Between November 2015 and December 2016, close to 40,000 Syrians arrived in Canada. Forty-five per cent of those newcomers were privately sponsored. Data collected from a variety of sources documented the challenges in both government- assisted refugee settlement and settlement by private sponsors.

Private sponsors who were looking for immediate answers to challenges found them by working together — sharing experiences and determining those areas they needed to learn more about. Experienced sponsors began to mentor first-time sponsors on post-arrival issues leading to a resource around best practice. An informal network was born.

Since 2016, more than 450 sponsor groups have been working together. We incorporated and formed the Ontario provincial network in 2021. There is potential, using this model, to grow this network concept across Canada in other provinces and territories.

We are a volunteer-driven organization that responds to sponsor need and are focussed on information-sharing and problem-solving as well as training through connection, learning and sharing.