What's New
March 2010
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Register Now! As part of BRYCS 2010 Wednesday Webinar Series, BRYCS will be hosting a two-part Webinar titled “Child Abuse Issues with Refugee & Immigrant Populations” on March 17th and March 24 12:30-1:30pm EST. Part one will cover Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/N) definitions and cultural issues and part two will cover mandated reporting and collaborating with Child Protective Services (CPS). Stay tuned for more information and additional Webinars on youth development and interviewing children with interpreters!
- Congratulations to USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) for receiving University of Dayton’s 2010 Human Rights Award! The award is presented in honor and memory of the late Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero Y Caldames of El Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980 because of his human rights work.
EVENTS
- TESOL’s 44th Annual Convention and Exhibit will take place on March 24-27 in Boston, MA. Conference events include plenary and luminary speakers, dynamic workshops, diverse panel discussions, outstanding educational site visits, and a variety of K–12 programming. BRYCS will be there and we are organizing an informal gathering for Refugee School Impact Grantees. Contact BRYCS for more information.
- The 26th National Symposium on Child Abuse will take place in Huntsville, AL on March 22-25. More than 130 workshops will be presented by nationally renowned experts in the field. Additional conference offerings include: Pre-Conference Seminars, Plenary and Mini-Plenary Sessions, Skill Seminars, and Roundtables.
- “African Refugees and Immigrants: Challenges, Changes, and Champions”, sponsored by the Ethiopian Community Development Council, will take place May 4-6 in Arlington, Virginia. The 16th Annual Conference and Banquet will focus on the low numbers of African refugee arrivals, the economic recession’s effect on African newcomers, conflicts arising across the continent, policy initiatives, and new ways of approaching community partnerships and U.S. resettlement. (Description summarized from source.)
- CLINIC'S 2010 Convening, "Journey of Hope: Understanding Migration and Building Communities" will take place May 19-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The convening will provide updates on immigration law as well as advocacy skills on state and local efforts, media, and fundraising.
- Save the date! The Office of Refugee Resettlement’s 2010 National Consultation, “Honoring 30 Years of Service: Commitment, Hope, and Dignity,” will take place June 7-8 in Washington, DC. This year’s Consultation will focus on celebrating 30 years of accomplishments and planning the future for serving refugees, survivors of torture, unaccompanied alien children and victims of human trafficking.
- One World, One Family, Many Cultures: Strengthening Children and Families Affected by Personal, Intra-Familial, and Global Conflict, sponsored by the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), will take place September 26-29, 2010 in Hawaii. The conference will bring together service providers and advocates to discuss family-strengthening for those impacted by various avenues of conflict. Among the five sub-themes of the conference are “Cultural Perspectives in Strengthening Families and Protecting Children” and “Impact of Armed Conflict on Families and Children”.
FUNDING
- ING’s Unsung Heroes Program gives awards for innovative classroom projects. All full-time K-12 education professionals or classified staff employed by an accredited U.S. K-12 public or private school located in the United States are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is April 30.
- “Jenny’s Heroes” Community Grant Program provides grants up to $25,000 to fund projects that promise long-term benefits. Heroes thus far have used the funds for library books, computer equipment, and more. There is no deadline.
- The Corning Incorporated Foundation provides funding for programs related to education, cultural endeavors, and community service. Corning also supports national and even international organizations that work for the good of others including a match grant program. Grant seekers are advised to submit a short letter of inquiry. There is no deadline.
RESOURCES
For Refugee and Immigrant Youth
- The Clementine Refugee Scholarship Fund (CRSF) provides financial support to first generation war refugees living in the United States to attend a college or university of their choice. This is a non-renewable scholarship with no deadline. The Fund is also accepting applications for an intern to assist with various fundraising projects.
- Iraqi Girl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq is a collection of blog entries written by fifteen year old Hadiya as she carries on her day to day life in Iraq during the war. The book documents the horrors of living in a war-torn country as well as everyday teenage things like the stress of exams, family, friendship, and community.
