Handbook helps Refugee Sponsoring Groups Prepare for Arrival and Integration

To support Guelph-Wellington residents in the process of sponsoring Syrian refugees to our region, the Institute has recently published the Handbook for Refugee Sponsoring Groups: Tips and Local Resources to Support Sponsors in Guelph-Wellington. The handbook contains detailed checklists organized chronologically to follow the resettlement process of refugee families, from pre-arrival to the end of their first month in Guelph or Wellington. It also offers some tips and advice to sponsoring groups on what topics to cover with the newcomers, what services to access, or what documents to fill. Topics range from what to bring to the airport and how to fill the pantry before the arrival of the refugees, to opening a bank account, the school system, culture shock and free recreation activities - all with references to local services and resources.

The project is the result of discussions with the Guelph Refugee Sponsorship Forum, which was created to coordinate and support the work of sponsoring groups in Guelph and Wellington, the Guelph-Wellington Local Immigration Partnership, the County of Wellington Settlement Services and Immigrant Services Guelph Wellington. Through community consultations held during the Fall 2015 and Winter 2016, these and other organizations had identified a need to gather all information available about the local resources supporting the resettlement process in one place. It is the hope that this handbook will serve this purpose, and act as a reference for groups sponsoring refugees in the context of the current Syrian crisis and beyond.

The handbook is the most recent of a series of initiatives led by CESI and the University of Guelph to support the local community in welcoming Syrian refugees.

The handbook is available in the University of Guelph's Atrium.