Switchboard Blog
Switchboard’s blog posts offer a wide range of insights on the newcomer experience, including practical tips for navigating the resettlement process, resource lists tailored to community needs, case studies about relevant programs, engaging stories of successful integration, and more.
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Why Trauma-Informed Surveys Matter—and How to Create Them
Collecting high-quality data is essential in refugee service work, whether for client needs assessments, program evaluations, or organizational learning. But sometimes even well-intentioned surveys can unintentionally create stress, reduce trust, or compromise the accuracy of the data collected. Switchboard’s Trauma-Informed Survey Toolkit (TIST) was developed to help service providers design surveys that are safe, respectful,…
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While there is no one-size-fits-all approach on how to best support mentors of newcomer youth, program coordinators can tailor their management strategies to meet clients’ specific needs and provide strong support to volunteer mentors. Below, Selina Máté describes some of the challenges and common questions that many teams face while building a youth mentorship program…
- Selina Mate
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As resettlement service providers, we’re quick to notice when something is working well and when it isn’t. That’s because a key priority is serving clients as smoothly as possible. However, when faced with the challenge of gauging the effectiveness of a program, advocating for funding, or implementing a new intervention, discovering what works best takes…
- Jodie Boisvert
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The U.S. government announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. The end of the PHE is likely to impact the clients you serve. This blog post shares four key changes you should know about and ways you can help clients prepare. For even more resources on serving refugee…
- NRC-RIM
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Child labor trafficking is an important area of concern for service providers who support Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs). Due to their unique circumstances, children and youth enrolled in the URM program may be at increased risk for labor trafficking. URM agencies are community-based service providers with connections to child welfare, law enforcement, local schools, and…
- Switchboard
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I recall sitting in my bedroom-turned-home-office in Washington, D.C., last August feeling distraught watching the news coming out of Afghanistan. Like most Afghan-Americans during that time, a sense of helplessness had washed over me. I wished I could do more. At the time, I was working at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as a Gender…
- Yasmine Arsala
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Switchboard, in partnership with Refugee Housing Solutions (RHS), recently published a blog post on Helping Newcomers with the Housing Search. Here, we focus on the housing selection process for newcomers, from walk-through to move-in. This information is relevant for providers serving clients who have recently arrived in the U.S. and have immediate housing needs (such…
- Sophia Martin
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