Welcoming Wednesday – celebrating a permanent welcome to community refugee sponsorship

Wednesday 8th July 2026

This week for Welcoming Wednesdays, we’re celebrating a significant milestone for community refugee sponsorship in Australia: from the 1st July, the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) officially became a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian program!

Now that’s worth celebrating – and you can join the party!

The impact that communities across the country can have in welcoming and supporting people rebuilding their lives is truly astounding – and this is only the beginning. Come together with our friends at Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) to celebrate this milestone through a series of Australian Story Watch Parties across the continent.

On Monday 13 July, the ABC’s Australian Story will broadcast episode “Sky’s the Limit”, which tells the story of Naima and Feisal, and their CRISP Community Supporter Group, Hope for Eden.

The special episode of Australian Story follows the experiences of a CRISP sponsoring group and the refugee household they welcomed, highlighting the relationships, challenges and core moments of belonging that emerge through community sponsorship.

Whether you’re already involved in refugee welcome initiatives, plan to bring together your own sponsor group, or are simply interested in learning more, these gatherings offer an opportunity to connect with others and celebrate the power of community.

Events are being held in various capital cities – but if you can’t make one of these, why not host your own? Register below to join an existing event or grab the toolkit to host your own!

Please note: We expect that this episode will contain adult themes and stories of violence that some viewers will find distressing. For this reason, we recommend against bringing children.

Click here to register for an event or host your own

Inspired and want to get involved? Join CRSA online on the 5th August for a briefing to hear about the achievements and the learnings from the pilot program, learn what the next chapter for the CRISP looks like and have all of your questions answered.

From Pilot to Permanence: watch this short video capturing the joy of community refugee sponsorship becoming a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian program here: