All our stories by Tag
Application
More stories tagged Application-
It seemed like a perfect fit!
Ripon City of Sanctuary decided in March 2021 to set up a Community Sponsorship group so that they could welcome a refugee family to their city. Ruth Foulds, who is leading the group, explains why they decided to sponsor a refugee family and how they got the group off the ground.
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How to speed up your Community Sponsorship application
We know that you want to welcome a refugee family as quickly as possible and that the length of time it takes to prepare and process your Community Sponsorship application can be frustrating. While the process necessarily takes some time, there are some really simple ways that your Group can avoid delays.
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Preparing for your Home Office Pre-Approval Visit
Once you have submitted your application to the Home Office and it has been checked, they’ll get in touch to schedule your pre-approval visit (PAV). A ‘meeting with the Home Office’ sounds a little intimidating so here are our top tips for getting ready for it.
Arrival planning
More stories tagged Arrival planning-
Reflections on preparing to welcome a refugee family
Life changing conversations can happen while you are walking your dog! Here Alice from Forest Hill & Sydenham Welcome Refugees tells us how she first got involved Community Sponsorship and shares her experiences of getting to know her group and preparing to welcome their family.
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“When people say, ‘Why are you helping refugees? Won’t they be sent back?’, I’m ready with the facts.”
Carol is a volunteer with CHARIS Exeter, a Community Sponsorship group in Devon. Here she tells us how Reset boosted her confidence and gave her insights into what refugee families might have been through before arriving in the UK.
Challenges
More stories tagged Challenges-
“You can’t impose empowerment”
Community Sponsorship naturally attracts people who want to help others. You get involved because you want to help refugees in a practical way. But sometimes helping people can disempower them. So how do you empower newly arrived refugees rather than simply help them? Eveline, a Community Sponsor in Bristol, gives us her reflections on this question.
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“Although being thanked was never our main motivation on some level we did expect gratitude”
A volunteer acknowledges that she expected gratitude from the refugee family that her Group supports. She examines the roots of these expectations and explains how she came to understand her role better once she confronted these expectations.
Children
More stories tagged Children-
How to support a refugee child to adapt to school
Ellie is a member of two Community Sponsorship Groups in Cornwall and has more than 20 years' experience in education. Here she shares her top tips on helping children adapt to education in the UK.
Community
More stories tagged Community-
“I think there’s a lot of good in people and Community Sponsorship is a real opportunity to bring it out.”
Former head teacher Ellie Stacey is one of our pioneering Community Sponsors, having played a key role in building groups in Bude and Falmouth. Here Ellie tells us how volunteering helped her embrace retirement - and how inspired she feels by the power and potential of Community Sponsorship.
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My experience with “super volunteers”
Marisol Reyes Soto is a researcher at University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS). She led the research on an evaluation of the Community Sponsorship scheme in its pilot phase. Here she reflects on the impact meeting volunteers had on her.
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“I'm so proud of the communities across Devon that have come together to welcome refugees”
So far 8 families have been welcomed to Devon since Community Sponsorship began in the UK. Here the Resettlement Coordinator at Devon County Council, Stephen Matthewman, shares their experiences of working with Community Sponsorship groups reflects on the benefits that welcoming refugees has had on Devon communities.
Education
More stories tagged Education-
What it's like being sponsored as a refugee student
Ahmad Alkosani tells us about his experience of being sponsored as a refugee student to Canada, how the World University Service of Canada changed his life and why he is now volunteering so he can have the same transformational impact.
Employment
More stories tagged Employment-
How to pass your driving test when you are new to the UK
Abdullah arrived in the UK with only a few words of English. Ten months later, he had passed his theory and practical driving tests giving him vital independence and freedom. Gordon East, founder of CHARIS, set up the Community Sponsorship group which sponsored Abdullah and his family. Here he speaks to him to hear his advice for other refugees.
Fundraising
More stories tagged Fundraising-
Reflections on preparing to welcome a refugee family
Life changing conversations can happen while you are walking your dog! Here Alice from Forest Hill & Sydenham Welcome Refugees tells us how she first got involved Community Sponsorship and shares her experiences of getting to know her group and preparing to welcome their family.
-
It seemed like a perfect fit!
Ripon City of Sanctuary decided in March 2021 to set up a Community Sponsorship group so that they could welcome a refugee family to their city. Ruth Foulds, who is leading the group, explains why they decided to sponsor a refugee family and how they got the group off the ground.
Housing
More stories tagged Housing-
Why you should rent your property to a refugee family
Renting your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship is one of the most significant ways in which you can contribute to resettlement. Here Jo tells us why she would encourage other landlords to do the same and answers some your key questions.
Impact
More stories tagged Impact-
“Helping this family has been a big turning point in my life.”
After a long career in early years education and family support, Carol was ready to make the most of her retirement. Then, very suddenly, her husband Mike became unwell. He was diagnosed with cancer and passed away just six months later. Here Carol shares her memories of that difficult time and describes how volunteering with her local Community Sponsorship group gave her life a new purpose.
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“You can’t impose empowerment”
Community Sponsorship naturally attracts people who want to help others. You get involved because you want to help refugees in a practical way. But sometimes helping people can disempower them. So how do you empower newly arrived refugees rather than simply help them? Eveline, a Community Sponsor in Bristol, gives us her reflections on this question.
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Am I having an impact?
With so many different ways to support refugees, it can be difficult to know how you can make the best use of your time. We asked a Community Sponsorship Group member in London what made him choose to give his time and energy to Community Sponsorship.
International
More stories tagged International-
What it's like being sponsored as a refugee student
Ahmad Alkosani tells us about his experience of being sponsored as a refugee student to Canada, how the World University Service of Canada changed his life and why he is now volunteering so he can have the same transformational impact.
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What is the difference between refugee sponsorship in Canada and the UK?
Professor Michaela Hynie from York University in Toronto has been studying refugee resettlement in Canada for over a decade. Canadians have privately sponsored more than 300,000 refugees. Here Professor Hynie reflects on her observations of the UK’s Community Sponsorship scheme and explains why the UK’s focus on community resettlement over family reunion can represent both a challenge and a strength of the UK model.
Landlord
More stories tagged Landlord-
Why you should rent your property to a refugee family
Renting your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship is one of the most significant ways in which you can contribute to resettlement. Here Jo tells us why she would encourage other landlords to do the same and answers some your key questions.
London
More stories tagged London-
“I really believe that Community Sponsorship has changed the course of my life.”
Sam, a refugee from Syria, arrived in the UK in 2017 through the Community Sponsorship scheme. In this blog he shares his Community Sponsorship story – from being welcomed to the UK to preparing to welcome a new family as a volunteer himself.
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Why you should rent your property to a refugee family
Renting your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship is one of the most significant ways in which you can contribute to resettlement. Here Jo tells us why she would encourage other landlords to do the same and answers some your key questions.
-
Am I having an impact?
With so many different ways to support refugees, it can be difficult to know how you can make the best use of your time. We asked a Community Sponsorship Group member in London what made him choose to give his time and energy to Community Sponsorship.
Organisation
More stories tagged Organisation-
How to speed up your Community Sponsorship application
We know that you want to welcome a refugee family as quickly as possible and that the length of time it takes to prepare and process your Community Sponsorship application can be frustrating. While the process necessarily takes some time, there are some really simple ways that your Group can avoid delays.
-
My experience with “super volunteers”
Marisol Reyes Soto is a researcher at University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS). She led the research on an evaluation of the Community Sponsorship scheme in its pilot phase. Here she reflects on the impact meeting volunteers had on her.
-
Preparing for your Home Office Pre-Approval Visit
Once you have submitted your application to the Home Office and it has been checked, they’ll get in touch to schedule your pre-approval visit (PAV). A ‘meeting with the Home Office’ sounds a little intimidating so here are our top tips for getting ready for it.
Refugee
More stories tagged Refugee-
“I really believe that Community Sponsorship has changed the course of my life.”
Sam, a refugee from Syria, arrived in the UK in 2017 through the Community Sponsorship scheme. In this blog he shares his Community Sponsorship story – from being welcomed to the UK to preparing to welcome a new family as a volunteer himself.
-
What it's like being sponsored as a refugee student
Ahmad Alkosani tells us about his experience of being sponsored as a refugee student to Canada, how the World University Service of Canada changed his life and why he is now volunteering so he can have the same transformational impact.
