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May Immigrant Affairs Update |
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Last year, we launched our first Immigrant Integration Grant Program. We awarded funding to 12 organizations total and we're now excited to share project highlights from some of the organizations that received funding! |
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Trúc Việt was founded in 2016 with a mission to improve the quality of life for Vietnamese Americans by enhancing awareness of the traditions and values, and to share the Vietnamese culture to others through educational and cultural projects. Trúc Việt offers Vietnamese programming for adults and children through efforts like Vietnamese as a Second Language (VSL) for adults, Kids VSL, and Roots, a series dedicated to supporting second-generation (and up) Vietnamese-Americans to dive deeper into their cultural roots.
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With the support of The City of Austin grant, Trúc Việt launched their inaugural Citizenship Coaching program as part of their Immigrant Integration series, which includes English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual civic education resources. Since the Fall, three students have passed their Citizenship Test and Interview, and have translated national and state races for the League of Women's Voter Guide into Vietnamese for the last few elections.
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The team at Girasol Texas launched the Mental Health Collaborative in 2019 to support asylum seekers in the Austin area. Over the past 3 years, the Collaborative has trained more than 100 mental health professionals on conducting mental health evaluations and writing testimonial letters to strengthen immigrant clients’ asylum cases. The Collaborative uses funding to pay licensed mental health evaluators and coordinate free evaluations for more than 70 cases involving adults, adolescents, and children seeking asylum.
With generous support from the City of Austin’s Equity Office, Girasol Texas has the opportunity to implement our model with attorneys working across Austin. Trainings for local attorneys provide legal staff in the community with the opportunity to submit immigration cases and receive a free mental health assessment, ultimately reinforcing the credibility of immigrant clients’ cases for asylum. We’re grateful to the Equity Office for funding this critical effort to secure the safety and wellbeing of our immigrant neighbors in Austin and look forward to expanding our work in the coming months.
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CARE-Austin Seeks ESL Instructors
Community Assistance for Refugees - Austin
is looking for an ESL instructor for a one-month pilot literacy program for Afghan refugees. Interested candidates should e-mail Mary Lou Price at mlpwrc@gmail.com with a brief description of their teaching experience and/or a resume.
CARE-Austin is also looking for a fluent speaker of Pashto and English to translate for a beginning English class. Interested candidates should text Tina Weinberger at 512-680-9697.
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Volunteer with MRC at New Leaf Farm
Fridays and Saturdays @ 9am
Multicultural Refugee Coalition's (MRC) New Leaf Agriculture program 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. You 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. Learn more and register here. |
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GirlForward Seeks Volunteer Mentors
GirlForward is seeking dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers for their Mentoring Program, which matches women mentors with girls resettled through the refugee resettlement program. As a mentor, you will be paired with a mentee in grades 9-12 and will meet with her for at least two hours per week to talk about school, relationships, and careers, and to do fun and engaging activities together. As a mentor, you will make a one-year commitment to GirlForward and will receive trainings to prepare you for this role. Learn more here. |
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Central Health Community Champions
Deadline to Apply: June 15, 2022
Community Health Champions is an annual Central Health program that brings together diverse community members from across Travis County to learn about, discuss, and collaborate on our work to improve the health of Central Texas. Through a five-month workshop series, participants learn about the health care system for Travis County residents with low income and how Central Health and its partners come together to address health disparities. Health Champions are challenged to think outside of their individual realities to become advocates for health care access and equity in their communities. Learn more here.
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The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has a Texas-focused team and they are offering free Mental Health First Aid trainings focused on those who serve refugee and immigrant communities. The training will teach you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. Trainings can be in-person or virtual and CEUs may be available. For more information, please contact USCRI at refugeewellnesstx@uscrimail.org or by calling (512) 256-3310. |
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- In response to the proposed lifting of Title 42, Gov. Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses and flights to transport migrants who have been processed and released from federal custody to Washington, D.C. The first buses arrived April 13.
- This was followed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suing the Biden administration in an effort to prevent the end of Title 42.
