“Even if you can do a very small thing, just do it, because it will leave a good impact.”
“You can’t impose empowerment”
How to pass your driving test when you are new to the UK
“Although being thanked was never our main motivation on some level we did expect gratitude”
“My advice to Community Sponsorship groups is that you need to be prepared to really listen to the family and work in partnership with them: you’re not offering a helping hand to helpless people. You also need to be prepared to change and grow yourself. Getting involved in Community Sponsorship forced me to learn and develop.” A volunteer acknowledges that she expected gratitude from the refugee family that her group supports. She explains how she came to understand her role better once she confronted these expectations.
“It’s important for me to tell them that people will accept them and they will have freedom here.”
Khadeja and her family were the first family to be welcomed to North Devon by the Pickwell Foundation, almost five years ago. Khadeja now works for the Pickwell Foundation, helping to support other refugee families arriving in the UK through Community Sponsorship. Here she tells us why this job is so important to her.
Reflections on preparing to welcome a refugee family
Life changing conversations can happen while you are walking your dog! Here Alice from Forest Hill & Sydenham Welcome Refugees tells us how she first got involved Community Sponsorship and shares her experiences of getting to know her group and preparing to welcome their family.
How to support a refugee child to adapt to school
Ellie is a member of two Community Sponsorship groups in Cornwall and has more than 20 years’ experience in education. Here she shares her top tips on helping children adapt to education in the UK.
“As a Ukrainian living in the UK this is how I look after my own mental health”
Yuliia Matalinets is from Ukraine. She was matched with hosts in Bristol by Reset. Here she reflects on what helps her manage her mental health after she was forcibly displaced.
As Lead Sponsors we strengthen the bonds that tie us together by supporting groups to welcome refugees
As the Lead Sponsor we are like the trunk of a tree and each group we support is like one of the tree’s branches
