Hosted on September 5, 2024, the training was delivered by Lillie Hinkle, an Associate Policy Analyst with the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI’s) National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy; Julie Sugarman, Associate Director for K–12 Education Research at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy; and Rob Callus, Switchboard Training Officer.
The U.S. federal government requires State Refugee Coordinators and resettlement agencies to conduct consultations at least quarterly with State and local representatives and other key implementing partners to plan and coordinate the strategic placement of refugees prior to their arrival. This includes assessing community capacity for service provision. However, this process does not always achieve a shared understanding among stakeholders of the collective capacity of newcomer-receiving communities to effectively welcome refugees. Lack of efficient coordination of these discussions can lead to significant challenges for service providers assisting newcomers in accessing services. This webinar will share strategies for leveraging and mapping publicly available data and key stakeholders from public systems to effectively assess community capacities. Highlighting insights from policy experts, the webinar will present ways to identify and share important information across various areas of newcomer integration (e.g., K–12 education, housing) during quarterly consultations and in other community engagement spaces to ensure that defining capacity is grounded in the most relevant available data.
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
– Explain how effective data-sharing practices promote community connectedness and positive outcomes for new arrivals to the U.S.
– Describe helpful strategies for sharing information and data during consultation planning and facilitation
– Determine key data metrics and contacts for information within local community systems that you can integrate into your own community engagement and consultation practices
