Exploring Community Sponsorship in the UK: Group and Volunteer Perspectives

1. Community Sponsorship in the UK Group and volunteer perspectives

2. Methods • Over 100 interviews with group leaders and refugees • Longitudinal – 3 points (before, six weeks post-arrival and at 12 months) – 8 groups – ongoing • Retrospective – groups that had reached the 12 month point • Questions • Application processes • Volunteer recruitment and support • Contributions and gains • Roles and responsibilities • Challenges and solutions • Plans for the future

3. Motivations • Volunteers are the heart of Community Sponsorship • Why do they establish? • Media coverage of 2015 crisis • Response to calls by faith leaders or because of beliefs ‘Because I have a very strong faith, I just felt that God was telling me: Do something, do something… and as soon as I stood up for refugees the doors started to open, one after the other.’ • Desire to pursue social justice and common good

4. Gains ‘I cannot even begin to tell you what I have gained…so much…so much, joy, the feeling of having a purpose, the feeling of changing something…the power of little people.’ • Strong sense of purpose and achievement • New friends • Close sometimes kin-like bonds with refugees and their children • Reduced isolation • Improved health and wellbeing • Sense of being connected locally and globally • New skills and expertise

5. Skills gained

6. Contributions • Time – usually more than expected • Skills and experience • Resources • Emotional labour • Cultural knowledge

7. Challenges • Many groups were pioneers • The application process – evolving and overly bureaucratic • Raising sufficient funds • Getting charitable status • Finding housing and school places without info on family • Dealing with JCP and NHS – complexities around entitlements • Quality and accessibility of ESOL • Communication in first months

8. Cultural differences • Socialising • Struggling “to just be present” • Spontaneity can feel invasive • Too much food! • Lack of knowledge about how to reduce isolation • Lack of knowledge about each other’s cultures and traditions • Pets • Greetings • Child rearing • How to appropriately support wellbeing • Gender relations • Some saw as patriarchal and tried to change things • Others not sure what to do

9. Integration and independence • No idea what to expect • Need for support to understand how to enable independence • Surprised how slow language learning is and that ESOL not effective • How to help refugees to access work • How to build social connections for those without young children • Racism and discrimination • Presence of refugees in homogenous communities

10. Conclusions • Establishing a CS group and making an application is challenging but getting easier as scheme develops and more support is available • Despite the stresses and time commitments majority of respondents felt rewarded • Multiple gains – including possibly hearts and minds locally • Main stresses around ‘cultural shock’ and integration • Need for more support in these areas