Share projects: Quality Sponsorship Network (QSN) Plus
Building on the success of the Share QSN project, QSN Plus aims to further improve the integration of refugees in Europe by strengthening and expanding community sponsorship (CS) programmes.
March 2024-August 2026
This project works within the framework of European resettlement and complementary pathways (CPs) to create a more cohesive approach to supporting refugees.Co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by ICMC Europe, QSN Plus brings together a consortium of actors running community sponsorship programs in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
Objectives
Expand and Diversify Sponsorship: engage a wider range of actors in refugee sponsorship, including diaspora groups, refugees themselves, employers, housing associations, and students. This will expand programs geographically, reaching rural areas.
Enhance Sponsorship Quality: improve the quality of support offered by sponsors through updated training materials and toolkits adapted to local needs. Training will be delivered through a mix of in-person and online sessions.
Strengthen Coordination: establish stronger connections between community sponsorship and other refugee support programs at local, regional, national, and European levels. This will lead to more consistent and effective policies and practices.
QSN Plus community actions
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Creation of platforms for dialogue and collaboration between actors involved in community sponsorship, resettlement, and other complementary pathways. This will help to develop more coordinated and sustainable approaches.
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Sponsorship groups will receive training on best practices for supporting refugees, with a focus on addressing the needs arising from recent emergencies. Training materials will be adapted and translated to meet local needs.
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Develop targeted strategies to engage new sponsor groups, working closely with local communities and refugee organizations.
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Ongoing evaluation and assessment of sponsorship programmes, including refugee feedback sessions.
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Activities with supporting organisations, grassroots sponsors, local authorities and refugees that build leadership and inspire both new and experienced actors to get involved.
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Creating space to hear the testimonials and stories from the participants on both sides of the experience
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The European Sponsorship Ceremony gathers grassroots stakeholders from across Europe to celebrate the unique contributions of local communities, volunteers, and refugees and bring the voices of those directly involved in sponsorship to the EU policy level.
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Organization of transnational roundtables and study visits to share best practices in community sponsorship across Europe. These events will focus on topics such as sponsorship in rural areas, labor market integration, and ethical engagement of refugees.
Share QSN Plus Partnership
QSN Plus Partners
Donors
Publications and reports on Community Sponsorship
ICMC Europe/Share Network and over 50 civil society organisations are co-signing a joint statement calling on the European Commission to prepare a proposal for a Council Implementation Decision on the extension of the TPD until March 2025 as a matter of urgency.
Many countries across the world have introduced community-led refugee sponsorship schemes, and together have supported newcomers to rebuild their lives and feel welcomed. To deliver this support actors have developed useful resources and learnt a lot of lessons.
A leading example of regional engagement is the Auzolana (Basque for ‘Welcome’) pilot community sponsorship initiative that was launched in March 2019 to welcome five Syrian families in Basque municipalities: Bilbao, Arrigorriaga, Portugalete, Andoain and Vitoria-Gasteiz. The initiative is the first community sponsorship programme, organized and led by a regional government.
On the 6th of October ICMC Europe and the Share Network hosted the second of a series of meetings of its Refugee Sponsorship Mobilisation Platform. As the name indicates, this inclusive platform brings together a wide variety of stakeholders including civil society organisations, faith communities, volunteers, cities and regions, migrant-led organisations, universities, private actors and refugees - to exchange practices and develop strategies and advocacy initiatives to improve and expand community sponsorships under resettlement and complementary pathways in Europe.
On 26-27 September, ICMC and the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See co-organized the hybrid workshop “Building the Future through Community Sponsorship of Refugees: comparing experiences and learning from each other”.
The Multifaith and wider community engagement in refugee sponsorship conference took place in Cologne on May 25, 2022. Organised in partnership with DiCV Caritas Cologne, it provided the opportunity for relevant multi-stakeholder actors to exchange and share best practices on broadening engagement beyond Christian faith-based groups, across different faith groups as well as secular actors.
The Share Refugee Advisor Workshop for Community Sponsorship took place on Zoom on the 25th of January and provided a platform to exchange and discuss best practices for meaningful participation of refugees. This preliminary workshop was organised under the umbrella of Share’s Refugee Sponsorship Mobilisation Platform which among its objectives, seeks to ensure that refugee voices are represented in advocacy at the local, national and EU level through the development of a Refugee Advisor Programme for Community Sponsorship.
Syrian refugees in the UK reflect on the COVID-19 lockdown and their experiences of conflict in Syria
As part of ongoing research conducted by the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) a study on the impact of the COVID-19 in the UK’s Community Sponsorship Scheme (CSS) concluded that with the advent of the pandemic and the introduction of social distancing and lockdown in March 2020 Community Sponsorship groups were challenged to offer alternative support to refugees in new ways.
Share ‘Sponsorship Stories’
Sponsorship Stories is a series of articles detailing experiences and developments in community-based sponsorship gathered through the Share network. The series, which features sponsors, refugees and grassroots actors involved at a local level, highlights the work and learnings of those currently active in community sponsorship programmes across Europe.
Latest stories:
On 26-27 September, ICMC and the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See co-organized the hybrid workshop “Building the Future through Community Sponsorship of Refugees: comparing experiences and learning from each other”.
Latest News and Resources
ICMC Europe/Share Network and over 50 civil society organisations are co-signing a joint statement calling on the European Commission to prepare a proposal for a Council Implementation Decision on the extension of the TPD until March 2025 as a matter of urgency.
Many countries across the world have introduced community-led refugee sponsorship schemes, and together have supported newcomers to rebuild their lives and feel welcomed. To deliver this support actors have developed useful resources and learnt a lot of lessons.
A leading example of regional engagement is the Auzolana (Basque for ‘Welcome’) pilot community sponsorship initiative that was launched in March 2019 to welcome five Syrian families in Basque municipalities: Bilbao, Arrigorriaga, Portugalete, Andoain and Vitoria-Gasteiz. The initiative is the first community sponsorship programme, organized and led by a regional government.
On the 6th of October ICMC Europe and the Share Network hosted the second of a series of meetings of its Refugee Sponsorship Mobilisation Platform. As the name indicates, this inclusive platform brings together a wide variety of stakeholders including civil society organisations, faith communities, volunteers, cities and regions, migrant-led organisations, universities, private actors and refugees - to exchange practices and develop strategies and advocacy initiatives to improve and expand community sponsorships under resettlement and complementary pathways in Europe.
On 26-27 September, ICMC and the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See co-organized the hybrid workshop “Building the Future through Community Sponsorship of Refugees: comparing experiences and learning from each other”.
The Multifaith and wider community engagement in refugee sponsorship conference took place in Cologne on May 25, 2022. Organised in partnership with DiCV Caritas Cologne, it provided the opportunity for relevant multi-stakeholder actors to exchange and share best practices on broadening engagement beyond Christian faith-based groups, across different faith groups as well as secular actors.
Want to get involved in community-based sponsorship? We’d love to hear from you!
Anna Coulibaly
Programmes Manager/QSN+ Project Manager