Refugee Employment Task Force Hold First Annual Employer Appreciation Brunch
Friday, 30 October 2009 10:31
  The Refugee Employment Task Force is a multi-agency workgroup of refugee serving agencies and business people in the greater Phoenix area whose mission is to assist refugees with achieving economic self-sufficiency through gainful employment. On October 29th the First Annual Employer Appreciation Brunch was held on the campus of Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix. Speakers included Scott Sessions of Deseret Industries, and Abbe McFarland with the Arizona Biltmore.
To view more photos of the Employer Brunch please click here. 
Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 November 2009 09:13
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2009 Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program Conference Emphasizes the Importance of Local Communities
Tuesday, 01 September 2009 08:24
 The 2009 Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program Conference, “Humanitarian Protection: Local Communities Making a Difference” was held on August 17th and 18th at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson. The conference was well-attended by close to 300 participants who took part in the many sessions and activities that addressed numerous aspects of refugee resettlement as they relate to local communities. Conference sessions focused on at least one of six themed tracks-- the resettlement process, community and economic development, housing and advocacy, refugee safety and well-being, education, and human trafficking. Arizona State Refugee Coordinator, Charles Shipman, opened the conference urging the audience to remember that, although the current social and economic environment presents us with many challenges to refugees achieving success, refugee resettlement is first and foremost a humanitarian protection effort that saves the lives of tens of thousands each year.
 Following Mr. Shipman’s welcome, the keynote address was given by Most Reverend Gerald Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, who urged participants to continue steadfastly in their work for the cause of refugee resettlement, regardless of the challenges. In an anecdotal story about his early involvement in relief efforts, Bishop Kicanas told the group, as he had been told years ago while struggling to assist a large crowd at an overseas clinic, “Never mind the flies; worry about the people!”
 During Monday’s luncheon, Bill Petrella, General Manager of the Westin La Paloma acknowledged refugee employees of the resort and read a heartwarming letter written by a recent guest who was deeply moved by his interaction with a refugee staff member. Petrella thanked his refugee staff (a few of which joined him on stage) for their work and also thanked the refugee-serving groups present for their part in helping the resort acquire exemplary employees.
 A networking reception on Monday afternoon provided an opportunity for participants to interact with speakers and colleagues. Conference-goers enjoyed music by Ali Ahmed, a refugee from Iraq, who played the kanun – a type of zither which dates back over a thousand years to the ancient people of Ur.
Immediately following the networking reception, participants enjoyed lively entertainment from refugee performers and an awards presentation during which Bonnie Wood of the Arizona Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) was given the Refugee Resettlement Honors award for her many years of service to humanitarian protection efforts in Arizona.
Shama Qureshi, one of the founding members of the Noor Women’s Association, was presented with the Arizona Refugee Champion award for her contributions to assisting refugees in Tucson. The Refugee Educator award went to Julie Kasper of Catalina Magnet High School for her outstanding and innovative work with refugee youth. Guest were also treated to live entertainment with a performance by the Sunflower Nepalese Dance Group, a poem and song from Iraqi refugee Adel Kadir, and a musical performance by Cuban musicians Yasel Patterson & Alejandro Ochoa.
 Eskinder Negash, newly-appointment Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), gave opening remarks on Tuesday and spoke about ORR’s commitment to continuing its advocacy for federal support for refugee resettlement.  Later in the day, Mr. Negash, along with representatives from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Serves (USCIS), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provided a panel-style briefing on the current state of resettlement including global trends in refugee flows, processing and admittance mechanisms and policy development. Panelists were also on hand to answer questions. A list of questions presented to the panel from the floor may be found here.
 Tucson Mayor, Robert Walkup, addressed the audience during Tuesday’s luncheon and expressed his support for collaborations that help refugees in Tucson by connecting those working to assist them, with local business owners and others in the community at large. Mayor Walk-up said that he would continue to meet with representatives from RRP, local resettlement agencies, and others in an effort to move forward on collaborations.
 Myrna Ann Adkins and Burna Dunn of the Spring Institute in Denver, Colorado facilitated a panel discussion entitled “A Tale of Two Cities.” Texas State Refugee Coordinator, Caitriona Lyons, and Charles Shipman recounted integration efforts in Cactus Texas and Tucson each of them shedding light on the dynamics of community support in their particular state. The plenary was a follow-up to a session held earlier that morning on refugee integration, a summary of which may be found here.
In closing remarks, Mr. Shipman thanked all the participants for their continued dedication to serving refugees and urged all in attendance to continue to work together towards building welcoming communities for refugees.
Please visit our photo gallery for more pictures of this year’s Conference.
 You may access all available conference PowerPoints presentations and other available materials here. Presenters who wish to submit conference PowerPoints and materials may do so by emailing them to Mimi Ahmed at
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Last Updated on Friday, 16 October 2009 13:17
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