Promoting Refugee and Community Wellness Welcoming America received $225,000 through competitive funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant #90RB0050. This project is financed with 100% of Federal funds. The contents of this PowerPoint are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Today’s Objectives Gain a better understanding of the connections between positive health and wellbeing and fostering a welcoming community climate Be inspired to work with at least one new community partner from a different sector to advance this work at the local level Leave with concrete ideas of the next steps you can undertake in this area. -

Agenda Review of the Guide Examples from the Field Moderated Panelist Discussion Questions?

Overview of the Guide Jennifer Lange Director, National Partnership for Community Training

About National Partnership for Community Training Program of Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services (Gulf Coast JFCS) National Technical Assistance Provider for Refugee Mental Health Builds capacity TA provision for 12 years

The Refugee Journey: Wellness Challenges and Opportunities Grief Transition Adjustment The Role of Community

Refugee Wellness is Community Wellness Connections between wellness, mental health, and community Contributing to refugee resiliency

Promising Practices Snapshots

Putting it All Together: The Welcoming Community Map

Experts Featured in the Guide Josh Hinson, University of North Carolina Xouhoa Bowen, Community Impact Lab

Research Questions Do refugees need mental health services? Do refugees want mental health services? Will refugees engage in mental health treatment? Will mental health treatment help? Josh

Direct Support Filling gaps in community resources Bridging Connecting refugees to services Direct Support Filling gaps in community resources Capacity-Building Helping communities rise to the challenge

Empowering Families to Support Families Community Baby Shower Lift Me Up Gift Boxes Resource Guide

Keys to Successful Volunteer Projects Identify small, tangible actions community members can take Partner with organizations to fill gaps in support Design family-oriented activities Share ownership of collaborations with volunteers Foster awareness through digestible educational opportunities Focus on shared experiences and commonalities

Welcoming Communities and Wellness: A Conversation Susan will moderate a discussion with the panelists using these questions: Jenny: You’ve created a number of tools focused more traditionally on mental health. Why were you excited about writing this toolkit?   Josh: You come from a more traditional mental health background, why do you think a community-wide approach makes sense? What does it offer? Xouhoa: It strikes me that community-based efforts like yours are popping up all over the country, but they have a hard time getting the resources they need to sustain themselves or grow to scale. How have you managed to expand the influence of Community Impact Lab? Jenny: You profiled a number of different sectors in the toolkit. Which one are you most excited about? Which holds the most promise but might be under-utilized now? Xouhoa: I’m impressed by how refugees themselves are involved in your project. What were the keys to your success in engaging them? Josh: We know higher education is often an underutilized resource in communities when it comes to refugee wellness. Can you share some tips with our audience on engaging higher education in this work? Xouhoa: Who are your other community partners and how have they strengthened your effort? Josh: How do you see broad, community-wide approaches to mental health and wellness helping to break through cultural taboos around mental health? Jenny: Where would you like to see communities go from here when it comes to promoting refugee and community wellness? Xouhoa Bowen Susan Downs-Karkos, Moderator Josh Hinson Jennifer Lange

QUESTIONS?

Welcoming Interactive 2018 June 18-20, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky Welcominginteractive.org

Keep in Touch Subscribe to our YouTube Channel youtube.com/WelcomingAmerica Connect with us on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/welcoming-america WelcomingAmerica.org Like us on Facebook facebook.com/WelcomingAmerica Follow us on Twitter @WelcomingUSA