2023 IOWA REFUGEE SUMMIT
2023 IOWA REFUGEE SUMMIT
Tickets are on sale now, see Eventbrite link below!
2023: Welcoming New Iowans
This year’s summit will offer community partners tools and resources to better serve the increase in arrivals of refugees and immigrants coming to Iowa from around the world.
Join us Wednesday, November 15th, from 8:00am - 5:00pm at Olmsted Center at Drake University in Des Moines.
This event is open to the public, all are welcome.
A light breakfast as well as lunch will be provided.
Workshops focusing on the following areas will be offered:
Refugee Resettlement Services
Health/Mental Health
K-12 and Adult Education
Legal/Advocacy
Employment/Community Development
Supporting Ethnic Community Based Organizations
General admission tickets are $50, Community Partner Interest Tables are $50. There are a limited number of discounted tickets for students or anyone with financial barriers to attend. Please see contact information below to reach out for more.
All attendees will need to utilize the Sched platform (link sent after ticket purchase) to sign up for breakout sessions as well as order lunch. Vegan, halal, and gluten free options will be available. To purchase tickets, please see the Eventbrite link here.
For anyone coming from out of town, accommodations close to Olmsted Center, as well as a link to our list of refugee and immigrant owned restaurants in central Iowa, can be found on the printable accommodations flyer here.
In addition to our in-person, day-long event on the 15th, this year we are happy to share that there is an additional FREE webinar offered on Saturday, November 4th, 9:00am - 12:00pm via Zoom with Dr. Alyssa Clayden. This webinar will focus on how individuals, communities, and organizations in Iowa can meet the needs of refugees in the community even without previous experience or specialized education. Healthcare and mental health professionals are highly encouraged to attend. More information about this virtual webinar, including how to register, can be found here.
Thank you to the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services for making this event possible! For questions, please email Stephanie@RefugeeAllianceOfCentralIowa.org.
Previous 2021 Refugee Summit Webinars:
Employing New Iowans: Successes and Challenges in Hiring Refugees
Hear from 5 experienced employers from a variety of industries as they share successes and challenges of employing newly resettled refugees. As our state faces an employee shortage while also preparing to welcome high numbers of refugees, this webinar will provide participants with experienced resources and best practices to overcoming barriers in hiring new Iowans.
Our panel will include:
Arden Borgen, CEO of Borgen Systems
Blondo Bugera, HR Assistant, Michael Foods
Emily Dobbins, Human Resources Manager, Metro Waste Authority
Lindsay Fett, Human Resources Director, Broadlawns Medical Center
Abid Talic, General Manager, Hotel Fort Des Moines
Panel will be moderated by Ryan West, Deputy Director of Iowa Workforce Development
Afghan Evacuees: What it Means for Iowa
Join Iowa’s leaders in refugee resettlement to learn more about recent evacuations from Afghanistan, how many cases our state plans to receive, and what impact this could have locally.
We will hear from Kelyn Anker, Director of Refugee Resettlement for Catholic Charities (Des Moines), Kerri True-Funk, Field Office Director for USCRI Des Moines, Sarah Zejnic, Director of Refugee Services for Catherine McAuley Center (Cedar Rapids), and Mak Suceska, Bureau Chief of the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services
Eviction Resources and Fair Housing with Iowa Legal Aid
Join Linda Grathwohl and Todd Schmidt of Iowa Legal Aid as they provide information on the ending of the Eviction Moratorium, tenant rights, and resources that exist in our state for anyone receiving eviction notices now that the moratorium has ended.
Previous 2020 Refugee Summit Webinars:
Flu and Allergies During Covid-19
Cold, flu and allergy season is here. As our community is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important for everyone to understand the signs and symptoms of each illness and how they can affect you. This webinar will teach the basics of each illness and help everyone stay healthy this winter!
Tenant Rights
As a result of COVID-19 there has a been a dramatic increase in housing insecurity in Central Iowa. During this webinar, Ericka Peterson, Assistant Litigation Director from Iowa Legal Aid, will provide information on tenant rights and resources their agency have available to the community.
Safe Housing Within Refugee and Immigrant Communities
In this roundtable dialogue we will hear about the increased need of safe housing within refugee and immigrant communities through COVID-19 and how our service providers have adapted as a result. Our speakers include Gatete Pauline Karamera, Multilingual Advocate, NISAA African Family Services, Hieu Pham, Director of Programs, Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, Jodi Bowden-Fuentes, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate, LUNA (Latinas Unidas Por Un Nuevo Amenecer), and Zebulon Beilke-McCallum, Director of Housing and Economic Justice, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Return to Learn: Educator Panel
The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for students and especially for refugees due to lack of experiences in online learning and access to technology. Many refugee parents are not able to support their children with virtual learning due to their limited education and/or lack of proficiency in the language of instruction, English.
Understanding and Protecting Rights in Employment
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated renewed public appreciation for the workers who provide services that are essential to our daily lives and well-being – direct care providers, agricultural and food processing workers, cleaning and janitorial staff, and others whose contributions are too frequently overlooked. However, this crisis has also exposed the inequities and risks workers can face and has underscored the importance of community-based workers’ rights education that is accessible to immigrant and refugee community members and advocacy organizations.
This webinar will provide an overview of Iowa workers’ fundamental labor and employment rights and introduce participants to available educational resources regarding workplace health and safety, family and medical leave, wage payment, workplace discrimination, protections against retaliation, and more! The workshop will be led by Jennifer Sherer and Robin Clark-Bennett from the University of Iowa Labor Center.
Brain Injury Within Refugee Communities
Brain Injury Grant Manager with the Iowa Department of Public Health and Project Manager with the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa will provide a brief lesson on brain injury including how Iowa defines brain injury for purposes of accessing supports and services, brain anatomy and function and the prevalence rates of brain injury among refugee communities. This session will provide an overview of Iowa's Lifetime History of Traumatic Brain Injury and other Acquired Brain Injury screening tool and how this screening tool. Lastly, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about programs and services available in Iowa to support professionals serving individuals with brain injury, clients and caregivers.
What is Telehealth?
Dr. Joel Ward will explain how telehealth services can be a safe way to receive health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions.
Jacquie Easley McGhee will address ways hospitals support immigrant and refugee populations.
Navigating Employment During COVID-19
COVID-19 has brought many challenges to employment within refugee and immigrant communities over the past 9 months. Many people have lost jobs or hours, people have had to navigate time off when sick or when caring for family members, and application/hiring processes moving to virtual formats have all created new obstacles for our community. In this webinar, we will hear from both local and national experts as they share both challenges and successes they have had this year as they have adapted to the constantly changing employment landscape.