-
How to pass your driving test when you are new to the UK
Abdullah arrived in the UK with only a few words of English. Ten months later, he had passed his theory and practical driving tests giving him vital independence and freedom. Gordon East, founder of CHARIS, set up the Community Sponsorship group which sponsored Abdullah and his family. Here he speaks to him to hear his advice for other refugees.
-
“I'm so proud of the communities across Devon that have come together to welcome refugees”
So far 8 families have been welcomed to Devon since Community Sponsorship began in the UK. Here the Resettlement Coordinator at Devon County Council, Stephen Matthewman, shares their experiences of working with Community Sponsorship groups reflects on the benefits that welcoming refugees has had on Devon communities.
School
More stories tagged School-
How to support a refugee child to adapt to school
Ellie is a member of two Community Sponsorship Groups in Cornwall and has more than 20 years' experience in education. Here she shares her top tips on helping children adapt to education in the UK.
Skills and development
More stories tagged Skills and development-
How to pass your driving test when you are new to the UK
Abdullah arrived in the UK with only a few words of English. Ten months later, he had passed his theory and practical driving tests giving him vital independence and freedom. Gordon East, founder of CHARIS, set up the Community Sponsorship group which sponsored Abdullah and his family. Here he speaks to him to hear his advice for other refugees.
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How to use social media to raise awareness of Community Sponsorship
Social media can feel like an intimidating place sometimes but it’s actually a wonderful way to connect with other people who want to welcome refugees and by raising awareness of Community Sponsorship, you'll be helping more refugees to safely and legally rebuild their lives in the UK.
Socialising
More stories tagged Socialising-
My experience with “super volunteers”
Marisol Reyes Soto is a researcher at University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS). She led the research on an evaluation of the Community Sponsorship scheme in its pilot phase. Here she reflects on the impact meeting volunteers had on her.
South West
More stories tagged South West-
How to pass your driving test when you are new to the UK
Abdullah arrived in the UK with only a few words of English. Ten months later, he had passed his theory and practical driving tests giving him vital independence and freedom. Gordon East, founder of CHARIS, set up the Community Sponsorship group which sponsored Abdullah and his family. Here he speaks to him to hear his advice for other refugees.
-
“When people say, ‘Why are you helping refugees? Won’t they be sent back?’, I’m ready with the facts.”
Carol is a volunteer with CHARIS Exeter, a Community Sponsorship group in Devon. Here she tells us how Reset boosted her confidence and gave her insights into what refugee families might have been through before arriving in the UK.
-
“You can’t impose empowerment”
Community Sponsorship naturally attracts people who want to help others. You get involved because you want to help refugees in a practical way. But sometimes helping people can disempower them. So how do you empower newly arrived refugees rather than simply help them? Eveline, a Community Sponsor in Bristol, gives us her reflections on this question.
Volunteer
More stories tagged Volunteer-
It seemed like a perfect fit!
Ripon City of Sanctuary decided in March 2021 to set up a Community Sponsorship group so that they could welcome a refugee family to their city. Ruth Foulds, who is leading the group, explains why they decided to sponsor a refugee family and how they got the group off the ground.
-
“I really believe that Community Sponsorship has changed the course of my life.”
Sam, a refugee from Syria, arrived in the UK in 2017 through the Community Sponsorship scheme. In this blog he shares his Community Sponsorship story – from being welcomed to the UK to preparing to welcome a new family as a volunteer himself.
-
Am I having an impact?
With so many different ways to support refugees, it can be difficult to know how you can make the best use of your time. We asked a Community Sponsorship Group member in London what made him choose to give his time and energy to Community Sponsorship.
West Midlands
More stories tagged West Midlands-
My experience with “super volunteers”
Marisol Reyes Soto is a researcher at University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS). She led the research on an evaluation of the Community Sponsorship scheme in its pilot phase. Here she reflects on the impact meeting volunteers had on her.
Yorkshire and the Humber
More stories tagged Yorkshire and the Humber-
It seemed like a perfect fit!
Ripon City of Sanctuary decided in March 2021 to set up a Community Sponsorship group so that they could welcome a refugee family to their city. Ruth Foulds, who is leading the group, explains why they decided to sponsor a refugee family and how they got the group off the ground.