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At a critical moment of rebuilding for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ and the Refugee Advocacy Lab are bringing together refugee and immigrant voices, state legislators, and technical experts to celebrate their efforts to create more welcoming communities for newcomers. This virtual summit will include a panel discussion and conversations between policymakers who are advancing legislation related to education, workforce development, integration support, and more. Attendees will also have direct access to correlating policy resources and the technical support they need to replicate such measures within their own states.

On Wednesday, September 29, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Atlanta’s Executive Director, Justin Howell, hosted a webinar briefing with our partners—Alpa Amin, Executive Director of Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network (GAIN); Marjan Nadir, Economic Empowerment Manager at Refugee Women’s Network (RWN); and Chris Purdy, Director of Veterans for American Ideals and Outreach at Human Rights First—to discuss our work and how the community can help us welcome and support new Afghan arrivals in Georgia and continue our more than 40-year history of welcoming refugees to our state.

With Santa Clara County seeing a continued upward trend in daily positivity rates for COVID-19, ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ San Jose has remained in full-remote work since mid-March. As we delved deeper into the summer of 2020, this reality made us question the future of Vision 2.0: Summer Job Academy (hereinafter referred to as Vision). Vision is an immigrant-female empowerment workshop aimed at allowing participants to learn about different career paths, to reflect on their personal goals, and to work towards envisioning themselves achieving their goals. Read further to see how we navigated the barriers posed by COVID-19 to still offer this workshop this summer!

Boi Pessima came to the U.S. in 2005 to reunite with her father and siblings to obtain better care for her daughter Mary but leaving her oldest son behind in Sirra Leone. Five years after receiving her green card, she applied for citizenship but was denied twice. She reached out to the immigration team at the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ and with their support she was able to pass her interview. Now, fourteen years after her arrival in the U.S., she is a U.S. citizen and is excited to vote.

Amidst the journeys undertaken by numerous asylum seekers across the Americas in pursuit of safety and security, they encounter a significant challenge: the lack of reliable information to alleviate their hardships. Hence, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ supports displaced people on their journey by facilitating access to digital platforms where they can encounter information and services they need.

Launched by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2021, the Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP) is an innovative approach to serving historically disadvantaged small business owners who were disproportionately impacted by the economic shocks and hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ (̽»¨¾«Ñ¡) has been serving immigrant, newcomer, refugee, and mainstream community small business owners in communities since 1999 and was proud to join the SBA as a national partner in implementing CNPP.

After years of upheaval and uncertainty, refugee & immigrant girls in the United States are ready to explore their path in life. Vision Not Victim supports these young women to envision their future and redefine what their communities and they themselves thought possible. Run by the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ previously in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Jordan, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Northern California piloted the program in the United States over April's spring break in Oakland.

This summer, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Richmond's youth team led a season full of learning, connection, and empowerment for refugee and immigrant youth. From after school programs and college visits to summer camps and new initiatives, youth of all ages had opportunities to grow socially, emotionally, and academically. These efforts reflect the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡â€™s ongoing commitment to supporting young people as they build brighter futures in their new home.