Group of Five Refugee Sponsorship Seminar

Have you ever wondered what is involved in sponsoring a refugee? With the grim situation unfolding in Afghanistan and the displacement of people around the globe because of religion, politics, climate change, and war you may be wondering how you can help. CFIC, along with the Atheist Society of Calgary (ASC) and the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) are bringing you this workshop on “Group of Five Refugee Sponsorship.”

Members of ASC will describe their experience with the sponsorship of “Omer.” They will describe why ASC decided to sponsor a refugee, and how they formed the committee. They will describe their personal experiences as a member of the Group of Five and lessons they have learned.

RSTP will describe the Group of Five Sponsorship program. They will explain who can sponsor and who can be sponsored. They will describe the process of preparing a G5 application and answer questions about requirements including the financial and settlement obligation, proof of funds, supporting documents and family composition.

This is an online meeting - the Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP

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The speakers:

Janalee Morris is the President of the Atheist Society of Calgary and an educator by profession. She has worked in post-secondary institutions as a student affairs professional, instructor, and researcher for more than 20 years. As an atheist and humanist, she holds a deep belief in the value of human life and commitment to leaving this earth a little better than when she got here.

Brent Loubert is a member of the Atheist Society of Calgary (ASC). As retirement approached, he started looking at opportunities to act on his humanist values and found a good fit with sponsoring a refugee. Now retired, Brent has taken an active role in coordinating the “Group of Five” refugee sponsorship application and ongoing communication with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Liz MacBeth is the Novoa Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador trainer with RSTP. She has 12 years’ experience in private sponsorship of refugees and is passionate about community building and refugee justice. Lis has worked in Sponsorship Agreement Holder Organizations, settlement service provider organizations, disability rights and has been working with the RSTP since 2021.

Dawit Demoz is the Greater Toronto Area Trainer for the RSTP. Dawit has been involved in private sponsorship for the past five years and has been working for the RSTP for more than a year. He holds a Master’s degree in International Development and has conducted research about the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program in Canada.

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Photo credit": ResoluteSupportMedia,licensed with CC BY 2.0.