MAP’s innovative and collaborative partnership has brought together organizations across British Columbia who are doing amazing work with refugee claimants. This collaboration is the first of its kind in Canada and is already garnering interest throughout Canada.
Along with the many individual challenges that our agencies have tackled, MAP has been able to achieve the following:
World Refugee Day (June 20)
For the last 10 years MAP members have come together to celebrate the resilience and creativity of refugees, as well as their welcome here in BC. We join together with many different agencies to recognize and commemorate the extraordinary journeys of people who have sought safety in Canada.
Every year MAP co-hosts the World Refugee Day events with Vancouver Public Library. The event usually features a marketplace of over 25 Government and non-Government agencies and showcases their services.
Over the years, we have also helped people understand what people who are refugees go through via an experiential journey through the process of a refugee claim as well as delivering programs of interactive and engaging talks by refugees, lawyers representing refugees and others.
READY Tours
The READY Tour, which is now replicated throughout Canada, provides refugee claimants with a walk-through of the Immigration Refugee Board Hearing Room, a description of the proceedings and an opportunity to ask questions of an IRB member.
The tours are the result of a collaboration of MAP members: the UNHCR, Immigration & Refugee Board and Kinbrace. The partnership was initiated and tours began in 2009 and over 100 tours have taken place in their inception – helping over 2,500 refugee claimants. Tours are also available for claimants who will appear before the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD).
You can find out more about READY tours here: https://myrefugeeclaim.ca/en/ready-tours/
MAP Working Groups
MAP’s success is based on the three pillars of collaboration, partnership and innovation. And there’s nowhere that this is more obvious than in our Working Groups.
Over the years, we have initiated various working groups with the aim of working intensively in specific areas or to accomplish specific initiatives. These groups have functioned during times of particular need and have included:
Housing Working Group: This group constantly addresses the need for supported and adequate short and long-term housing for refugee claimants. For more detailed information on the vital work of this group, please visit the HOUSING page of our website.
Information Working Group: First created to create information needed for the referral service First Contact (now bc211) and continues to work on initiatives such as our website and public events.
Legal Working Group: currently on hiatus, the Legal Working Group focused on alternatives to detention and protection of minors
Health Working Group: also not currently active, this group focused on providing sufficient health access across the health authorities and especially access to Mental Health services for refugee claimants.