Since the first European community sponsorship scheme was launched in 2016, sponsorship programmes have expanded under highly diverse national and regional frameworks and partnerships, piloting new ways for citizens, civil society, regions and cities, universities, and other actors, to welcome refugees into their local communities. It is estimated that around 6,000 refugees have now been brought to Europe under resettlementbased sponsorship, humanitarian corridors and other complementary pathways like higher education programmes.
The power of community solidarity and welcome has only grown and solidified in light of the number of Ukrainian refugees that have been welcomed by private citizens and local actors in 2022. Many of these new community-led initiatives have adapted elements from established sponsorship programmes to Ukrainian refugees, inspiring new models of reception, diaspora participation and labour market inclusion. At the same time, higher education and labour mobility programmes have adopted community sponsorship approaches to strengthen welcome and integration of arriving refugees.
At the heart of any community sponsorship initiative are the volunteers, welcomed refugees, and intermediary support organisations who work together with regional and local authorities and different community actors. To celebrate the achievements and give recognition to the variety of grassroots actors, local authorities and volunteers involved in the various initiatives, the Share Network will host a European Refugee Sponsorship Convention that will take place in Brussels on April 26, 2023.
Co-organised by ICMC Europe/Share Network and Caritas International, the event will gather over 100 participants from communities across Europe to celebrate achievements, exchange on lessons learned, showcase good practices, highlight key policy developments, and inspire new actors and initiatives. The Convention will feature panel discussions, debates, best practice exchange and provide an opportunity to network with different actors engaged in community-led welcome for refugees. With food, music, and performances we will celebrate all the actors engaged in sponsorship and the achievements of volunteers that have relentlessly engaged in hosting refugees over the past years, inspiring others to join. The Convention will be an occasion to highlight the main achievements and outcomes of the programmes and discuss how to take the main lessons learned forward.
The European Sponsorship Convention is co-funded by the European Commission within the framework of the Share Quality Sponsorship Network (Share QSN) implemented by the consortium partners consisting of ICMC Europe, Caritas International, DiCV Cologne, the Basque Government, the Fédération de l’Entraide Protestante, the Irish Refugee Council, Caritas Italy/Consorzio Communitas and Citizens UK. Moreover, the event will be organised in active cooperation with refuge-led organisations and Share Refugee Advisors, engaging the Share’s Refugee Sponsorship Mobilisation Platform of grassroots communities.
