Resources for Sponsors and Community Partners

Resources for Sponsors and Community Partners

Newcomers resettling to the United States receive Cultural Orientation to learn about life in the United States, including topics and content outlined in the Cultural Orientation Objectives and Indicators. Cultural Orientation is a collaborative and iterative process that begins overseas and continues domestically. Traditionally, newcomers receive domestic Cultural Orientation from local Resettlement Agencies. However, Cultural Orientation is adapting to include the community and extend beyond the first 90 days. The Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE) supports the CO continuum, which is the delivery of Cultural Orientation overseas, domestically, and by the community. 

A Community-Based Approach to Cultural Orientation 

Community members including sponsors (e.g., co-sponsors, remote placement community partners, private sponsor groups, and sponsor circles) and community partners play an important role in delivering key Cultural Orientation messages. When community members contribute to the delivery of Cultural Orientation, we call it a community-based approach to Cultural Orientation. This page provides resources for community members who do not facilitate a domestic CO curriculum (i.e., the Road Ahead – CORE’s foundational domestic CO curriculum) for newcomers on an ongoing basis. Instead, sponsors and community partners should use the grab-and-go resources on this page. These resources provide instruction on how to integrate Cultural Orientation throughout your service provision and do not require the editing or printing of additional materials. 

Photo Credit: Andrew Oberstadt /IRC

Defining Community Partners and Sponsors 

IMAGE CAROUSEL

What is the difference between a sponsor and community partner?

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Resources for Sponsors

Once you complete the mandatory trainings required to be certified and serve as a sponsor, you should: 

Sponsorship Orientation

1. Complete CORE’s Sponsorship Orientation. During the course, you will learn the foundational knowledge you need to deliver effective Cultural Orientation. The course includes 7 modules and will take 4 hours to complete. 
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Onboarding Checklist for Sponsors

2. For community groups that sponsor newcomers in collaboration with a Resettlement Agency, review the Onboarding Checklist for Sponsors.
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Cultural Exchange Activities

3. Prepare to welcome newcomers by completing self-reflection activities that contribute to developing cultural competency and humility.
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Sign Up for CORE’s Newsletter

4. Sign-up for CORE’s newsletters to receive more resources and tips for new CO providers. 
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Tips for Co-Sponsors

Co-sponsors sponsor newcomers in collaboration with a local Resettlement Agency. Co-sponsors are not responsible for providing all early resettlement services. Co-sponsors will provide some early resettlement services and the local Resettlement Agency will provide some services. When responsible for providing Cultural Orientation, co-sponsors generally do not facilitate a domestic CO curriculum on an ongoing basis. Follow these onboarding tips to ensure successful delivery of Cultural Orientation:  

Review the Cultural Orientation Objectives and Indicators (CO O&Is) to learn more about required Cultural Orientation topics. Then, consider attending Cultural Orientation at the local Resettlement Agency to review the available Cultural Orientation curriculum and materials. With the local Resettlement Agency, determine who will deliver Cultural Orientation and the Cultural Orientation assessment.  

 

If the Cultural Orientation assessment indicates that newcomers did not demonstrate their knowledge of the underlying concepts in Cultural Orientation, then create a plan to address the newcomers’ needs. With the local Resettlement Agency, determine who will ensure newcomers learn the essential information and skills taught in domestic Cultural Orientation. Sponsors may use the relevant section of the Road Ahead, CORE’s foundational domestic CO curriculum, or activity bank to review specific CO topics with newcomers.

Use the CO toolkit to integrate key Cultural Orientation messages into the initial resettlement services that the co-sponsor team is responsible for. Use the Cultural Orientation activities checklist to track which activities group members facilitate. 

Resources for Community Partners

The Community Partner fact sheets support educators, law enforcement, and state public assistance staff in incorporating key Cultural Orientation messages in their service provision.  The fact sheets include tips for effective service delivery, example Cultural Orientation messages relevant to the community partner, and an example activity showing how community partners can incorporate these key Cultural Orientation messages into interactions with newcomers. While the resources contain general information for each service provider, community partners may want to add community-specific information and resources.  

K-12 Educators

Law Enforcement

State Public Assistance Workers

Resources for Newcomers

The term newcomer includes refugees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, and humanitarian parolees. Community partners and sponsors should review and share CORE’s Settle In resources with newcomers. Be sure to explore these resources before introducing them to newcomers. This will help you answer their questions. Newcomers can access CORE’s multilingual Settle In resources through a website, app, and social media.     

Settle In Website

Using videos, podcasts, and fact sheets, the Settle In website provides newcomers with clear and vital U.S. resettlement and Cultural Orientation information in an engaging and interactive way. This resource is available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Spanish, Swahili, Russian, and Ukrainian. 
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Settle In App

The Settle In mobile and desktop app is the perfect travel companion for newcomers during their resettlement journey to the United States. It provides short videos, interactive lessons, and badges to reward and track learning progress. This resource is available in English, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Spanish, Swahili, Russian, and Ukrainian. 
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Settle In for Afghans

Settle In for Afghans is designed to directly engage newcomers from Afghanistan resettling in the United States. This platform serves as another touchpoint for CORE to directly disseminate essential, correct information tied to early resettlement services and key Cultural Orientation messages. This resource is available in Dari and Pashto.
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Settle In for Ukrainians

Settle In for Ukrainian is designed to directly engage newcomers from Ukraine resettling in the United States. This platform serves as another touchpoint for CORE to directly disseminate essential, correct information tied to early resettlement services and key Cultural Orientation messages. This resource is available in Ukrainian and Russian.
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Additional Resources