Building Bridges: Best Practices in Creating Effective Partnerships between Student Volunteers and their Communities to Support Newcomers in Small Communities

Editor's Notes

• #17: Fundraising: General Tips Fundraising isn’t only about money, it’s also about people. People give to people. If more emphasis is placed on building relationships, the chance for a successful outcome is greater and that means a higher degree of support. Value your volunteers. By emphasizing relationships with people, your chances of a successful outcome are greater. Make sure that people feel involved in a meaningful, rewarding way. Delegate responsibilities, incorporate fun into your activities, and thank people for their hard work! Show appreciation to your existing donors. It’s much easier to keep an existing donor than to find a new one. When you have received a donation, your chances of receiving a subsequent one are much higher if you show and appropriate recognition. Thank your donors in person, by telephone, or in a letter. Let them know how successful your campaign was and how their donation made a difference. Doing so keeps donors engaged and makes them feel happy about giving you support. Levies and institutional waivers can contribute a significant amount of funds to support the annual sponsorship of refugees on campus. Donations (cash and in-kind) - Individuals may be willing to make cash contributions towards your sponsoring group, while businesses are often more prepared to donate their goods and services. Special Events - Fair Trade sales, Food Fairs, hosting special guest speakers, Bike A Thons, road races, multicultural expos, concerts, barbeques, gala dinners, garage sales – be creative! By reaching partnering with other organizations and group, you build on your strengths and can raise both money for and the profile of your sponsoring group, and have a lot of fun!
• #18: No Community is too Small to Sponsor Refugee Students The WUSC student group at College d’Alfred in eastern Ontario, with only about 100 students on campus, raises over $13,000 a year to provide an opportunity to a refugee student to pursue their education at their college. After securing on-campus partnerships to guarantee an annual tuition waiver and reduced text book prices for the sponsored student, the committee set off to increase community support for the sponsorship program. With the leadership of dedicated staff and faculty members, they developed an alumni and community outreach strategy which included a pro-active telephone and email fundraising campaign. Establishing and nurturing personal relationships with alumni and community members resulted in an increased awareness and funds to support the work of engaged students were doing to help others in need. For instance, alumni and community members were invited to attend holiday gatherings and other events to meet the sponsored student and volunteer students in their community, which proved very successful to maintain people’s engagement and interest in the sponsorship program. Their College President also provided them access to his own personal and business networks. As a result of building these strong relationships, the WUSC group raises thousands of dollars in donations from individuals, church groups and local businesses. All of these donors are recognized formally, and many continue to support the program every year. To illustrate the depth of the community’s engagement, two years ago, the WUSC committee was able to sponsor two refugee students, based on extreme need for refugees to resettle to Canada. This is no small feet and shows that no community is too small to make a big impact in the lives of others.
• #19: Emotional & Social Support: General Tips   For newcomers, emotional and social support upon arrival and throughout the resettlement process are key to facilitating the transition to a new community. Community members and volunteer students play an important role in facilitating this process.     Tap into local resources and expertise: Identify key people in the community to help assist with different circumstances that may arise throughout the resettlement process: Friends, family, ethnic and cultural groups, counsellors, therapist. Establishing links with people who have specific experiences or expertise is useful to provide the necessary support to the newcomer. Be mindful of culture shock: Suddenly immersing oneself into a different culture challenges one’s assumptions, values and perceived ways of doing things. Cultural adaptation takes time; and sponsoring groups should be sensitive to the effects of transition upon newcomers. Respecting privacy: Respect newcomers’ right to privacy regarding their history. If a newcomer chooses to disclose information to his/her sponsoring group after arrival, this should be left to his/her discretion. Some newcomers will be very open, while others may choose to remain more discreet. Seek support from professional counselors: People who have lived as refugees may encounter additional challenges adapting to Canada because of emotional and/or physical traumas experienced prior to resettlement. Counseling services can be accessed in a variety of ways both on- and off-campus. Let the student know that talking to a professional is a helpful way to work out problems, and that many Canadians seek counseling for a variety of problems.
• #20: Home Sweet Home The Algoma University student group in Sault Ste. Marie facilitated a successful “Home Stay” program whereby sponsored students are taken in by a local family upon arrival and provided with room and board for the academic year. These families contribute significantly by managing important logistical and financial hurdles in welcoming a sponsored student, and share the responsibilities with Ontario students during a very busy time when they are adjusting to their own work and course load on campus, This arrangement came together by forming a partnership with a local church. The church made a regular announcement at the end of each mass and also mentioned the initiative in the church newsletter, which sparked the interest of community members. Before long, the Algoma student group had a list of potential “Home Stay” families to choose from. This arrangement not only benefits the sponsored student and the student volunteers, but the community as a whole, as families become sensitized and engaged first-hand on refugee issues through their participation.
