Welcome to our Monthly Newsletter from PCC4Refugees!
In this issue:
Register now for upcoming online events
- Jan 28 – Webinar: Know Your Rights (8 pm ET)
- Feb 12 – Webinar: Advocating at the State and Local Levels (8 pm ET)
Read below for more information on monthly webinars and conversations through April 2025.
We need your input!
- Take our short survey
Take Action Now!
- Support immigrants and refugees in your community and nationwide
Community Spotlight
- What do you do when it’s time to pivot?
In each issue, you are also able to register for all upcoming events, view recordings of past events, access “Welcoming Refugees: A Guide to Volunteer Opportunities for the Peace Corps Community,” volunteer with our PCC4Refugees team, link to our website, and follow us on social media. All of this is in the issue below!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Register Now for Upcoming Events
January 28 at 8 pm Eastern – Webinar: Know your rights.
Speakers include:
- Robert A Remes, a Washington DC-based immigration and nationality lawyer with 47 years of experience
- Oscar Sarabia Roman, Staff Attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
Our speakers will offer a primer on the legal rights of immigrants, suggest ways you can help immigrants in your communities, and answer your questions. Register here. Read up on the latest resources and information on recent changes to immigration policy.
February 12 at 8 pm Eastern – Webinar: Advocating at the State and Local Levels. Learn steps you can take locally to advocate for and educate your community in support of refugees.
Speakers include:
- Josh Utter, RPCV and State and Local Advocacy Officer for Global Refuge
- Michael Kiernan, Media and Communications Consultant
- Sarah LaBounty, RPCVs of Colorado
See below for the full list of upcoming events.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
We need your input!
The mission of Peace Corps Community for Refugees (PCC4Refugees) is to inspire and mobilize the Peace Corps community to help those seeking refuge in our country and to advocate and educate on their behalf.
PCC4Refugees is an all-volunteer organization with limited resources. To help us focus our efforts for maximum impact, we need your input. Tell us what you are doing, the resources you are using, what you find helpful and what you need. And please consider joining our all-volunteer team!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Take Action Now!
Much has been said and written about the immigration-related policy changes that are already being pursued or taken by the new administration. We will do our best in the coming weeks to keep you informed of changes and actions you can take to support those immigrants affected by these policies. Those seeking refuge in our country (refugees, asylum seekers, and more) need our support now more than ever. So, our New Year’s message to you is “don’t wait, take action now!”
- Offer direct support to refugees. (e.g., volunteer with a local resettlement agency or teach an ESL class)
- Educate yourself and your neighbors about the needs of the refugee community (e.g., attend an upcoming webinar or join an online conversation, write op-eds)
- Share this newsletter and encourage people to sign up with PCC4Refugees
- Volunteer with Peace Corps Community for Refugees. We need people to monitor legislation and mobilize the community to act, share information and resources on social media, write articles/blog posts, keep our website and online guide updated, write and send this newsletter and targeted alerts, manage our database and website, and more. If you can help us, please email info@pcc4refugees.org. The commitment is but a few hours a month, but very rewarding
Will you join us in making your New Year’s resolution?
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Community Spotlight: What do you do when it’s time to pivot?
Each month, we highlight groups or individual RPCVs who are supporting refugees in their community to thank them and to perhaps inspire you! To spotlight an individual or group or to share your story, please contact info@pcc4refugees.org.
As the Seattle Area Peace Corps Association (SEAPAX) explores opportunities to have an impact through continued service, they have sought out partners with aligned values who are doing good work both internationally and locally. For several years, SEAPAX has partnered with World Relief Western Washington to support their refugee resettlement program.
Many areas in South King County fall within the USDA classification of a food desert (an area where more than a third of the population has no car and is more than a mile from a grocery store), and the refugee community expressed their common desire ….
Read the full story here to learn how they responded to the recommendation from refugees and how they are expanding their efforts. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to do something in your community!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
PCC4Refugees Needs You!
Volunteer Opportunities with Peace Corps Community for Refugees
Join our Advocacy, Communication, Partnership, and Membership teams! We need writers, editors, graphic designers, reporters, advocates, recruiters, speakers, organizers, relationship builders, and innovators. All around, pinch hitters are welcome too! We are urgently looking for the following:
Please email info@PCC4Refugees.org to express interest.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Welcoming Refugees: A Guide to Volunteer Opportunities for the Peace Corps Community
This Guide, developed by the PCC4Refugees team, is to inspire more RPCVs and others to use their unique cross-cultural and language skills to welcome refugees and help them resettle in the United States. The guide provides information on a wide range of welcoming services that individuals and groups of RPCVs can provide for refugees in their communities and along the border.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Register for Upcoming Events
- January 28 at 8 pm ET – Know Your Rights
- February 12 at 8 pm ET – Advocating at the State and Local Levels
- February 19 at 8 pm ET – Conversation and Information Sharing
- March 4 at 8 pm ET – Serving the Educational Needs of New Immigrant Families
- March 19 at 8 pm ET – Conversation and Information Sharing
- April TBD – Climate Refugees
- April 16 at 8 pm ET – Conversation and Information Sharing
Note that we will add further details on individual sessions as we get closer to their dates. Details subject to change. All conversations are from 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm (note the new time!) in the Eastern U.S. time zone.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Archived Webinar Recordings
Welcoming Refugees – An introduction to our newly-launched guide and Switchboard, a one-stop online resource hub (recorded Sept. 26, 2024)
Career Pathways in the Refugee Resettlement Sector, co-hosted with RPCVnexus (recorded Oct. 21, 2024)
Advocacy Forum to Review Refugee-related Legislation (recorded Nov. 18, 2024)
RPCV/RPCV Group Showcase (recorded Dec. 11, 2024)
(Note: the content of each webinar is as of the dates noted. Some content may now be outdated.)
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Support PCC4Refugees!
PCC4Refugees is run entirely by volunteers, but our website and crucial database are not free. Help us best share key information with you and facilitate networking with your financial contribution.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
The mission of Peace Corps Community for Refugees (PCC4Refugees) is to inspire and mobilize the Peace Corps community to help those seeking refuge in our country and to advocate and educate on their behalf.
Please visit these pages of our website for regularly updated resources and opportunities: