Summary of Improving Stakeholder Coordination in Refugee Resettlement
Drawn upon interviews with stakeholders from five countries, this study explores the multilevel partnership in the refugee resettlement process and the importance of communication and consultation between stakeholders with different motivations.
Executive Summary of Envisioning a Way Forward: Climate Displacement Legal Strategy Convening
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) hosted a two-day gathering with legal scholars, practitioners, activists, and advocates to collectively advance solutions for climate displacement. Emerson Collective and the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) co-hosted the event. The primary objective of the meeting was to foster agreement and advance a collaborative, solution focused approach across multiple organizations in support of the emergence of a legal protection framework while laying the groundwork for a working group.
Summary of Financing Complementary Education Pathways for Refugees: Existing Approaches and Opportunities for Growth
Despite the emergence of complementary education pathways and their positive results, there are a number of complex barriers to scaling these programs, most notable the unpredictability of long-term funding to sustain and grow the programs. This report explores opportunities for growth in financing complementary education pathways by outlining three financing approaches based on lessons learned from existing approaches: 1) Loan-Based Financing, 2) Employer-Sponsored Financing, and 3) Results-Based Financing.
Summary of From Safe Homes to Sponsors: Lessons from the Ukraine Hosting Response for Refugee Sponsorship Programs
Hosting initiatives, where private citizens provide their own homes as short-term accommodation to those fleeing war, was remarkable after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The program was successful because it provided a swift response to an urgent situation without relying on social housing or asylum reception systems. The program’s achievements offer valuable lesson to incorporate into sponsorship efforts.
Summary of Why Matching Matters: Improving Outcomes in Refugee Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways
Where and with whom refugees are matched in community sponsorship and complementary pathway programs matter a great deal. However, majority of government-led matching and placement sponsorship initiatives do not consider the individual refugees’ capacities, attributes, skills, or preferences, and rarely take into account placement in the interest of integration outcomes. These authors consider how community sponsorship and resettlement programs can be improved by utilizing technology that facilitates a more effective matching system by considering refugees’ characteristics, skills, and needs.
Climate and Migration (2)
The January 2024 roundup of literature on Sponsorship, Resettlement, and Pathways to Protection was prepared by Sezgi Karacan for the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub. The theme of this literature roundup is Climate and Migration. This is the second of two literature roundups on this topic.
Summary of the Effects of Sponsorship on Public Attitudes and Social Connection
The author discusses the impact of community sponsorship efforts at the local, national, and global levels. Sponsors have recognized that building meaningful connections is the most valuable aspect of the sponsorship programs. Sponsor-newcomer relationships can generate social capital which can facilitate integration. However, sponsor-newcomer relationships alone are not enough to make refugees feel integrated. It is important for newcomers to develop social connections with people of their same ethnic background to help them feel less isolated.
Climate and Migration (1)
The December 2023 roundup of literature on Sponsorship, Resettlement, and Pathways to Protection was prepared by Sezgi Karacan for the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub. The theme of this literature is Climate and Migration. It is the first of two literature roundups on this topic.
Summary of Community Sponsorship of Refugees
The success of community sponsorship initiatives prompted Canada, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the Open Society Foundations to form the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) to promote community sponsorship's in other countries. The authors in this chapter examine community sponsorship programs in three different countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, and Argentina.
Summary of Why are Public Attitudes Towards Immigration in Canada Becoming Increasingly Positive
The paper considers independent variables such as age, education level, the proportion of native-born residents versus immigrants, geographic region, gender, perception of Canadian economy, job status, and individuals’ political party affiliations, and identify shifts in public opinion towards immigration.
Summary of The Power of Positive Thinking: How Positive Opinions of Refugees Impact on the Host Society Generate Positive Behavioural Intentions
The study focused on understanding the impact of positive opinions about refugees on the behavioural changes of the host country’s nationals. Data for this study retrieved from a large-scale survey project on understanding forced displacement and refugee-host solidarity in Sweden.
Summary of Neoliberal Fatigue: The Effects of Private Sponsorship on Canadians’ Political Consciousness
This study inquiries about two potential insights: (1) sponsors’ exposure to different lived experiences through sponsorship and (2) sponsors’ exposure to refugees’ post-resettlement struggles in Canada resulting in awareness of structural inequalities within Canada.