• #21: Training of Volunteers: General Tips   Plan volunteer training opportunities as part of the sponsorship process: Student groups are encouraged to identify key times during the year when volunteers need training and invite speakers to share their knowledge with the group. For instance, inviting a member of your local immigrant organization who can provide insight into the unique cultural aspects of the refugee’s country of origin before his/her arrival would be extremely valuable for volunteers. Identify key resource people in your community who have expertise and experience on matters relevant to refugee or newcomer issues - this may be someone who has travelled overseas, helped other newcomers resettle, etc.   Get in touch with your local immigrant, refugee and multi-cultural organizations. They may offer training courses that volunteers in your group can take part in. Get on the organization’s member mailing list, this ensures your committee receive up-to-date news on upcoming workshops, get-togethers, etc. These opportunities can be useful for both student volunteers and newcomers to take advantage of training workshops and expand community networks. Faculty members are experts in their fields – inquire who may be an appropriate and available resource for you on your campus. You can find people with a variety of expertise ranging from cultural diversity, refugee and immigration issues or even fundraising approaches. Take advantage of on-line training opportunities with WUSC or other like-minded organizations. Regional, provincial and national on-line workshops are made available by a variety of organizations.
• #22: Overcoming the Distance using On-Line Tools Lakehead University is situated along the shore of Lake Superior, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Though quite distant from other universities and major urban centres, the WUSC Lakehead student group was able to acquire skills in refugee sponsoring by participating in one of WUSC’s distance learning web training workshop. The workshop explored sponsorship related topics, including the sponsorship cycle, cross-cultural communication, preparing an orientation, culture shock, running successful fundraising campaigns, training for treasurers, etc. This training session initiated interesting discussion amongst the group which they continued to foster throughout the year. The training also helped spark a renewed commitment to refugee sponsorship after a long period of inactivity. They also maintained relationships with resource staff who could assist, guide, advise and motivate them throughout the sponsorship process. These online workshops made it possible for Lakehead University students to overcome geographic limitations, access the knowledge and developed skilled required to provide strong social and emotional support to sponsored students.
• #23: Employment Support: General Tips   Newly arrived immigrants will have very limited “social capital” upon arrival and won’t have the same networks as members of your sponsoring group. Consider using your own networks to find potential employment opportunities for newcomers. Your volunteers can assist newcomers with finding employment in many other ways as well: · Connect newcomers with on-campus career services centres, off-campus employment agencies and employment-related websites. · Link with local businesses and employers who can provide internship opportunities for the sponsored student - a great way to gain “Canadian experience”. · Find people in your community who have larger networks and might be willing to help out. · Help your sponsored newcomer through the process of applying for a job: * creating a high quality resume and cover letter, submitting it and following it, etc. * Explain how to prepare for a job interview and what to expect from one. * Provide him/her with references.  
• #24: Finding Employment in Small Places With an undergraduate population of 1,200, employment opportunities at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie can seem rather limited. But this doesn’t stop the Algoma student group in assisting sponsored students to find work! In linking up with Employment Connections, a local employment agency, the Algoma student volunteers were able to connect with an on-site employment counselor and access job listings free of charge. The student group found employment for another sponsored student by teaming up with the university career centre. The student found employment at the university gym, which provided decent pay and a flexible work schedule fit for a student. The Algoma student group’s strength in reaching out to employment-related organizations has led directly to sponsored students finding work within their communities, which in turn engages more and more people with refugee and newcomer issues.
• #25: Raising Awareness: General Tips   · Engaging the Media: Journalists and reporters are people; you need to seek their interest in the work you do and nurture the relationships by inviting them to events, sending them press releases, and so on! Contact a variety of media outlets such as newspapers, radio and television stations to spread your sponsoring group’s story to a wider audience. · Become the Media: Write an article and submit it to local newspapers; take advantage of social networking outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. · Involving the Newcomer: Encourage your sponsored newcomer to participate in public education around refugee issues, sharing personal stories are more likely to engage people. However, it is also important to respect his/her freedom to remain anonymous if he/she chooses to do so.  
• #26: Getting the Word Out The Nipissing University student group has created a close relationship with North Bay local media to promote their annual International Food Fest event over the past five years. Committee members are interviewed live on CBC Radio and meet with local media outlets such as Bay Today, The North Bay Nugget and radio stations The Fox and CCATS. Completely embracing the event, the Nipissing student group can also count on the media for follow-up coverage. The student group also invites special guests such as the Mayor of North Bay, members of city council and the Member of Provincial Parliament, further increasing the profile of the event. The Nipissing student group also partnered with the Westmount Hospitality Group, who owns the local Holiday Inn and Best Western hotels. These hotels provided facilities for food preparation and offered other services. These partnerships were forged through Nipissing student group’s close ties with the North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce.   Building relationships with community individuals, groups and the media enabled the WUSC-Nipissing students to reach out beyond the 4,000 students on their campus. A total of 230 people attended their event in 2008 and over 300 in 2009 which enables them to raise $3,000 per year to support their refugee sponsorship program. Every year, more and more people are aware of refugee issues which helps build support for the program.
• #27: Conclusion   The wider community plays an important role in strengthening student volunteers’ efforts to sponsor refugee students, even more so in small, rural communities. The stories and best practices captured in small, rural communities in Ontario demonstrated that strong community-based relationships can help raise awareness and funds, train volunteers, find employment for newcomers and provide the social and emotional support required as they adapt in their environment. By establishing personal connections, taping into local knowledge, expertise and experience, learning from other community-based organizations, it strengthens both the volunteers’ and the communities’ ability to assist newcomers as they adapt to their new life in Ontario. These stories illustrate the impact of combining student’s dedication, passion and willingness to help others combined with local expertise and resources... stepping stones to building strong, vibrant, welcoming communities.