it leads to one. Start to Prove tasks are voluntary community contributions, not employment. However, when participants gain the right to work, they transition into paid placements through RBT.LDN (rbt.london) — a commercial outstaffing agency in the Mendee ecosystem focused on London hospitality. Same person, already vetted and trained.
What is “volunteer outstaffing”? ▼
Unlike volunteer marketplaces where individuals browse and apply, we operate like a staffing agency. Organisations tell us what they need, and we deploy vetted, briefed volunteers from our pool. This removes barriers for both sides — organisations get reliable help without recruitment overhead, and immigrants get structured placements without navigating the system alone.
Will the Contribution Record be accepted for settlement? ▼
The Earned Settlement rules are not yet finalised. The programme is designed to produce documentation that would be valuable under any reasonable interpretation of “community contribution” — whether the final rules require formal volunteer hours, charity-verified records, or evidence of community integration. We will update the record format as guidance is published.
What does the £10,000 budget cover? ▼
Part-time programme coordinator (£4,000), AI API costs (£1,800), participant expenses like travel and data (£1,500), printed materials in 3 languages (£800), DBS checks (£600), training (£500), communications (£500), and contingency (£300). All technology infrastructure is provided at no cost by Mendee Digital Ltd.
What languages are supported? ▼
Phase 1: Russian, English, Tajik. Phase 2: Ukrainian, Uzbek, Arabic. All interface text and micro-lessons are AI-translated and reviewed by native speakers from the community.
How can my organisation post tasks? ▼
Onboarding takes under 10 minutes: describe your need in plain language, AI generates the task listing, you approve it. We are looking for food banks, GP surgeries, community centres, libraries, small charities, and schools in Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Hackney. Contact us at hello@snluk.org.

Interested in funding or partnering?

We welcome grantmakers, local authorities, community organisations, and charities who want to create meaningful volunteering pathways for immigrants.

Contact Us →