Remote Social Support for GARs and Refugee Claimants

In this P2P Promising Practice, the Together Project provides an overview of the digital adaptation of their Welcome Group Program:

"The Welcome Group Program has been running since 2017. It matches ‘Welcome Groups’ of volunteers with GARs and refugee claimants for at least six months to provide social support focused on each household’s unique integration priorities (e.g., language learning, service navigation, youth tutoring). Matches are based on a preference matching system. In other words, newcomers and volunteers are matched based on the interests and priorities of newcomers and the experiences, preferences, and characteristics of volunteers. Prior to the pandemic, the program delivery was primarily based on in-person support. Volunteers and newcomers met face-to-face. There was also a small ‘virtual’ component in that newcomers and volunteers used digital messaging platforms to stay connected between visits and used video calls for language practice...

The primary goal of the remote program is the same as the goal before the pandemic. The program aims to connect GARs and refugee claimants with volunteers for six months of social and integration support. A secondary goal of the remote program is to provide additional support to volunteers to provide responsible and effective support to newcomers in a virtual environment. Finally, the program also aims to work collaboratively with settlement agency partners and Local Immigration Partnerships to share emergent programs and resources with volunteers to enhance pandemic support for newcomers."

Watch a video overview of the promising practice (P2P has ridiculously chosen to restrict embedding permissions).

Download the full promising practice brief.