The Open Community

Today on we celebrate refugees and all communities building places of solidarity, sanctuary and welcome.

Refugee Week Ireland is taking place from the 17-23 June and everyone is invited.

Together we can make Ireland a more welcoming and safe place for everyone.

Find out more about events taking place and how to join in at: https://refugeeweek.ie/

Refugee Week Ireland Get involved

Are you interested in museums and cultural heritage? Are you passionate about the importance of inter-cultural conversations? Do you own special objects that speak of your identity and experience as a refugee? Joanna Bruck @ UCD School of Archaeology is looking for 5 refugee collaborators to co-create a pop-up exhibition with Kilmainham Gaol Museum exploring how family memorabilia helps people navigate experiences of conflict, displacement and loss. For further information, please email [email protected].

Did you know Little Amal (The Walk) will be in Dublin tomorrow, Thurs 23rd, & Friday 24th? Amal is the 12 foot puppet of a 10 year old Syrian refugee child, who has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees. More info: https://dublin.ie/whats-on/little-amal/

The UL Sanctuary Programme supports and promotes access to education for refugees & asylum seekers in Ireland

Applications are now open to for the 2024/25 academic year

Apply online here: https://www.ul.ie/courses/university-sanctuary-scholarship

Deadline: 4pm, 31st May 2024

We were delighted to attend the kick-off meeting for the EU funded Growth Project in Milan this week, together with project partners.

Many thanks to the Growth Coordinators, Consorzio Communitas for organising a great event.

Funded by the European Union's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the project will focus on scaling community sponsorship schemes in Ireland, Italy and Germany. It aims to do this through evidence based recruitment strategies and innovative approaches to increasing the numbers and diversity of sponsors, supporting the development of housing solutions, and strengthening the capacity of community sponsorship programs to respond to crises.

We're excited to work alongside project partners Consorzio Communitas, the International Rescue Committee Italy, Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (), More in Common Germany, Caritas Deutschland, Welcome Alliance Germany, and Pathways International as a transnational partner.

Photo credit: Consorzio Communitas

Repost from : We are delighted to share our Host Information Roadshow is back and our first stop of 2024 is in Offaly, Tuesday 23rd of April! 💛🇺🇦🚙✨

In partnership with we're bringing hosts and local support organisations together to share advice, resources, experiences and lessons learned. These events are for anyone currently hosting Ukrainians in Offaly or anyone considering signing up to host. Bring along family and friends who would like to find out more!

📍Join us in the Tullamore Library from 7-8:30pm.

🔗Visit the link in our bio to find out more and register. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Reposted from

Wishing you a lovely holiday season and a happy New Year from all at The Open Community. As this year comes to a close, we also would like to say a big thank you and celebrate all who continue to share the light of welcome, solidarity and support for refugees and migrant communities across Ireland. .

We're hiring: we're seeking an Executive Director to lead The Open Community in its next phase. Closing date for applications is Friday, 19 January 2024. For a full job description please visit: https://bit.ly/485rIlW

Could you be a guide to all things Ireland and support Syrian refugees to resettle in safety? Could you help start a sponsorship group in your local community?

Join us and Irish Red Cross online next Thursday, 14th December, at 7pm, to find out how to get involved, and join people across Ireland who are forming sponsorship groups in their areas. You can register here: https://bit.ly/3TctxsD.

On International Volunteer Day we celebrate the incredible dedication and passion of groups and all communities welcoming and supporting refugees across Ireland

Today our Outreach and Relationship Officer, Annie Marshall, presented the features of the Swift Integration mobile app to attendees at the EU Agency for Asylum - EUAA event on the Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Network - Expert Platform on Safe Pathways for Afghans.

Swift Integration is a multilingual mobile app that provides clear, quick info & resources for resettled and host communities in Ireland. It was developed as a partnership between The Open Community, Positive2WorkSkillnet & the Department of Social Protection. For more info visit: https://bit.ly/3JwHitK

Congratulations to Joyce Country le Chéile and the Irish Red Cross on welcoming a Syrian family to Ireland through community sponsorship, and a very warm welcome to the family as they settle into their new community.

Thank you to the Irish Red Cross for this lovely write up in this months IRC newsletter.

A special thank you to Anna Kierans who has done so much to support us to bring the Alkasem family to their new home in Joyce Country. 💛

Coiste Forbartha Chorr na Móna Clonbur/Cloghbrack Pride of Place Clonbur Cloghbrack Community Council The Open Community

Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the children and woman who were horrifically attacked yesterday in Dublin, and with their families.

The violent riots that took place last night have absolutely no place in our society, and do not represent people in Ireland who stand in solidarity with and continue to welcome all those seeking to rebuild their lives in safety.

We stand alongside refugee and immigrant communities, and with all who are building an inclusive and welcoming Ireland.

Last week, we were delighted to take part in the inspiring , hosted by the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative and Amnesty International, to share practical ideas on growing sponsorship for refugees. We were also honoured to co-facilitate a monitoring & evaluation workshop in partnership with Reset Communities for Refugees and the Irish Red Cross during the event.

We’re seeking expressions of interest for evaluation of an EU-AMIF funded joint Portuguese and Irish project on developing community sponsorship programmes in each country. More information can be found here: https://bit.ly/40jXx7y.

