A听targeted sponsorship initiative for refugee students has launched in the US seeking to enable colleges and universities to “play a leading role” in their resettlement.
罢丑别听, part of the听US Department of State听private sponsorship听Welcome Corps program launched , will offer refugee students access to听life-changing opportunities to continue their education in the country.
罢丑别听project is a “transformative cornerstone of our private sponsorship program that will support refugees whose opportunity to pursue higher education was cut short”, said听Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the Department of State.
Organisers say it will听give听higher education institutions the chance to “play an instrumental role” in the journey of refugee students towards听long-term integration in the US.
“Education is a powerful tool for personal advancement that contributes to the strength of our country,”听Valls Noyes added. “We are grateful to the American people, institutions of higher education, campus communities and our partners for opening doors for refugee students to reach their full potential.”
Some听145 institutions and specialist organisations have backed the initiative, including over 90 universities, colleges, university systems and education providers in the US.
The is also supporting the program, with executive director, Miriam Feldblum, saying it builds on听the “US tradition to advance safety and protection for displaced people”, as well as embrace “the drive, excellence, and experiences that refugee students bring”.
“Through participation in Welcome Corps on Campus, campuses around the country will not only provide life-changing access to US higher education and durable protections for refugee students but these institutions will be enriched and transformed by these students and their perspectives,”听Feldblum said.
“Sponsoring and enrolling refugee students will spur new opportunities for campuses, strengthen our communities, and enhance the national security and economic prosperity of our nation.”
The Community Sponsorship Hub,听a consortium of nonprofit organisations, is implementing the program. Every Campus A Refuge, the Institute of International Education, the National Association of System Heads, and World University Service of Canada are all joining the Presidents’ Alliance in the consortium.
“Sponsoring and enrolling refugee students will spur new opportunities for campuses”
The program will create new avenues for experiential learning for “refugee students, many who have not only been waiting years for a safe place to call home but also for an opportunity to earn a higher education degree”,听Annie Nolte-Henning, interim executive director of , added.
Campus Private Sponsor Groups, made up of听students, faculty and staff, will听provide academic, financial, and resettlement assistance for arriving refugee students under the program. Plans for听sustainable support will also be developed.
Every Campus A Refuge, founded in 2015 and recently launched its听 nationwide at听James Madison University in听Virginia, said the initiative is “a step in the right direction” towards higher education playing its “significant role” in refugee welcome, protection and integration.
“From the refugees who experience a stronger beginning in their new home, to the campus community who is transformed by the power of the connections made, to the local community who benefits immensely from the contributions of its newest Americans, Welcome Corps on Campus will be a win-win for all involved,鈥� said Diya Abdo, founder and director of .
Allan Goodman, chief executive officer of , noted that the US has the “capacity that no other country has”.
“Widening access to higher education for refugees…听may be the best way we have to avoid a lost generation and make the world we share a less dangerous place,” he said.
