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June Immigrant Affairs Update |
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There's so much to celebrate in June - it's Pride month, Immigrant Heritage month, and we celebrate World Refugee Day on June 20th! Read on below for various virtual and in-person events celebrating our various immigrant communities. |
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THIS MONTH'S SPOTLIGHT:
AUSTIN REFUGEE ROUNDTABLE |
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[Image Description: There is a faded image in the background of three people holding hands, with their arms stretched out, in an open field. Overlayed on top of the faded image is a logo that says World Refugee Day with a small rainbow next to it. Surrounding this logo, it reads: Save the Date. World Refugee Day. Beneath the logo, it reads: We're Celebrating All of June! Presented by: Austin Refugee Roundtable. www.austinrefugees.org] |
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The Austin Refugee Roundtable (ARR) is a coalition of nonprofit agencies and groups serving refugees in Austin. ARR enhances collaboration between various entities, with the aim of making Austin a welcoming and supportive resettlement community. The Austin Refugee Roundtable hosts monthly calls and organizes events to commemorate things like World Refugee Day and Welcoming Week.
Learn more about ARR members through the video below that they created for World Refugee Day 2020. Continue reading below to learn more about the series of events throughout the month of June that ARR has planned to celebrate World Refugee Day!
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Naturalization Ceremonies Continue!
The City hosted its latest round of naturalization ceremonies on Friday, May 28th. Thanks to the leadership of Austin Public Library and Austin Public Health, and with the support of USCIS, the City will host additional ceremonies this summer with COVID precautions in place. People will continue to be able to get registered to vote, sign up for a library card, and/or receive their first COVID vaccine following their ceremony.
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[Image Description: A photo of people taking the oath to become U.S. citizens. There are seven people standing with their right hand held up, level with their heads.They are standing outside in a grassy area. The people are all wearing masks, and they are spaced apart and looking ahead. In their left hand they are holding a white envelope and a U.S. flag.] |
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[Image Description: People are waiting in line to get registered for a library card and to get registered to vote. In the foreground of the photo, there is a person with a colorful dress standing in front of a table and they are holding a white piece of paper in their right hand. In front of them, there is a person wearing a t-shirt that reads "Austin Public Library" who is reviewing a paper. There is another person in a blue button-down shirt with their right arm extended.]
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[Image Description: A photo of the mobile COVID vaccine team. There are five people seated around a white fold-out table indoors during the day-time. They are all wearing masks and looking at the camera. Three people on the right side of the table are wearing scrubs and seem to be medical professionals. There are medical supplies on the table along with water bottles, phones, and paperwork.]
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Volunteer with Refugee Services of Texas at Austin FC Games!
Refugee Services of Texas has a new and exciting in-person volunteer opportunity: You can support RST and have fun at an Austin FC game at the same time! Volunteering to work concessions at the games of your choice will qualify RST to receive 10 percent of the concession stand's earnings.
If you're interested in volunteering, contact Elena Lopez at aelopez@rstx.org with a "Yes, I'm interested in volunteering at concessions at the Austin FC game!" message and we will get back to you asap. Please note, with set up + game time it is a 4-5 hour commitment for home games for full or half season, depending on interest. Volunteers must be 18+ with valid TX TABC (easy online training, ~$20). |
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[Image Description: The logo for Austin FC is shaped like a shield. The word "Austin" is at the top and there's a tree in the middle. To the left of the tree is the letter F and to the right is the letter C.
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Saturday, June 12 @ 10am CST
Equity Action Team Meeting - Welcoming Cities Report Update
During Fall 2020, we started working with Dr. Ruth Wasem and her Immigrant Incorporation Policy Research Team at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Her team previously worked with the cities of San Antonio and Dallas, and they are now working with Austin to produce a Welcoming Cities Report. The insights from this report will aid us as we build out an Office of Immigrant Affairs and work to become a certified Welcoming City.
Dr. Wasem will present the team's latest research at the next Equity Action Team meeting. Join us on Zoom here.
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[Image Description: This is the logo for the LBJ School of Public Affairs. At the top there is a shield. In the top half of the shiled is an outline of an open book. Beneath the book, there is a line. Beneath the line, there is a star with a laurel on both sides. Beneath this shield it reads "Texas LBJ School."
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Friday, June 18th @ 9am CST
Volunteer at the New Leaf Farm for World Refugee Day!
New Leaf Agriculture offers refugees from traditional farming cultures the chance to reconnect and grow in a trade that they are already passionate about. Volunteers help the refugee farm crew in building out our twenty-acre regenerative farm. Join us at New Leaf Farm with the Multicultural Refugee Coalition for a Volunteer Day in celebration of World Refugee Day! Volunteers might do a variety of tasks such as creating farm pathways, establishing cover crops, forming new beds, harvesting, and many other things while working alongside our New Leaf crew. Register here to participate.
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[Image Description: A digital flyer with a background that is a faded image of vegatables. In the foreground, there's a solid rectangle with text inside that reads "World Refugee Day, Volunteer at the New Leaf Farm, Friday, June 18, 9am-12pm." Below the text are logos for Austin Refugee Roundtable and Multicultural Refugee Coalition.] |
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Thursday, June 10th @ 7pm CST
Let's Talk About Immigration
Join the Austin Refugee Roundtable for a live panel discussion to dispel myths and dive into the stories of a refugee, a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holder, a survivor of trafficking, and an asylum seeker. Each person will reflect on their experiences and unique immigration process in the United States. Register for the event here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer with a background that is an assortment of various countries' flags. On the top right there is a logo for the Austin Refugee Roundtable and the words "World Refugee Day." In the center, it reads "Let's Talk About Immigration". At the bottom, it lists the date and time of the event, Thursday, June 10, 7:00-8:00pm.
