At Clinton Global Initiative, Welcome.US Announces Commitment to Engage 50,000 More Americans in Sponsoring Refugees Over Next Three Years

New pledge will build a network of community and civic organizations to mobilize members, impacting up to 100,000 newcomers

Alight, Church World Service, Community Sponsorship Hub, HIAS, International Rescue Committee, REACT DC, The Shapiro Foundation, Migration and Refugee Services/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and WelcomeNST to bring unique expertise to support resettlement work

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Welcome.US announced a new commitment to help an additional 50,000 Americans to sponsor refugees over the next three years. Working in partnership with some of the most iconic and effective nonprofit and faith organizations in the United States — including Alight, Church World Service, Community Sponsorship Hub, HIAS, the International Rescue Committee, REACT DC, The Shapiro Foundation, Migration and Refugee Services/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and WelcomeNST, Welcome.US — the coalition will create a network of community and civic organizations to mobilize tens of thousands of Americans to sponsor newcomers and provide vital support.

Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash made the announcement onstage during the closing plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting in New York City, which focused on shared opportunities for taking action to address the global challenges of today. CGI's unique model supports its partners in developing Commitments to Action, new, specific, and measurable projects to address pressing global challenges.

"Over the past year, the American people have shown they are ready and willing to welcome thousands of Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers into their communities," said Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash on stage. "Now, we are tapping into this newfound potential by announcing a Commitment to Action to engage 50,000 more Americans in sponsorship over the next three years. When our entire society gets involved in this work — companies, nonprofits, faith groups, veterans and diaspora groups, college campuses, friends and neighbors — we can truly become the nation of welcome that we've long imagined ourselves to be."

As part of this commitment, Welcome.US and its private sector partners will leverage Welcome Connect — a first-of-its-kind technology platform developed with engineering and technical support from Goldman Sachs, ServiceNow, and InfoSys — that makes it easy for potential sponsors and beneficiaries to connect, while raising public awareness to increase the capacity of civic organizations to support sponsors and newcomers. The effort will provide training, informational resources, and original storytelling to highlight the human impact of the sponsorship journey. This work has the potential to support as many as 100,000 refugees arriving in the United States.

This Commitment to Action will expand Welcome.US's Be a Welcomer campaign, bringing together a diverse coalition of partners to reimagine welcoming newcomers as a community practice that complements and expands the existing government infrastructure. Welcome.US will lead a national campaign to raise awareness, educate, and motivate Americans to get involved as sponsors, or to provide support to sponsors, and create a community of welcomers willing to share their experiences to galvanize participation from others.

At Welcome.US, our mission is to unleash the desire and capacity of Americans to welcome newcomers and help them thrive. We operate on the evidence that direct participation with newcomers transforms both the welcomer and those being welcomed. We are not an advocacy organization or an operational agency providing direct services to newcomers.

By making it easier for Americans from all walks of life to participate in the work of welcoming — and telling their stories — we are building a movement that celebrates America's welcoming spirit by providing an opportunity to serve for all who seek to welcome. Our diverse community of Welcomers reaches across real and perceived divides to meet the needs of newcomers more effectively.

In partnership with local and national resettlement agencies, diaspora organizations and leaders, refugees, community sponsorship groups, nonprofits, businesses, faith-based institutions, veterans, universities, four former Presidents and four former First Ladies, Welcome.US is the single point of entry for Americans who want to get involved and support those who are starting new lives in the United States.

To learn more about Welcome.US, please visit welcome.us. 

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI works with partners to drive action through its unique model. Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and develop Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable plans that address global challenges. Through CGI, the community has made more than 3,700 Commitments to Action that have made a difference in the lives of more than 435 million people in more than 180 countries.

SOURCE Welcome.US