Integration is better together
The objective of Community support programmes is to contribue to the reception and integration of refugees. With engagement from citizens and local communities to provide emotional and practical support to newly arrived refugees, the programmes add to government-assisted reception and integration activities, and is a way to develop positive and vital interaction between refugees and their new host communities.
The concept is also a way of supporting resettlement in a manner that strengthens and accelerates the reception and integration of UNHCR-referred refugees. Over time, this could potentially contribute to increased resettlement quotas.
UNHCR is in general advocating for more community support initiatives and is working to promote this with civil society and governments in countries like the Nordics
What is community support programmes?
The Nordic model for community support to refugees is inspired by the community-based sponsorship programmes originating from Canada. The description covers programmes that allow individuals, groups of individuals or organizations to come together to provide emotional and practical support for the reception and integration of refugees who are admitted to their country.
Individuals or a community can form a group of welcome guides/contact persons who are committed to jointly provide support and act as entry-points into society to e.g. resettled refugees, assisting them to start their life in a new country, help adapt to a new culture and traditions, develop their language skills, assist with practical matters, offer networking opportunities to access employment, housing, etc.
Community support programmes allow citizens and residents to directly engage in support of states’ refugee protection efforts and help to strengthen resettlement programmes and integration work. Over time, this could potentially also lead to a complimentary pathway and contribute to increase resettlement quotas. There is, however, no one-size-fits-all approach to community support, and different models may be appropriate in different contexts.
While programmes have been a great success in Canada for decades, allowing more than 300,000 refugees to be welcomed to the country by private sponsors, most other programmes have been developed relatively recently in response to the Syria crisis and as commitments following the Global Compact on Refugees. Currently, many countries across Europe have piloted or even established community-based sponsorship programmes and similar community support programs, including the UK, Spain, Germany and Nordic countries/Finland and Sweden.
Why community support programmes?
Establishing a community support programme can bring much added value and resources to reception and integration efforts. Programmes can build on the already existing active civil society initiatives with more long-term, committed and coordinated support from communities and citizens, while the state and authorities still retain the ultimate responsibility for receiving and integrating refugees.
Community support programmes can therefore be seen as:
- A stepping-stone to build more sustainable resettlement programmes and allow more refugees to access protection and durable solutions;
- A tool to facilitate faster and better integration prospects through engagement of citizens
- A tool to increase public support for refugees and promote social cohesion;
- A way to mobilize additional capacities and resources to undertake resettlement and integration of refugees in a more effective way through a shared responsibility between authorities, civil society and individuals and provide a structure for a sustainable system for social inclusion of refugees.
Integration is not something that can be learnt from a textbook, it requires personal interaction and face to face meetings between people in the context of real life. A Community support programme can embody these personal connections, and they can provide newly arrived refugees with a network, which is crucial when searching for jobs and housing and for social inclusion.
Community support in the Nordic countries
Together with different partners, UNHCR is exploring possibilities for introducing and piloting community support programmes linked to the countries’ resettlement programs in the Nordic countries.
So far, feasibility studies have been undertaken in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and one coming up in Norway, and the studies generally conclude that there is a potential for a community support model, taking into consideration the specifics of the Nordic countries as well as interest in the development of such a program among civil society actors, municipalities and government.
- Feasibility study from Sweden (commissioned by UNHCR)
- Feasibility study from Denmark (carried out by Amnesty International Denmark)
- Feasibility study from Finland (commissioned by the Finnish government)
“It’s a very positive experience, you have to experience it to realise how great it is”
says Tove Cederborg, who is a welcome guide for Ayaat. Tove and Ayaat meet regularly through Danderyd municipality’s community support programme. Tove supports Ayaat and her family, helps them learn Swedish, go for walks and have coffee together.
Reports & other resources
The Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI): Community Sponsorship of Refugees Guidebook and Planning Tools
More experiences with Community support programmes
Devon, England
The Syrian Arnout family escaped the war and was welcomed to Devon in south-west England by the local community. The family is among the around 450 refugees who have been embraced by local community groups across the UK under the government’s community sponsorship programme which allows charities, faith groups, businesses and other local groups to directly support the reception and integration of refugees. Read the story.
Bilbao, Spain
Spanish volunteers in the Basque region have joined hands to help a refugee family from Syria start a new life. The community sponsorship programme is the first of its kind in Spain and has been established through collaboration between civil society groups, central and regional government as well as UNHCR. Read the story.
Cardigan, Wales
In 2018, Mohanad and his family arrived in Wales, after fleeing the war in Syria and living in harsh conditions in Lebanon. Croesco Teifi, a community sponsor group in Wales, made this possible. In 2020, the group welcomed a second Syrian family, Ahmed and his family, into the community. Read the story.