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Friday, June 11 + June 25 @ 10am CST
Facebook Live: Austin Public Health
Tune in for accurate and updated COVID-19-related information centered around API/AAPI communities, and that's also relevant for the greater Austin community. The live broadcasts offer simultaneous interpretation in Burmese, Mandarin & Vietnamese by calling the phone numbers on the flyer. Tune in to My API Live here.
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[Image Description: A digital flyer with a white background. To the right are two people, one with a megaphone and another holding up a sign. To the left of them, there is text that reads, "My API Live. Accessible, Pertinent Information. Get accurate COVID-19 information from the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Work Group. Join us live on the Austin Public Health Facebook Page: Facebook.com/AustinPublicHealth on the second and fourth Friday of every month, at 10 am." Below that are texts in Asian languages with phone numbers to call in to the language lines. At the very bottom of the flyer is the Facebook URL again, and the logos of Austin Pulic Health, City of Austin, the Asian American Resource Center, Austin Public Library, and Parks and Rec.]
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Wednesday, June 23rd @ 5:30pm CST
Liberating Pride: A Reflection of Our Story
This Pride Month join the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project for Liberating Pride, a vital conversation on the experience, stories, and struggles of LGBTQIA+ immigrants and ways that the global LGBTQIA+ community can work together towards liberation of all. Register for free here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer with background colors ranging from green, blue, purple, and pink. At the top it reads "Liberating Pride: A Reflection of our story." Wednesday, June 23 at 6:30pm. There are two rows of three circles with the photos of the featured panelists in each circle. Moderator Edafe Okporo, Panelist Joaris Hernandez, Panelist Geraldine Monroy, Panelist Aneiry Zapata, Panelist Edinson Calderon, Panelist Juliet Ekeh. At the bottom, it reads "register on our linktree" next to the logo for the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project.
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Tuesday, June 29th at 12:30-1:30pm CST
Volunteer Training with Todos Juntos
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Wednesday, June 30th at 12-1:30pm CST
Mock Testing
Help our civics students gain their citizenship! Conduct “mock-citizenship” interviews over Google Meet preparing them for the US Naturalization Test. Volunteers will receive training the day before the scheduled testing. During the training, they will also receive their 1-on-1 student pairing assignments. To volunteer, please contact Raney McKool (raney@todosjuntoslc.org) |
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[Image Description: A logo with a white background. There are three petal shapes that are fanning out like a flower. The smallest is purple, then pink, with the largest being orange. The petals are sitting on the text in green, "todos juntos learning center."] |
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SAVE THE DATE
October 3-8 in Las Vegas, NV
National Immigrant Integration Conference
NIIC is the largest conference on immigration in the U.S. and plays a central role in the powerful, diverse and broad immigrant and refugee rights and integration field. At the NIIC, the many different spokes of this field gather to develop relationships, build campaigns, amplify shared values, be inspired, build relationships, and share ideas, strategies, lessons learned and new information and innovations. Registration now open! |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer that states at the very top, "Save the date and join us: NIIC 2021" Below that it states, "New American Dreams. National Immigrant Integration Conference 2021. A project of national partnership for new Americans." There is a URL: niicnewamericandreams.org. Beneath the URL is an illustration of the Statue of Liberty's face. To the right of the image are a list of various partners. At the very bottom it states, "October 3 - 8, 2021 Las Vegas, NV. Registration Opens in May."] |
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Creative Placemaking & Welcoming: Tips and Tools for Integrating Arts, Culture, and Immigration
With warm weather & in-person gatherings on the horizon, the Welcoming America Network presents its latest toolkit. Created in partnership with Art Place America, this tool provides case studies & models for using the arts to build belonging. Check it out here.
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[Image Description: Illustration of a group of people gathered around a table, sharing food and beverages, and being in community with each other. To the right of this illustration, it reads: Creative Placemaking and Welcoming: Tips and Tools for Integrating Arts, Culture, and Immigration.
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[Image Description: A banner with a teal background that states, "Taste of Belonging" and beneath that, "A collection of recipes and ways to strengthen community across differences". To the right of the text there are three different white bowls that each contain different herbs. One bowl of herbs is red, another black, and the last green.]
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Advancing Universal Representation Toolkit
The toolkit is intended to equip advocates, organizers, legal services providers, and policymakers with strategies to make the case for implementing and sustaining universal representation programs.
The toolkit consists of three parts:
• Module 1 makes the case for universal representation and describes the importance of implementing the universal representation model, even when it starts out on a small scale.
• Module 2 outlines how to build an advocacy campaign advancing universal representation.
• Module 3 describes best practices for implementing local and state universal representation programs and profiles different jurisdictions’ programs.
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[Image Description: A digital image of the Statue of Liberty as a teal silhouette with orange lines drawn through her. There is a person who is climbing a ladder with a cream silhoutte. The background is an orange sky with dispersed cream clouds.] |
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