Sponsoring a refugee isn’t as easy as many might think.
That’s why Refugee 613 hosted a sponsorship information evening in late November at the Ottawa Mosque. About 100 people attended to learn how to sponsor refugees coming to Ottawa.
Refugee 613 is a coalition of settlement agencies, sponsorship groups, immigration lawyers, and citizens.
According to World Vision, an estimated 12 million Syrians have fled their homes after four years of civil war. Europe has been facing an overwhelming challenge in recent months, with over 750,000 Syrian refugees pouring into various countries and making dangerous crossings of the Mediterranean.
Louisa Taylor, Refugee 613’s director, says the organization ensures efforts aren’t duplicated and helps connect people to bring ideas to life, as the city grapples with an expected influx in the coming weeks and months.
“We bring them together and magic happens,” she says.
“It’s so exciting to think about what our city can be and what it will be in a few years from now and in another generation from now,” Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said at the information night.
Taylor says McKenney jumped on board right away when the organization asked her to be involved because some residents of Somerset ward are interested in sponsoring refugees.
“It’s a thrill for us to see this upsurge of interest in private sponsorship. It’s a fantastic experience. You’re going to learn a lot,” Taylor told the crowd at the Ottawa Mosque.
Canada is expected to settle 10,000 refugees before the end of December 2015. Another 15,000 are expected by the end of February 2016.
According to the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship website, 271 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since the beginning of November.
In order to sponsor a refugee, group of refugees, or refugee family, the sponsoring group of at least five people must fill out applications and have them approved by the Canadian government. The group is responsible for all aspects of resettling the refugee(s) for the first year.
“You have to cover their financial needs for a year; you walk with them and learn with them for that entire year, helping them with medical and educational and all kinds of things,” said April Hope, the social responsibility co-ordinator for the Canadian Unitarian Council. “You’ll help enrol them in school and you’ll provide the emotional support to do that and help them to find work.”
Taylor said Refugee 613’s newest initiative is the creation of workshops for sponsorship groups. The sessions will train people sponsoring refugees by educating them on ethics, responsibilities, and community resources.
The presentation also shed light on some other seemingly obvious, yet vital, bits of information, such as not getting sexually involved with sponsored refugees and respecting their cultural and religious beliefs. It is key that sponsors maintain confidentiality about the information that is shared between sponsors and refugees before, during and after the sponsorship ends.
Hope warned that refugees sometimes feel a power imbalance, because they are completely dependant on their sponsors.
“You need to recognize that imbalance of power that can exist and be really cognizant that you are sharing the power with these people and empowering them as we move forward,” Hope said. “These are people. They’re not your refugees,” she added.
Lisa Hébert, a steering committee member for Refugee 613, tried to put to rest concerns some people have about Canada accepting refugees from Syria. She says the application process for immigrants to Canada is a lengthy one in which their whole lives must be accounted for.
Hope noted that refugees had lives and careers before immigrating to Canada. “Many of these people will be business people having left longtime careers or in the middle of building their dream career so remember that you are not just there helping them, you’re there connecting with them at that level,” she said.
“They’re survivors,” Hébert said. “They’re actually stronger than you.”