In September 2019, the Welcome Syrian Families group (WSF) in Hampstead welcomed a family of 4. Below a deeply heartening update on the family’s astounding commitment to life in North West London just before the lockdown was imposed. 

Having arrived in London with no English, no friends and only a couple of suitcases between them, six months in, the family now seems well ensconced in Hampstead.

 

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As Refugee Week (15^th-21^st June 2020) approaches, Reset, Charis and Sponsor Refugees are calling for new groups to ‘Welcome a Newcomer’ through Community Sponsorship.

The UN estimates that there are 1.4 million refugees needing resettlement across the world, and as a result of the global pandemic there is a growing backlog of refugees from the Syrian conflict who are languishing in refugee camps. The UK Government’s Community Sponsorship Scheme allows ordinary people to bring a refugee family to live in their community, and support them to integrate. Every time a group commits to Community Sponsorship, another vulnerable refugee family gets the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the UK.

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Dear Friend, 

It has been a big week for Sponsor Refugees!  The trustees of Citizens UK have this week published a review of our governance – and the good news is that Sponsor Refugees will remain a core project of Citizens UK.  It is a massive vote of confidence in our work, and means we can get on with our exciting plans to grow the number of community sponsors in 2020.

On that note, congratulations to Croeso Butetown, West Hampstead Welcomes, Refugees Welcome Wolverton, Cotham and Redland Welcome, Southend Community Sponsorship Group and Chelmsford Community Sponsorship who have all hit important milestones this month.  We’re hoping to use the Lockdown to build up a bank of sponsors who are ready to start resettlement as soon as the scheme is reopened – and we know that 1 Family Cardiff, Croeso Menai, Wendover Refugee Assistance Project, Waltham Forest Community Sponsor Partnership, and Love: Refugees in South West London are already poised for the Lockdown to lift.  

 

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The community sponsorship journey is always a story of how two remote paths converge, of dreams, aspirations, compassion and solidarity - and perhaps destiny - that culminate in lives intertwined, at least for a period. They often run from Syria, sometimes through Jordan or Turkey, to a town or city in the United Kingdom.

For Mohammad Alsamadi, the story trails from Syria to Cardiff, not just the capital of Wales but the birthplace of his biggest idol, Gareth Bale. After years spent in a Jordanian refugee camp with his immediate family, Mohammad arrived in 2019. 

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When Community Sponsorship of refugees took off in Canada in 1978, it rested upon the philosophy that the collective journey of resettlement would foster vibrant communities of zestful diversity and crush the anti-migrant sentiments that had creeped up on many communities over the years. By pulling community members from the margins to the centre of the sponsorship project through fundraising and general information sharing, the sense of ownership and commitment would stifle any objections to outsiders in the neighbourhood. 

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In the resettlement of a refugee family, education plays a key role in the children's integration process. For most, school is where we develop our deepest bonds and nurture our most precious friendships. Often, it’s where we come to understand who we are. 

In more technical terms, we perfect the conjugations of this foreign language, explore culture through daily interactions and observations and absorb the curriculum that secures a prosperous future.

Below, Ellie Stacey shares her experience with education in resettling two refugee families in Cornwall. 

 

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In the small circle of civic society that is community sponsorship groups, there is a list of common denominators, of obstacles to be fought and wins to be celebrated. They include the forming of groups, the raising of funds, sending applications, securing housing, navigating benefits and a range of other tasks that are slowly but steadily being ticked off. 

But in the months that follow the grand day of arrival at the airport where group efforts culminate, emotions peak and life seems to come together, reality knocks gently but firmly on the door and asks to be dealt with. 

What presents itself on the other side is often much less tangible and more complex than the somewhat stringent steps required to obtain the Home Office’s approval and ultimately getting the family on the plane. 

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In its very essence, community hinges on personal interactions to irrigate an ever-expanding web of social networks. We meet, talk, discuss, reflect and action so that eventually, we can change the world or at least strengthen our response to it. 

In the past few weeks, the world has changed but abruptly so, without our consent, and altered not only the way we work but fundamentally changed the way we are together. However technically inept we may feel, virtual meeting rooms are now where we will get things done for the foreseeable future. 

Fortunately, we have witnessed an extraordinary effort from community groups to innovate and share resources, tips, tools and ideas to make life a little easier for the families they have sponsored. 

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LIST OF RESOURCES 

 

Virtual Meeting/Chat Rooms

Zoom - link

Skype - link

GoToMeeting - link

Slack - link

WhatsApp - link

 

Digital skills

Odils Plymouth - how to set up zoom/gmail and more in Arabic - link

 

Advice on COVID-19

Sponsor Refugees COVID-19 Contingency Planning Tool - link

Coronavirus support for employees, benefit claimants and businesses - link

Covid-19 Guidance in Arabic - link

Covid-19 Guidance for Community Sponsor Groups - link

Save The Children, How to Speak to Children About COVID-19 - link

 

Mental Health

Nirengi, Psycho-Social Support - link

 

Schools & Resettlement Schemes

Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme For Secondary Schools - link

Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme For Primary Schools - link

Cornwall and Refugee Resettlement - link

 