- Journey of Dreams: Fleeing for Their Lives on a Perilous Path to Freedom is the story of how Tomasa, a Quiché Maya, and her family fled Guatemala in the 1980s. This gripping novel shows how in the midst of tragedy, their love and loyalty keeps them going on their harrowing journey as refugees to the United States, where they can keep their Mayan traditions alive and live in peace.
- Ramadan Moon is a children’s book about the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Children who celebrate Ramadan and those who want to understand why it is such a special experience for Muslims will enjoy reading this book.
Cultural Orientation/Integration
- In response to requests for information about Haitian culture and materials in Haitian Creole, BRYCS has developed this List of Highlighted Resources on Haitians, geared towards those working with Haitian children and families. Please let us know if you are aware of additional resources and we will continue to update this list.
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has written a Karenni Profile that includes information on this group of refugees from Burma. Their Web site also includes photos and videos of this refugee group.
- Cultural Portraits: A Synoptic Guide (2nd edition) by Dr. Byron Palls provides brief cultural information on 80 countries. Eight new countries have been highlighted in this edition, including Bhutan, Burma, and Burundi. Of particular interest to educators is the “Educational Profiles” section, which contains information on the educational systems of each country. Besides the information included in the first edition (age of compulsory education, a description of primary and secondary education stages, the grading system, etc.) this second edition includes scales of suggested grade equivalents for each country as well as “transcript vocabulary” in a number of languages.
Child Welfare
- Moving From Evidence to Action: The Safe Start Center Series on Children Exposed to Violence was developed in response to the urgent need to translate research-based information on treating children’s exposure to violence and disseminate it to practitioners working in different systems and settings. Recently, two new issue briefs to help practitioners in schools and homeless shelters address children’s exposure to violence were added to the series.
- Asian American Immigrant Families and Child Abuse: Cultural Considerations examines dominant Asian cultural and familial values that influence child abuse and neglect in Asian American immigrant families. This article also offers therapists/clinicians culturally sensitive child abuse prevention and intervention strategies that are deemed effective in working with this culture.
Education
- English Language Learners: A Complex System provides an overview of the major components that school systems need to understand in order to design ELL programs and recruit teachers of ELLs. With shifting demographics shaping the education landscape, states with no previous ELL populations are facing new educational challenges. States and districts must now design instructional programs for students to learn English as well as recruit the right teachers for their new student populations.
- Language and Reading Intervention: For English Language Learners and English Language Learners with Disabilities presents information about assessment, instructional interventions, and professional development with a particular focus on ELL students who have been identified with a language and/or learning disability or who are at risk for reading difficulties. Recommendations are followed by discussion and empirical evidence for the types of instructional interventions that best serve at risk ELLs.
- Immigrant Children and Education by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees is a fact sheet that offers a brief list of helpful facts about immigrant children in the American education system.
Youth Development
- Improving Services and Performance: Toolkit for Effective Front-Line Services to Youth provides information and training tools for preparing youth, particularly the neediest youth, to become increasingly more self-sufficient. Each module includes presentation slides, group exercises, and a training guide.
- This Web site offers Youth Development Training Guides, Practices To Keep In After-School and Youth Programs, Program Descriptions, Family Strengthening resources, and additional publications on research and practice on the topic of positive youth development.
Health/Mental Health
- Helping Haitian Students Cope with the Earthquake, from Colorin Colorado, offers tips and resources for school personnel, as well as ways for families in the U.S. to cope with the tragedy from a distance. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has posted
- The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has posted videos of RWJF’s Caring Across Communities Grantees speaking out about refugee and immigrant children. The videos show how community collaborations are helping schools and communities by overcoming stigma and bridging cultural differences. Resulting services not only help children but enable teachers and other school staff to become effective supports for immigrant and refugee children and their families.
Program Development
- The Heritage Program Funding Guide was developed by the Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages as a resource for community‐based heritage language programs seeking funding sources. The process is designed for those with limited experience searching for, and soliciting, grant funding.
