2.B Sponsors: From Mobilization to Engagement
B.1 How can private actors be mobilized to support refugee resettlement?
(iii) What tools are available to engage communities in privately sponsoring refugees?
How Canada Does It
A wide variety of tools are available to promote community mobilization to welcome refugees such as: sharing success stories; finding champions; toolkits, and targeted advice.
A wide variety of tools are available to promote community mobilization to welcome refugees such as:
SHARING SUCCESS STORIES AND EXPERIENCES about refugee resettlement from the perspectives of the sponsors, the refugees, and the communities who welcome refugees.
FINDING CHAMPIONS: Champions are those who support and promote refugee resettlement in Canada. Champions can be public figures and they can be ordinary individuals who are passionate about enlarging Canada’s role in refugee resettlement. It is important the champions are credible and respected and represent a variety of sectors including the business/private sector. A well-known example is Marion Dewar, former Mayor of Ottawa, who launched Project 4000, engaging Ottawa residents to privately sponsor an additional 4,000 Vietnamese refugees to Ottawa.
Many TOOLKITS have been produced to help communities support refugees. Examples include the Refugees Welcome Here Toolbox (Canadian Council for Refugees); and Welcoming and Inclusive Communities Toolkit (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association).
TARGETED ADVICE on key issues affecting refugees, e.g., caring for the health of a newly arrived Syrian refugee family and supporting children with refugee experience helps increase positive integration outcomes.
SOCIAL MEDIA is also an important tool to spread information and positive stories about sponsorship of refugees. Social media has also become a critical tool for refugees to communicate with each other and access information regarding the sponsorship and resettlement process.