Online Schooling 

PE with Joe Wicks - link

Maths with Carol Vorderman - link

English with David Walliams - link

Lunch (cooking with Jamie Oliver) - link

Music with Myleene Klass - link

Dance with Darcey Bussel - link

History with Dan Snow (free for 30-days) - link

Home Economics with Theo Michaels (Mon/Wed/Fri) - link

Non-daily events include: Science with Professor Brian Cox, Robin Ince & Guests - link

Geography with Steve Backshall - link

For your older kids, here are 50 free revision resources for 11+, GCSEs and A-Levels - link

Twinkl, Teacher-created Planning and Assessment materials and teaching resources - link

 

Online Learning For Children

Online learning - link 

An award-winning, research-backed platform where children learn English quickly and effectively. Ages 6-12 - link

Youtube Channels for children of different ages - link

Learning apps for children - link

Ruth Miskin Training, Speed Sounds lessons are for children in Nursery and Reception - link

Home Office, Letters and Sounds Principles and Practice of High-Quality Phonics - link

Seesaw, Online Learning - link

ESOL links 

Learn English at home - link

British Council courses - link

Additional Resources and Webinars for ESOL teachers - link

 

Future Learn English Courses

Basic English 1: Elementary (beginning in April 2020) - link

Basic English 2: Pre-Intermediate (started but you can join now) - link

Exploring English: Language and Culture - link

English Pronunciation in a Global World - link

Q&A about the website and courses - link

Translation tool - link

Audible Audiobooks - link

 

BBC content

BBC Learn English - Link

For Oromo speakers - Link

For Amharic speakers - Link

For Mandarin speakers - Link

For Gujarati speakers - Link

For Marathi speakers - Link 

For Punjabi speakers - Link

For Korean speakers - Link

For Telugu speakers - Link

For Thai speakers - Link

For Tigrinya speakers - Link

Learner groups on Facebook - Link

 

Pronunciation Lessons and Support

Dictionary with pronunciation - link

British Council - link

Many Things Pronunciation Practice - link

Perfect Pronunciation Exercises - link

Learn Pronunciation - link 

Interactive Phonemic Chart - link

Regular verbs – ed in past tense - link

 

Speaking practice

English Interactive - link

 

Listening practice

British Council, ESOL - link

BBC Learn English - link

ESOL Courses - link

Randall ESOL (Intermediate) - link 

Randall ESOL (Difficult) - link 

English Interactive Vocabulary - link

English Interactive Listening - link

Player FM ESOL - link

Player FM ELT Podcast Intermediate Conversations - link

 

Reading practice

British Council ESOL Reading Classes - link

English Interactive Reading - link

Ronaldo wins another Golden Shoe – level 3 - link

Boys Broken Neck Level 3 - link

ELC Study Zone - link (Lower Intermediate Level)

ELC Study Zone - link (Intermediate Level)

ELC Study Zone - link (Upper Intermediate Level)

 

Grammar

Learn English Today - Link 

ESL Cafe - Link

Esl Cafe Quizzes - Link

Many Things - Link

English Interactive Grammar - Link

Archive Essential Grammar - Link

Activities for ESL/EFL Students - Link

English Media Lab - Link

engVid - Link

 

Writing

ESOL British Council Vocabulary and Spelling - link

English Club Writing - link

English Zone Spelling - link

Eslus Spelling - link 

English Interactive Writing Practice - link

IXL Maths & English - link

 

Links for University preparation

An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study (Just started but you can join now) - link

University of Reading, Improve your academic English skills further - link

A Beginner’s Guide to Writing in English for University Study - link

Learn how to use English for study at university (writing skills, vocabulary and grammar) - link

Understanding IELTS: Techniques for English Language Tests - link

Future Learn British Council - link

 

High-level education textbooks in a range of disciplines now free to access

You can access a number of higher education textbooks online during the coronavirus outbreak. All 700 textbooks currently on Cambridge Core are now available in HTML format until the end of May - link 

 

Exercise At Home

Exercise at home videos - link

 

 

To Our Community Sponsors,

At this time of unprecedented upheaval, we hope that you, your Sponsor Group, and your resettled family are all keeping safe and well.

While times may be tough and challenging, they also present a unique opportunity to show kindness, compassion and determination. So we want to let you know that we are here to help you when needed. 

To ensure a pragmatic approach to this highly complex situation, we will guide you through the most important steps of the sponsorship journey and how to best weather the storm in each of them. 

 

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On the 28th of January 2020, Louth Welcomes Refugees welcomed a family who had traveled all the way from Jordan to Birmingham. Despite slight grogginess, tired eyes and the occasional yawn, the excitement was obvious and the family has had a phenomenal start to life in the UK. 

West End Welcomes joined the January high when the group welcomed a family to central London for the first time. Just a few weeks later, Haddenham Syrian Family Project had the pleasure of welcoming a family to Buckinghamshire. A great start to the year indeed! 

In many ways, the day the family arrives at the airport is the ultimate high point of the journey of  Community Sponsorship. For some groups, the thrill of meeting the family and watching them embrace life in the UK is so immense, they embark on yet another round of Sponsorship. 

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