While each newcomer will bring their own personality and tenacity to the job of settling in, we wanted to share our thoughts on some common experiences of refugee newcomers with special consideration for those who have survived infinite detention.
Self-determination is important for those arriving from Manus and Nauru, who have not been able to make their own decisions and control their own lives for over 8 years. Even though settlement teams will give them the best information possible to make decisions, ultimately it is their right to make their own choices regarding their bodies, their healthcare, their education, their work and every facet of their lives.
Ads Up Canada adheres to the Canadian Council on Refugees’ Code of Ethics, which has particular concern for newcomers’ right to privacy and self-determination.
When signing on as a refugee settlement volunteer, the need for self-care is a critical part of what we do. Without it, we risk not fulfilling our reasons for becoming a refugee sponsor, and not fulfilling our obligation to the refugee newcomer. The challenge is to balance the needs of ourselves and those we are helping, especially when our pitchers are running low.
Settlement teams (or in the Canadian government’s language, “sponsors”) are responsible for providing social and emotional support to newcomers upon their arrival to Canada for a period of one year. Settlement teams provide two types of support: pre-arrival and post-arrival.
One of our main goals is to better prepare settlement teams (“private sponsors”) to function in their role as social and emotional support for refugee newcomers.
Settlement teams play an important role in providing friendship and emotional support to refugees before they arrive. Once refugees arrive in Canada, settlement teams commit to welcoming and supporting the refugee during their first year with lodging, care and assistance with things such as orientation and employment.
Private sponsorship means that a Sponsorship Agreement Holder or a group of Canadians has agreed to submit an application for you to come to Canada. These groups have committed to provide you with financial and settlement support for the period of your settlement, which is typically one year after you arrive in Canada. During this period you have certain rights but also responsibilities.
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