Student Refugee Program Sponsorship 101

November 12, 2011

+ 14:00 – 14:30 - Welcome

+ 14:30 – 15:30 - SRP 101

+ 15:30 – 16:00 - Plenary and program updates

+ 16:00 – 16:15 - BREAK

+ 16:15 – 17:00 - SRP Finances

+ 17:00 – 18:00 - SRP: Sustaining the Program Together

+ 18:00 – 18:30 - Questions and Conclusion

AGENDA

+ The Student Refugee Program is a refugee resettlement program that enables refugee students to enter Canada as permanent residents and pursue their education at Canadian universities & colleges.

THE “SRP”

+ The UN defines a refugee as a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or the protection of that country”.

WHO IS A REFUGEE?

A DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCES AND BACKGROUNDS

SOME STATISTICS

+Refugees in the world as of Dec 2010: 10.55 million refugees+New permanent residents to Canada in 2010: 280,636+Refugees sponsored for Canadian resettlement in 2010: 12,098+Privately Sponsored Refugees in 2010: 4,833+WUSC Sponsorships for 2011: *78 (+2)

INLAND CLAIMSINLAND CLAIMS

OVERSEAS SELECTIONOVERSEAS SELECTION

REFUGEE PROTECTION IN CANADA

Government assisted

Government assisted

Private Sponsorship

Private Sponsorship

Joint Assistance

Joint Assistance

Sponsorship Agreement

Holders

Sponsorship Agreement

Holders

Groups of 5

Groups of 5

Community Groups

Community Groups

WUSCWUSC

WUSC is among over 70 Sponsorship agreement holders (SAH) in Canada and 10 in Quebec, but is the only organization in the world that pairs EDUCATION with refugee resettlement.

UNIQUE IN THE WORLD

PRIVATELY SPONSORED REFUGEES

Private sponsorship entails a guarantee to provide financial and personal settlement supportFor 12 – 36 months

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF SRP STUDENTS

Afghanistan,Burma, Burundi, Bhutan, Comoros Islands, Zaire/DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Iran, *Iraq, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zaire and Zimbabwe.

SRP OVERSEAS

WUSC’S PARTNERS

• UNHCR• The Canadian High Commission• The Governments of Countries of Asylum

(Kenya, Malawi, & Syria)• Windle Trust (Kenya)• WUSC-Malawi• Jesuit Refugee Services• International Organization of Migration

(IOM)

+Who is eligible for selection?

+How are SRP students selected?

+What kinds of preparation do they receive?

+What happens when they come to Canada?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Requirements:17-25 years old Recognized as refugee by country of asylum Completed secondary schoolProminent in English or French Self-reliant and MatureSingle without Dependents

Interview

Circulation of Dossier

Placement

Medical Exam

Education, English Classes, IOM Orientation

Selection

Academic Support

CIC Forms

Selection of Candidates

Transition for end of

sponsorship

Finding a Job

Applications

Course Registratio

n

Welcome

Admission

Social Support

The entire process takes around 2 years, but in terms of refugee sponsorship more generally this is a very short period of time.

PREPARING FOR SPONSORSHIP

SRP IN CANADA

The preparations for sponsorship take a minimum of 8 months, but for the first sponsorship preparations usually begin 2 years in advance

…there is someone to lend a helping hand…

ONCE THE SPONSORED STUDENTS SET FOOT ON CANADIAN SOIL...

LOCAL COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

+ Commit to providing the sponsored student with financial, moral, and emotional support for a minimum of 12 months;

+ Ensure the support of the university or college and liaise with admissions and registrar;

+ Establish a budget and acquire the funds to support the student during their sponsorship;

+ Help the sponsored student prepare for autonomy after the sponsorship period.

Frequency of sponsorships on campus 1 student every 4 year to 4 students per year

Structure of sponsoring Local Committee: •Student-led, faculty/admin supported

•Faculty/admin-led, student supported

•Student government-led, staff supported

VARIETY OF SPONSORSHIP MODELS

FINANCES

+When undertaking the sponsorship of a refugee, sponsoring groups commit to providing a minimum of 12 months of Financial support

FUN STUFF THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

RAISING AWARENESS

RESOURCES

• SRP promotional materials•posters, buttons, t-shirt templates, a fact sheet, etc

• Film database• Profiles of former sponsored

students• And much more!

WUSC’s Campus Engagement Team is always available to help!

RESOURCES

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!

Managing SRP Finances

November 12, 2011

+ How do SRP finances differ?+ Cost of

sponsorship+ Funding sources+ Funding Models+ Money

Management

EACH SPONSORING COMMITTE IS UNIQUE

COST OF SPONSORSHIP CAN BE BETWEEN $20,000-$30,000, DEPENDING ON LOCATION

FUNDING SOURCES

+ Student Levies (86% have a levy)

+ Waivers (87%Tuition, 79% Accommodations, 63% Meals etc.)

+ Scholarships

+ Fundraising Events

+ Faculty Levies

+ Major partnerships (Unions, Lions Club)

FUNDING MODELS

+ Frequency

+ Number of Students (AVG: 1.34)

+ Expenses covered

MANAGING MONEY

+ How does your campus manage SRP finances?

+ Across the country, funds of the SRP are managed by: • Faculty advisors• Volunteer Staff• Staff of international offices• VPs of Student Unions• Staff of Student Unions• Local Committees

BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED

+ Partnerships are important+ INVOLVE Students in decision making,

and managing their own budget+ Don’t take for granted they know what a

cheque is, what a bank card is, how loans work etc.

+ Explain the budget thoroughly, but not in the first 48 hours. A written explanation can be helpful too.

+ Don’t forget about income tax returns

INTENT TO SPONSOR FORMS

http://mycommittee.wusc.ca/

Forms are due Nov. 27th!

QUESTIONS?