You Belong supports CRISP - Australia’s new initiative to help refugees settle into their new communities.
Living in community improves quality of life. The connections we make and relationships we develop through family, work, school, cultural, sporting, spiritual and recreational activities etc, provide meaning and purpose to everyday life. In fact, being meaningfully involved in community helps us feel that we belong and can have beneficial effects on our mental and emotional well-being.
But what happens when we are forced to leave our community because of persecution or threats on our very existence? What happens when our community as we know it is ripped apart by war or natural disaster? Here in this Australian land of ‘droughts and flooding rains’ we are well acquainted with the latter.
Many Aussies have experienced the benefits of a supportive community response in times of crisis – whether on the giving or receiving end – and for many it has been life saving, sanity preserving and hope restoring.
For the many thousand of refugees around the world, the loss of community is overwhelmingly debilitating and discouraging. Being uprooted from their homes, schools and jobs, separated from family, and forced to flee their homelands has devastating consequences, and for those who’ve been able to relocate to safe places like Australia the challenges continue. Without help many struggle to rebuild their lives and find their new community, their place of belonging.
You Belong, since inception, has purposefully and proactively helped new Australians from a refugee background settle in and feel accepted. Many have been embraced into their new communities and have successfully adjusted to a new culture and way of life thanks to the social events and training initiatives of You Belong. However, there is yet much to be done.
You Belong is now set to partner with and support the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), a program that brings together community volunteers and new arrivals to facilitate the transition from refugee status to well adjusted and informed members of Australian society.
Community supporter groups of five people or more are equipped and trained to be able to help individuals and families from arrival into Australia and through their first year. This will include such things as meeting them at the airport, securing temporary and long term accommodation, registering for Centrelink support, opening bank accounts, finding a job, enrolling children in school and much more.
The program, inspired by a successful model developed in Canada and used in several other countries is a partnership between the federal government and the independent charity CRISP. It started helping refugees in 2022 and is expected to support 1,500 refugees over four years.
For those wondering how they can be practically involved, CRISP provides a clear process and support so that any average Aussie can jump on board and help welcome and assist refugees as they find their feet in a new cultural environment.
Many groups are already operating around the country. A Congolese family of eight is currently being assisted and welcomed to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Watch this site for more on their story in the near future.
Tim Buxton, founder of YouBelong, recently spoke to a member of the CRISP team, Blaise Itabelo, about his experiences as a refugee, how the program works and its benefits. Listen to Tim’s interview with Blaise
Find out more about CRISP: Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot - Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia
