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Welcoming Week is in September! Let's celebrate and continue building a culture of welcome and belonging together:
 Welcoming Week is a global initiative led by Welcoming America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. We believe that being welcoming is much more than being friendly, tolerant, or peaceful. To be truly welcoming, a community needs intentional, inclusive policies, practices, and norms that enable all residents to live, thrive, and contribute fully. Learn more at welcomingamerica.org.
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 An award-winning research team at Boise State University has been awarded $83,000 to conduct research identifying challenges faced by former refugee farmers in the Treasure Valley and mapping out potential adaptations to these challenges.
The research will be done in collaboration with the Idaho Office for Refugees and our Global Gardens program. Learn more here!  1) Attend an Event: From World Refugee Day to Welcoming Week to our annual resettlement conference, we've got you covered with our events calendar here!
2) Volunteer & Donate: Visit www.idahorefugees.org/get-involved.html for details. 3) Global Talent: Use your expertise in your field to guide New Americans on their path to reclaim their careers. 4) Global Gardens: Buy produce from farmers from refugee backgrounds. 5) English Language Center: Become a classroom volunteer working with new refugee arrivals in Boise. 6) Refugee Speakers Bureau: At your next event or conference, consider hiring a speaker from a refugee background. 7) Tune In: Listen to and share our MOSAICS podcast of Idaho resettlement stories, join our newsletter, and follow our Community Calendar. 8) Refugee Appreciation Luncheon: Encourage your company to endorse this event, held each year at the Capitol during the legislative session, to show Idaho's appreciation of the contributions of New Americans in our state. 9) Join Neighbors United, a collective of companies, nonprofits and agencies in the Treasure Valley working toward solutions in areas including housing, transportation, and jobs, with a focus on the experiences of refugees 10) Housing: Encourage your networks (church, rotary club, etc.) to look into House Your Neighbor to see how you can help with housing solutions, such as co-signing for a new family who doesn't have a credit score or rental history yet. 11) Become an Annual Sponsor: Encourage your company to become an annual sponsor of Idaho Office for Refugees' outreach events to strengthen, educate, empower, and connect communities. Contact: Whitney Alsallum, walsallum@idahorefugees.org 12) Welcome Corps: Consider forming a private sponsor group to welcome refugees and help them navigate their first 90 days. Thank you for your interest! Whatever it is you feel led to do, know that your actions and kindness make a huge difference in the lives of those who are new here.  Idaho welcomed over a dozen Afghan pilots after Kabul fell in 2021. They're working entry-level jobs to support their families back home, with dreams of getting back to the career they love - flying.
The pilots trained and served alongside U.S. allies. But becoming certified to fly commercially in the U.S. is financially out of reach for many, at a cost of more than $30,000 per pilot. Our Global Talent team is among the first nationwide to pioneer a path forward for these pilots. We've teamed up with a retired Marine aviator to create a training pathway of ground school and flight school, and our first cohort of three pilots is nearing the finish line. We're seeking community investment to help cover the high costs of the certification process. Will you help us reach our goal of raising $40,000? The pilots' success will not only be life-changing as they're able to get good-paying jobs in their field of expertise, but it will help address our nation's pilot shortage. We hope you will join us in this innovative solution and show our allies that we have not forgotten their sacrifice. Award-winning Iraqi-American artist Luma Jasim presented a live painting and storytelling performance this year accompanied by original music from Ryan Garrett. Luma shared powerful moments from her childhood growing up amid war. Luma has been working with local youth to teach stop-motion animations, which were displayed during her May 4th performance at the Linen Building. More student workshops will take place this month with our summer program. Our deepest gratitude to Luma and Ryan and to Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for grant support. Photos by Gracieux Baraka. Video by Özgür Seyben with editing by Tandem Lens.  The Idaho Office for Refugees is pleased to welcome Terry Graves to the new role of Housing Specialist. Terry will work closely with our partners to identify housing opportunities for arriving families and individuals to afford them the best possible start in their new American life.
World Refugee Day Boise was a beautiful celebration of culture and humanity. Thank you to everyone who joined us as a guest, performer, vendor, volunteer, and partner. Thank you to our generous sponsors, to our co-organizer: Agency for New Americans and IRC Boise; to our team of volunteers; and to Capital City Public Market, our wonderful neighbor for the event. Photography by Cat Wheaton (@theloveclub_boise). Find more photos on the World Refugee Day Boise Facebook page.   Join the Ukrainian Welcome Center - Idaho for a one-year anniversary celebration on May 27! We are amazed by and so grateful for the hard-working community members who launched this center last spring after the invasion of Ukraine. They have helped hundreds of families and individuals find a safe and loving place to land. They came together as grassroots volunteers, many of whom had personal ties to Ukraine, others who did not, and quickly jumped into action. We are proud to partner with them.
We invite you to support our programs during Idaho Gives!
Idaho Gives is a program of the Idaho Nonprofit Center and powered by Idaho Central Credit Union.  NOTE: This workshop has been postponed with hopes of offering it in early 2024. Stay tuned!
Neighbors United and the Boise School District are teaming up to offer a two-day course for educators called "New Americans in the Classroom: A Deeper Dive."
Registration is now open to Boise School District staff, and will soon open up to educators from other districts and organizations for a total of 50 participants.
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Archives
August 2023
Author: Holly BeechIdaho Office for Refugees Communications Manager 
Thank you to the generous organizations who
support our outreach: 
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Idaho Office for refugees |
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