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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Do you work in refugee resettlement and feel unprepared to discuss basic nutrition with newcomers? This blog post is for you! Developed in partnership with Leah’s Pantry, this post offers guidance to help you confidently talk about food and nutrition without being an expert. You will learn ways to support healthy habits in the U.S.…
- Leah's Pantry
Children from birth through age 5 are developing rapidly, and timely access to high-quality services can have major impacts on their school readiness, development, and family well-being. To increase families’ awareness and trust and reduce barriers to accessing early childhood services, we recommend the following strategies.1 Working Within Your Organization Learn about the early childhood…
- Urban Institute
Communicating program data to stakeholders in your community is an important skill that can help to both highlight your program’s success and build impactful partnerships. Going into this process, it is important to understand the concept of a stakeholder as well as which stakeholders are most relevant to your project. Identifying Stakeholders A stakeholder is…
- Switchboard
This blog post explores the importance of helping newcomers familiarize themselves with well-established technologies in the U.S. while also empowering them to participate in and benefit from emerging technologies. Below, we highlight four newcomers who have actively used tools such as voice-controlled technology, GPT chat bots, e-commerce platforms, and gamified instruction. By examining these examples…
- Switchboard
Newcomers may experience multiple challenges accessing health care, including systemic issues rooted in inequities. As described in our blog post What is Health Case Management?, service providers play a critical role in supporting clients to overcome challenges and advocate for their health. This blog post details tips for assisting clients with three specific challenges: transportation,…
- Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers
Both service providers and health care providers have the best interests of clients’ health and well-being in mind. However, demanding caseloads and potential ambiguities around roles can hinder collaboration between them. This post will share insights from clinicians and resettlement providers to facilitate coordinated care for refugee and newcomer clients. Effective communication and collaboration between health…
- Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers