Welcome to our Monthly Newsletter from PCC4Refugees!
In this issue:
Inspire
- Afghan SIV Family Resettles in Virginia with Peace Corps Community Support
Educate
- Speak Up for Refugees
Mobilize
- Planning Process Reaffirms Mission and Highlights Goals for 2025-2026
Calendar
- Register for upcoming conversations
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, donate to support our work, link to our website and follow us on social media. All of this is in the issue below!
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Afghan SIV Family Resettles in Virginia with Peace Corps Community Support
For about seven weeks now, a small team of RPCVs and friends has been supporting an Afghan family of five that was able to resettle in Virginia on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), one that took them years to secure. A team of RPCVs and friends welcomed them at Dulles International Airport, and they continue to support them to this day. The story of their journey is tense, emotional, and powerful. We invite you to read their story (as written by the 18-year-old son) and support their continued integration into their new life in the United States:
“…But behind those hopeful smiles was a painful truth: we were fleeing for our lives….”
This is the story of a refugee family fleeing for their lives, the power of the Peace Corps Community (including four affiliate groups and countless RPCVs), and a plea for your support, all of which came together starting at an RPCV potluck in 2024. Read the full story here and support the family through the GoFundMe campaign here.
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Speak Up for Refugees
Since January 20th, the current presidential administration has undertaken significant actions affecting immigration policies, particularly those protecting the rights of both legal and unauthorized immigrants in the United States. If you care about welcoming newcomers in America, now is the time to speak out. Advocacy at the local, state, and national levels is key to raising the alarm around these discriminatory and anti-American policies. These policies not only harm newcomer populations, but they will also have lasting impacts on our country’s diversity, culture, and economy.
PCC4Refugees member Naomi Rennard shares her take on the current situation and what she’s doing about it – and thus what you can, too. Begin with trusted sites that make it easy to contact your elected officials. But don’t stop there. Make sure you contact them regularly – by email, phone, and even in person! What sites does she recommend? Visit the full article via the link below.
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Planning Process Reaffirms Mission and Highlights Goals for 2025-2026
On April 22, 2025, the Peace Corps Community for Refugees (PCC4Refugees) convened a strategic planning session of volunteers to help us: take stock of the organization’s unique role, accomplishments and continuing challenges after nine years of existence; and chart a way forward in light of significant changes in U.S. immigration policy and our domestic infrastructure to serve the needs of individuals and families seeking refuge in the US.
Please visit our website to learn about our plans to inspire, educate, and mobilize you in supporting immigrants and refugees in your community, as well as what you can do to help PCC4Refugees carry out that mission.
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Register Now for Upcoming Events
PCC4Refugees Conversation Series continues, with our schedule set for the next five months. Register to join us in sharing resources and information in an informal online setting. No agenda. No recording. But great networking! All conversations are 7:30-8:30 pm Eastern.
- Thursday, June 5
- Tuesday, July 15
- Wednesday, August 13
- Thursday, September 18
- Wednesday, October 8
See below for the full list of recordings of past webinars.
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Our mission
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.
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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)
Know Your Rights (recorded Jan. 28, 2025)
Advocating at the State and Local Levels (recorded Feb. 12, 2025)
Serving the Educational Needs of New Immigrant Families (recorded Mar 4, 2025)
Federal Advocacy on Behalf of Refugees, Asylees, and Other Immigrants (recorded April 8, 2025)
(Note: the content of each webinar is as of the dates noted. Some content may now be outdated.)
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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.
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Register for Upcoming Conversations
- Thursday, June 5
- Tuesday, July 15
- Wednesday, August 13
- Thursday, September 18
- Wednesday, October 8
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.
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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!
Please email info@PCC4Refugees.org to express interest.
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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.
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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: