Switchboard Course Application Deadline: Supporting Acculturation for Newly Arrived Afghan Families
Switchboard is pleased to announce a free online certificate course on Supporting Acculturation for Newly Arrived Afghan Families, which will run daily for 90 minutes in two cohort offerings:
Cohort 1: March 11, 12, 13, & 14, 2024, from 12:30 – 2:00 PM ET
Cohort 2: May 6, 7, 8, & 9, 2024, from 12:30 – 2:00 PM ET
What will this certificate course cover?
This course is designed to help service providers gain a deeper understanding of the acculturation process and cultural nuances among newly arrived Afghan families. In live workshops, we will address topics including Afghan family structure, gender roles, parenting practices, and views on mental health. We will also discuss how to support Afghan families in overcoming barriers and successfully integrating into their new communities. Knowledge of these considerations will help service providers better support Afghan clients to self-advocate, understand their rights, and navigate countless new systems as they adjust to life in the United States. Additionally, this course will highlight the importance of cultural humility, which will help service providers become more self-aware and reflect on their own biases.
Is this certificate course for me?
This course is for refugee service providers working directly with Afghan clients—specifically providers seeking to better understand the correlation between cultural humility and helping Afghan clients integrate into life in the United States. Although this course speaks to supporting Afghan newcomers, knowledge and skills relevant to cultural humility and acculturation will be applicable to supporting newcomer clients of diverse backgrounds.
Why should I participate?
Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
Describe the acculturation process most newly arrived Afghans experience and identify ways to support them while navigating new systems
Describe common social, cultural, and religious considerations among Afghans
Apply cultural humility skills to build and strengthen rapport and trust with clients
Describe elements of Afghan family life, such as parenting practices, gender roles, family structures, and other culturally sensitive considerations
Identify practical and culturally sensitive ways to support the psychosocial well-being of newly arrived Afghans
Eligibility: This course is open to 50 service providers who serve ORR-eligible populations, including at state agencies, resettlement agencies and affiliates, and ethnic community-based organizations.
Applicants must work directly with Afghan newcomers and their families and are expected to gain the support of their supervisor/director for course participation before applying.
Format: This course is designed to be completed by individual participants. Multiple staff members from the same organization may individually apply for the course. This course will leverage a combination of pre-work and four synchronous workshops, yielding a total time commitment of approximately 8 hours. The synchronous sessions will not be recorded to provide all learners with maximum comfort and interactivity.
Course Schedule: Live virtual workshops will be held on four consecutive days.
Commitment to attend all four live workshops is required.
Cohort 1: March 11, 12, 13, & 14, 2024, from 12:30 – 2:00 PM ET
Cohort 2: May 6, 7, 8, & 9, 2024, from 12:30 – 2:00 PM ET
Attendance and active participation are expected of all learners, including participation in breakout activities and discussions, as well as written dialogue exchanges with fellow learners and the course instructor on the course’s online discussion board.
Independent activity includes pre-readings and reflections using online discussion boards assigned by the course instructor.
Submit your application by Friday, February 23. Accepted participants will be notified by Wednesday, February 28.
