technical assistance to ethnic community based organizations...may 04, 2015 · project continuity...
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Refugee Communities: Technical Assistance to
Ethnic Community Based Organizations
Technical Assistance Research Team
School of Social Work
Arizona State University
Refugees, Human Rights & Social Work
Refugees are a global priority
◦ 51.2 million forcibly displaced people (UNHCR, 2014)
◦ 3.3 million resettled in the U.S. since 1975
◦ More than 73,000 resettled in Arizona
Refugees are a human rights priority
◦ People are displaced due to human rights violations, and
many are deprived of their human rights during and after
resettlement
Refugees are a social work priority
◦ Social workers support refugee integration and
resettlement; in refugee serving organizations and in
mainstream social services
Refugee Resettlement in the U.S.
Community integration is a key refugee
resettlement policy objective
◦ Defined in terms of economic self-sufficiency
Challenges faced by refugees
◦ Poverty, poor health, discrimination, acculturative stress,
employment
Refugee Resettlement in Arizona
Arizona Department of Economic Security, Office of
Refugee Resettlement
◦ 73,626 resettled since 1975
◦ 37,684 resettled since 2001
◦ Extremely diverse refugee population
Country Arrivals (Since 2001)
% of Total
Bhutan 2,899 7.69%
Burma 4,097 10.87%
Congo 1,751 4.65%
Iraq 8,884 23.57%
Somalia 4,973 13.20%
Community Partnership
Community-University Partnership
◦ DES Refugee Resettlement Program (DES, RRP)
◦ ASU School of Social Work (ASU, SSW)
◦ Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBOs)
ECBO partner communities
◦ Bhutanese
◦ Burmese
◦ Congolese
◦ Iraqi
◦ Somali
Key Project Goals
Empower local refugee communities through:
Sustainable community development (years 1 – 3)
Culturally meaningful orientations for newly arriving
refugees (years 1 – 3)
Community / organizational capacity-building
(years 1 – 3)
Social entrepreneurship (years 2 – 3)
Project Model
Community building
◦ Organizing and relationship building within & between
communities
Critical pedagogy
◦ Community education, Paulo Freire informed “promotora”
model
Capacity building
◦ Delivered technical assistance for developing proposals,
budgets, trainings, events, and more
Empowerment and Sustainability
◦ Strengthening refugee communities; reducing dependence
on social service providers and the state
Findings Overview
Substantial capacity building in partner ECBOs
through the design and delivery of cultural
orientations
◦ 468 cultural orientations delivered
◦ 1,424 refugee community members educated
“Abundance of Learning”
Significant learning achieved
Child welfare, transportation, and personal & home
hygiene most beneficial
Benefit of promotora style
“Because if we had somebody who doesn’t know our culture
or who doesn’t speak our language, then they will have
difficulty understanding the topic. Plus, they have to
understand the laws in culturally, like sensitive ways, which we
know… We know the ways in which we have to
convey the message to our community...”
Sense of Community
Increased cohesion across ethnic groups
Sustainability through identifying and empowering
indigenous leadership
“It was not just the class alone, because it became a medium to
come together… not just learning from the trainer, but it was also
sharing observations from one another, talking on social aspects
and all. It was an opportunity to come together, spend time
together, and then discuss problems together.”
University-Community Partnership
Cooperation, collaboration, and gratitude
Benefits identified as:
◦ Increased knowledge
◦ Increased access to resources
◦ Increased legitimacy (and perceived legitimacy)
“This project is certainly going to give us the extra
information that we need to know… In the long run, we
also see that our link with the ASU will help in areas that
we have not thought of now but may come in the days to
come ahead.”
Future Directions
Partnership discussed with predominant future
orientation
Project continuity & sustainability, with expanded
applicability
“I would like to have it like a model here. Maybe you could start
off from Arizona… these training materials that could be shared
with other states, and other communities can make use of it…
Not only within the U.S., but this could also be sent back to the
refugee camps….”
Research & Practice Implications
Model applicability across diverse and resource-
poor communities
◦ Promotes community integration and adaptation
◦ Builds capacity of refugee communities
◦ Strengthens grassroots refugee organizations
Utility of empowerment approaches to refugee
resettlement
◦ Focuses on indigenous community strengths
◦ Develops indigenous leaders in refugee communities
◦ Addresses unique cultural competence needs
◦ Promotes community cohesion
Moving Forward:
Social Entrepreneurship
New American Community, Inc.
Paradigm-shifting model, emphasizing:
◦ Sustainable capacity-building (organizational & community)
◦ Social entrepreneurship
◦ Indigenous community leadership & collaboration
Social Entrepreneurship Integration Program (SEIP)
◦ In collaboration with Exeleadmen International
◦ 3 phase project (over 36 months): data collection & needs
assessment, business & entrepreneurship training, coaching,
mentoring & implementation of the business plans
Sustaining Project Capacity
University-Community partnership & collaboration ◦ School of Social Work
◦ Refugee Resettlement Program
◦ Ethnic Community Based Organizations
◦ Voluntary Agencies
Extending University engagement ◦ School of Sustainability
◦ Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS)
◦ University-Community Partnership for Social Action Research (UCP-SARnet)
Student Engagement ◦ Course assignments
◦ Volunteers
◦ Student organizations: Mosaic Club (International students), New American Youth Initiative
VISTA Volunteer ◦ One VISTA volunteer designated for a project to work on high school youth
community engagement project
Other Initiatives - Outside ASU project
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
New Roots Farm Program is designed to help
refugee farming families achieve food security, self-sufficiency and economic empowerment through their agricultural businesses.
IRC provides the following services to help new Arizonan farmers /ranchers:
◦ Agricultural education and business training;
◦ Agricultural business development;
◦ Community agricultural partnership.
For more information visit:
http://www.rescue.org/us-program/us-phoenix-az/new-roots
Other Initiatives – Outside ASU project
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Gardens 5 community gardens
130 families gardening
12 backyard gardeners
Gila Farm Cooperative Incubated and supported by IRC
New Roots program
Second year in operation
Runs a Community Supported Agriculture
Developed a 180 page color cookbook
Weekly newsletter
Sells to United Health Care for giveaways to low income community members
More than 30 active customers getting CSA bags
For more information visit:
https://www.facebook.com/gilafarm/timeline?ref=page_internal
Contact Information
Dr. Barbara Klimek
Dr. David Androff
Chris Fike, MSW