1. Towards the Vision of the SAH Association
The Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association
Towards the Vision of the SAH Association
“Dignity and Safety for all Uprooted People” –
It Takes a Plan
SAH Council & SAH Secretariat
Strategic Planning Team
SAH Conference Edmonton
29 May 2017

2. Strategic Plan
SAH Association

3. Looking Back:
What has happened?
What has been accomplished?

4. Goal #1: Goal #3: Goal #4: Goal #5:
Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada
Goal #2:
Advocate for fair and efficient resettlement policies and procedures
Goal #3:
Strengthen cohesion within the SAH community
Goal #4:
Improve capacity of SAHs to manage the PSRP
Goal #5:
Ensure privately sponsored refugees are settled as full participating members of Canadian society.

5. Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada
Activity:
Form a media working group and develop a media action plan.
The media action plan can include social media such as Facebook and Twitter as well as more traditional media activities such as the publication of articles and news releases. It could also involve social media training for Association members.
Goal #1:
Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada

6. 2014 - 2017 Winnipeg 2015 - communications strategies Social Media
(Association Twitter & FB)
News Releases
Responding to events and developments
Post Sept. 2015
Responding to media inquiries

7. Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada
Activity:
Form an advocacy working group and develop an advocacy action plan.
Advocacy is needed, particularly with government, to strengthen messaging for a more welcoming society.
Goal #1:
Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada

8. 2014 - 2017 Election talking points Position Statements
SAH Council meeting
- Minister McCallum in November 2015
- Minister Hussen in March 2017

9. Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada
Activity:
Coordinate special events and celebrations. These can raise the awareness of challenges and issues refugees encounter in Canada and of the PSRP. A working group from Association members could be formed to develop and implement these events and celebrations.
Identify Community Champions either in the public or private sector. Champions as such could help to promote a more positive environment for refugees and a better understanding of forced migration.
Goal #1:
Promote a more welcoming society for refugees in Canada

10. Advocate for fair and efficient resettlement policies and procedures
Activity:
Identify operational issues and bottlenecks by which to improve efficiency.
(Council in consultation with Association).
The Council will work collaboratively with CIC to address constraints to operational efficiency.
Identify entry points for policy discussion with the Government and other stakeholders. (Council in consultation with Association).
Policy discussion will focus on bringing greater alignment between government and SAHs on the values of fairness and equity.
Goal #2:
Advocate for fair and efficient resettlement policies and procedures

11. 2014 - 2017 Syria: Lessons Learned
SAH Council / NGO-Government Committee: meetings
Council portfolios:
Policy and procedures
Allocations
9 press releases, News Releases
Responding to events and developments
Refusals Project
24 letters to the Minister of CIC/IRCC
Syria: Lessons Learned

12. Strengthen cohesion within the SAH community
Activity:
Tap into and create regional/local networking groups across Canada
SAHs could either join existing regional/local networking groups or establish their own to meet their own regional/local needs.
Form an internal communications working group and develop a communications action plan with a focus on strengthening communications within the SAH community.
Collaborate with media and advocacy working groups
Create “sub-associations” for SAHs with similar interest to connect to each other. SAHs that share a common interest or attribute such as a particular ethnic group, size etc. can come together and agree on ways to organize and work together.
Goal #3:
Strengthen cohesion within the SAH community

13. 2014 - 2017 Website Annual SAH survey
On-line map: locations of SAHs, regional SAH groups
Council members liaising with Association members
Website
Encouraging local / regional / other groupings of SAHs
Association updates:
19 letters
Annual SAH survey

14. Improve capacity of SAHs to manage the PSRP
Activity:
Increase collaboration between Council, RSTP and the Association membership to identify PSR program challenges and training needs.
In collaboration with RSTP, develop PSR Program and training approaches.
Ensure discussion on Program challenges/training needs that will improve the distribution and use of allocation spaces, SAH management of allocations and challenges of changing from family-linked cases to BVORs.
Goal #4:
Improve capacity of SAHs to manage the PSRP

15. 2014 - 2017 RSTP Advisory committee
SAH Conference
Allocation tracking database
Webinars
( RSTP / SAH Council )
SAH Handbook (on website)
RSTP invited to participate with NGO Govt. Cte.

16. Activity:
Form a settlement working group to develop an action plan for more effective collaboration with settlement services and the National Settlement Council.
Learn of and strengthen how SAHs are connecting with settlement agencies and identify barriers to effectively settle privately sponsored refugees.
Ensure settlement action plan includes collaboration with the National Settlement Council, mental health service providers/institutions, labour market assessment, review of child/youth services as well as inventory of and strategy for effective sharing of SAH resources.
Goal #5:
Ensure privately sponsored refugees are settled as full participating members of Canadian society.

17. 2014 - 2017 National Settlement Council
Relationship with Settlement Agencies
Survey: CGs connecting with Settlement Agencies
RSTP trainings that bring together sponsors and settlement agencies

18. Strategic Plan: Context
Key challenges and opportunities
Adapt – Innovate – Be resilient

19. Strategic Plan: Context
I. Backlogs and Global Cap on
Private Sponsorship Applications

20. Strategic Plan: Context
II. Shift to Multi-Year Commitments and Prioritization of Particular Refugee Populations Based on Changing Government Resettlement Priorities

21. Strategic Plan: Context
III. Preserving the Additionality Principle –
Balancing PSR, BVOR, and GAR Numbers

22. Strategic Plan: Context
IV. Centralized Processing and System Modernization Efforts

23. Strategic Plan: Context
Canadian Support for Refugees Within an Environment that is Increasingly
More Complex

24. Strategic Plan: Context
VI. Achieving Equity in the System

25. Strategic Plan: Context
VII. Working Effectively with the Funded Settlement Sector to Achieve Sustainable Settlement Supports

26. Strategic Plan: Context
VIII. Meeting Expectations for Outcomes and Performance Measurements

27. Strategic Plan: Context
IX. International Interest

28. Strategic Plan: Context

29. Strategic Plan: Context
Photo Credits:

30. Strategic Plan: Goals and Strategies
Photo Credits:

31. Strategic Plan: Consultation with / among members
Engagement/advocacy with IRCC / the minister
Collaboration with RSTP, UNHCR, CCR, SPOs, CISSA/ACSEI, other sectors
Enhance capacity: training, resources, information, SAH communication
Improve management of allocations
Increase public awareness / appreciation / support

32. Strategic Plan: Goals (proposed)
More fair and efficient resettlement policies and procedures are developed and implemented.
SAHs have improved capacity to manage the PSRP.
Privately sponsored refugees are settled as participating members of Canadian society.
Cohesion within the SAH community is strengthened.
Canada is a more welcoming society for refugees.
Other countries’ capacity to explore alternative pathways to refugee resettlement through private/community sponsorship programs is strengthened.

33. Goal #1
More fair and efficient resettlement policies and procedures are developed and implemented. 

34. SAHs have improved capacity to manage the PSRP.
Goal #2
SAHs have improved capacity to manage the PSRP.

35. Goal #3
Privately sponsored refugees are settled as participating members of Canadian society. 

36. Cohesion within the SAH community is strengthened.
Goal #4
Cohesion within the SAH community is strengthened.

37. Canada is a more welcoming society for refugees.
Goal #5
Canada is a more welcoming society for refugees.

38. Goal #6
Other countries’ capacity to explore alternative pathways to refugee resettlement through private/community sponsorship programs is strengthened.

39. AND NOW ….