The Community Sponsorship of Refugees project consists of an initiative of hospitality and accompaniment by civil society to refugees who arrive in our country in a situation of vulnerability so that there is a real and safe integration in the place of arrival.
This accompaniment seeks to involve the local community to be part of the process, to see and become aware of the urgency and needs of refugees to achieve a dignified life, and, in common, to seek effective solutions. This creates a “family” attitude among newcomers, civil society, and public administrations.
American Science Youth Walk– COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP
It is an initiative promoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Spain (UNHCR), the Generalitat Valenciana through the Vice Presidency and Ministry of Equality and Inclusive Policies, together with the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in which other administrations and entities also collaborate.
Since October 2020, SJM-Valencia participates in the pilot program Agermanament Comunitari Valencià – Community Sponsorship, as a welcoming entity for two Syrian families resettled from Lebanon, of four and five members each, residing in the city of Valencia and in the municipality of Alaquas, respectively.
With both families, a comprehensive and simultaneous approach to the social, cultural, emotional, legal, and health spheres has been carried out, being the protagonists of their integration processes and itineraries.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Program since its inception is to offer effective accompaniment to families in their process of reception and integration, thus promoting the acquisition of autonomy and ease in the social context in which they reside.
Therefore, attention, follow-up, and support are provided by the technical team, and accompaniment from local groups and volunteers, a fundamental element in the structure of the entity and the Program.
The number of volunteers who have supported the families from the beginning is 15 people, involving on several occasions other support networks, such as groups of young volunteers and networks of volunteer families, with whom they have also carried out multiple leisure and free time activities.
INTEGRATION ITINERARY
In its integration itinerary, from the moment of its reception in 2020, the work with the families focused on language learning, the establishment of social networks and support, training courses, leisure and free time activities, social, and psycho-emotional support, and legal advice.
Throughout 2021, families have made progress in the aforementioned aspects. This has made it possible to:
- Increased command of the language
- Better quality of training courses
- Ease in schools in the case of minors
- Greater autonomy
- Establishing more stable social networks
- Knowledge of the social, cultural, and political context
- Greater emotional stability
Other objectives have been established, which are maintained for the year 2022:
- Insertion into the labor market
- Continuity in language learning and training courses
- Housing search
- Full integration into the host society