Deadline for applications is 8th November 2023.

Have you recently arrived in Ireland or are you supporting new arrivals? Our free 'Swift Integration' app provides quick info on:

✅ education
✅ employment
✅ healthcare
& much more

In Ukrainian, Pashto, Dari, Arabic, & English. You can download it from Google Play & Apple App stores.

SWIFT Integration is developed as a partnership between The Open Community, Positive2Work Skillnet
and the Department of Social Protection.

This month together with our Portuguese partners Conselho Português para os Refugiados, we met with U.S. community sponsorship organisations to connect and gain insights on growing and improving sponsorship programs. A huge thank you to IRIS - Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, who very kindly hosted us, shared their expertise and facilitated meetings with organisations & community sponsorship groups.

A big thank you as well to Welcome Corps, Community Sponsorship Hub , HIAS, Refugee Welcome Collective, CWS, and to sponsorship groups , Hamden Area Refugee Resettlement Taskforce, the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement, and the Simsbury Welcome Project, for taking the time to share their knowledge around sponsorship.

We were honoured to connect with such amazing organisations supporting community-led welcome of refugees in the U.S., as part of an EU-AMIF funded joint project to scale up sponsorship programmes in Portugal and Ireland.

This is a great event from - visit the link in their bio to register.

Posted • If you’ve reached the end of your hosting journey, firstly, thank you.💛

It’s normal to be apprehensive about communicating this with your guest. The ‘moving on’ conversation can be a difficult one but it is necessary and it’s best to go into it feeling prepared.

Join our online Host Masterclass this Thursday 28th September 6-7pm and receive guidance on ‘Having the Moving On Conversation’. This is an excellent opportunity for hosts at any stage to empower themselves with skills and knowledge to best support their guests.

Find out more + register via the link in our bio 💙🏡

This month, with support of the Irish Red Cross & Doras we were delighted to welcome Portuguese community sponsorship group Chaves Acolhe, & our partner Conselho Português para os Refugiados , to Ireland to meet sponsorship groups in Cloughjordan & Baltinglass.

Many thanks to the Cloughjordan and Baltinglass groups for being amazing hosts. It was wonderful to see the groups share tips and experiences on welcoming families into their communities and to hear the stories of families who have been welcomed.

The trip is part of efforts to connect groups and grow sponsorship in each country, under a joint Portuguese & Irish EU-AMIF funded project.

Are you thinking of starting a community sponsorship group to welcome refugees in your area, or have you already begun to form one? Did you know we have a free online course on The Open Community website that goes over how to get started and provides a step-by-step guide to the sponsorship journey? You can find out how to access the training course here: https://youtu.be/i4D2e6O8rvI

The online training course for sponsors was developed together with Quality Matters and our Regional Support Organisation partners Doras, the Irish Red Cross, the Irish Refugee Council, and Nasc, the Migrant & Refugee Rights Centre.

How to access training for sponsors This short video shows how to access the free online community sponsorship training course on The Open Community website. The four module course was develope...

Community Sponsorship is a tangible and powerful way to support refugees. Could you start a community sponsorship group in your area? Visit theopencommunity.ie to find out more.

Sharing from Doras Dublin 9 - community sponsorship group

We need YOU! Please share and help us spread the word that we are looking for accommodation for a refugee family in the Dublin 9 area #WorldRefugeeDay #CommunitySponsorship #Dublin9 #drumcondra #santry #refugeeswelcome

Congratulations to Enniskerry Welcomes on their great event for World Refugee Day

This year’s theme is and connection. There are many ways to support refugees - did you know could be one of them? Here are five ways to get involved, including attending a Refugee Week event or Street Feast this weekend: https://bit.ly/431IL4J

Today on we celebrate and show our solidarity and support to refugees here and around the globe, and we celebrate communities and organisations across Ireland who are welcoming refugees and helping to build an open and inclusive society.

Are you a member of a group? Would you like join the community sponsorship Peer Support Network, to share experiences, and to meet and connect with other sponsors from across Ireland? You can find out more and register your name at: https://bit.ly/3qQZSsC

The first ever Irish starts today! Running from 19-25 June, it's a chance to celebrate communities welcoming refugees across Ireland, & our connection, friendship and solidarity with our new neighbours. Find out more at: http://bit.ly/RefugeeWeekIreland

Refugee Week Ireland The first ever Irish Refugee week taking place from the 19-25 June. Refugee week is a festival where we celebrate compassion and connection, and everyone is welcome. Check out what is happening here, and add your own event to the calendar! We want to highlight the quiet and incredibly important work...

Great podcast from Volunteer Galway with Anna Kierans of the Irish Red Cross which goes over how to support refugees through & how to link in with Regional Support Organisations Doras, Irish Red Cross, Irish Refugee Council and Nasc, the Migrant & Refugee Rights Centre, to get started.

For more info you can also visit: https://bit.ly/3ucHedP.

Volunteer Galway Podcast - Galway Volunteer Centre This is a podcast from Galway Volunteer Centre / Volunteer Galway. Interviews with people in Galway who are all about having an impact in the their community by changing the world around them one piece at a time.