- On April 25, a federal judge in Louisiana announced their plan to block the end of Title 42 border restrictions for migrants by granting a motion for a temporary restraining order.
- Texas governor Greg Abbott announced he is redirecting $500 million from the budgets of other stage agencies in order to fund Operation Lone Star. Those agencies include the state's Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Juvenile Justice Department and others.
- Texas governor Greg Abbott indicated that Texas may challenge Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruling that requires states to offer free public education to all children, including those who are undocumented.
- On April 15, DHS announced a new TPS designation for Cameroon for 18 months. This decision has been long-awaited and the result of years of advocacy and leadership from Black-led immigrant organizations and allies.
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Refugee Leadership Development Program
The Refugee Leadership Development Program provides monthly workshops to refugee and immigrant organizers across the United States. Led by refugees for refugees, this training series is an opportunity to learn more about advocacy tactics being used to advance pro-refugee / pro-immigrant policy on the state and national level, story-telling and narrative shifting, and connecting with resources and local networks to build more welcoming and inclusive communities.
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Thursday, May 12 @ 12pm CST
Foro Virtual: Ofreciendo apoyo a las familias de personas que viven con problemas de salud mental
Únase a Integral Care Y a NAMI de Central Texas en un foro comunitario de formato virtual. Estaremos hablando acerca de cómo ofrecer apoyo a miembros familiares de personas que viven con problemas de salud mental en la comunidad Latina. Nuestro panel de expertos elaborara acerca de cómo identificar las señales y síntomas de los trastornos mentales cuando se manifiestan en los seres queridos, y explicaran cómo obtener ayuda. Regístrese hoy! |
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Friday, May 13 @ 10am CST
My API Live
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Asian Behavioral Health Network Mixer
Saturday, May 21 @ 1:30pm CST
Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches
Come connect with other practicing Asian behavioral health professionals, learn more about the therapist network and online directory we're creating, and let us know your thoughts on the direction of ABHN's future. Kolaches will be provided (vegetarian options available). RSVP here.
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Human Trafficking 101 Webinar
Wednesday, May 25 @ 12pm CST
Interested in serving survivors of trafficking in your community? Attend Refugee Services of Texas' Human Trafficking 101 Volunteer Training! The Survivors of Trafficking Empowerment Program (STEP) is designed to help survivors of trafficking throughout their transition to a more stable situation. Volunteers that attend this training will learn about RST, their STEP Program, and how to get involved. All volunteers will need to make a profile in Volunteer Hub, pass a background check, and attend volunteer training to become eligible to get started. Learn more and register here. |
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DACA Renewal Guides
DACA renewals can now be filed online! United We Dream created a step-by-step guide to make this change as easy as possible for community members to follow. You can find the English version here and the Spanish version here. |
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Texas Explained Video Series
This new video series by ILRC seeks to provide context and information about immigration in Texas and the ways policies, practices, and procedures affect our immigrant communities. Watch here. |
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ICYMI - Q&A: Applying for U.S. Citizenship // Solicitando la ciudadania estadounidense
In honor of Women's History Month, National Partnership for New Americans talked with immigrant women voters and called on all eligible green-card holders to naturalize this year. During the session, they were joined by an immigration attorney who answered questions from the community about the process of applying for U.S. citizenship. Watch the recording here. |
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Save the Date:
Welcoming Interactive
May 18-20, 2022
Charlotte, NC
Registration is now open for this year's Welcoming Interactive! The Welcoming Interactive is an annual conference that highlights successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic engagement, government leadership, and more. Attendees learn about local innovations from peer communities and come away with new ideas and energy to foster welcoming places for all. Learn more and register here. |
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Save the Date:
National Immigrant Inclusion Conference
December 11-13, 2022
National Harbor, MD
Save the date to join the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)
at NIIC, hosted at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.
NIIC’s shift from “integration” to “inclusion” is purposeful. NPNA's priority is the full enfranchisement of immigrant communities. This includes a focus on intersections between issues and systems that impact our communities and how critical it is to build strong, cross-cutting alliances.
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