Blog
Partnering with School Districts during COVID-19: Tips for Refugee Service Providers
Partnerships between school districts and refugee service providers have always been important, but they have become vital during COVID-19. This blog post includes some general tips for refugee service providers seeking to build productive partnerships with school districts.
You Asked, We Acted: New Features on the Switchboard Website
Switchboard is continually seeking feedback on how we can improve our services. Among the recommendations for improvement that we received through our most recent program evaluation, there were several suggestions for our website. We are pleased to announce several new updates that were informed by these suggestions.
Announcing the New Annual Survey of Refugees
The Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) is a scientific study that collects information about how recently resettled refugees are adapting to life in the U.S. It is funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and is being conducted by the Urban Institute and SSRS. This blog post includes information you need to know if your clients are selected for the survey and why the ASR is important.
Supporting Clients Experiencing Housing Insecurity: Tips and Multilingual Materials on Housing Relief Legislation
As many clients continue to experience financial hardship due to the effects of COVID-19, service providers are offering support by helping to navigate pandemic relief measures. This post shares eviction prevention and rent assistance information related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including multilingual information where available.
What Can You Expect from Switchboard in the New Year? Findings from our External Evaluation and Needs Assessment
As a Switchboard team, we’re always interested in learning more about how we’re doing, how we can improve, and which topics are on refugee service providers’ minds. This is why we worked with an external evaluator to look back at our work from the previous year to reflect on our project and identify how we could improve. We also conducted a needs assessment to hear from you and inform our priorities for the coming year. Thank you to all who participated! We would like to share some of the main findings with you.
Refugees and Asylees Have the Right to Work: Overcoming Two Key Challenges when Communicating with Employers about Work Authorization
This second post in a two-part series that was informed by conversations with Senior Trial Attorney Liza Zamd from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. It provides tips on overcoming two common challenges when employers request specific documents from refugees and asylees as they complete the I-9.
Refugees and Asylees Have the Right to Work: Busting Three Myths about Social Security Delays & Work Authorization
This is the first post in a two-part series that was informed by conversations with Senior Trial Attorney Liza Zamd from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. It covers three common misconceptions held by both employers and service providers regarding work authorization, and shares additional useful resources.
Talking about Race and Racism: Tips for Conversations with Refugee Youth
As a young person, adjusting to a new place is difficult no matter the circumstances. In adapting to their new communities, refugee youth need to understand how race and racism may shape their lives in the U.S., including the history of systemic racism and discrimination, the history of anti-racist movements, and what they need to know about current events like protests against police brutality.
Talking about Race and Racism: Tips for Participating in Introductory Conversations
Conversations about race are challenging, but they allow people to get to know one another better and build stronger communities. It is important for newcomers to have a better understanding about racism in America, how it may affect their daily lives, and what they can do to change it. It is equally important that refugee service providers consider the adjustments, new information, and learning curves newcomers face. Providers must take those into account as they think about when, where, and how to introduce topics about race, racism, and anti-racism with clients.
Talking about Race and Racism: Preparing for Conversations with Refugee Clients
Refugee service providers play an important role in helping newcomers integrate into communities across the country. As they adjust to their new life in America, many refugees and their family members are likely to experience racism or discrimination first-hand. In our role as providers, managers, and evaluators of services that help newcomers successfully integrate into U.S. communities, we must be willing and able to have meaningful conversations about race and racism with refugees.