Share projects: Quality Sponsorship Network (QSN)
Supporting sponsorship initiatives to develop into larger, sustainable and community-driven programmes
January 2021-June 2023
Using multistakeholder, grassroots and bottom-up strategies to build sustainable and robust sponsorship programmes, QSN sets out to ensure that the voices and experiences of sponsorship stakeholders are present at an EU level.Co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and coordinated by ICMC Europe, QSN brings together a consortium of actors running community sponsorship programmes in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK.
Objectives
Encourage and strengthen the present sponsorship stakeholder community by exchanging practices and information at a national and EU level
Ensure quality and engagement by supporting volunteer sponsorship groups and proactively seeking refugee participation and feedback
Broaden the sponsorship base by conversing with a wide variety of actors who may be new or unfamiliar with welcoming refugees through sponsorships
QSN community actions
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International and EU level workshops on sponsorship topics including the evaluation of refugee sponsorship; inter-faith engagement and cooperation; regions & cities as sponsors; university & labour mobility programmes; pre-departure cultural orientation & matching; innovative financing and private sector/ philanthropy engagement
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Capacity-building for lead and volunteer sponsors.
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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.
Share QSN Partnership
Approximate figures as of October 2022
QSN 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 QSN July 2023 Newsletter
Share QSN Winter 2022 Newsletter
Share QSN June 2022 Newsletter
Share QSN December 2021 Newsletter
QSN Magazine
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 QSN 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.