[RefugeeWorks] Test message from sturmstories

[Sturmstories]

REFUGEE WORKS
E-NEWSLETTER
January 2008

RefugeeWorks is the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement's training and 
technical assistance arm for employment and self-sufficiency activities. We 
assist states, counties, voluntary agencies, mutual aid associations, 
employment service providers, workforce development boards, employers and 
policymakers in their efforts to help refugees achieve self-sufficiency.

RefugeeWorks is pleased to announce the publication of (Vol 1, Issue 1) news 
electronic newsletter. This occasional E-Newsletter (monthly or bi-monthly) 
is devised to bring refugee employment issues to your attention in a timely 
manner. Do you have news items, stories, or pictures that relate to refugees 
in the workplace? If you'd like to submit them for publication in an 
upcoming newsletter, contact Daniel at dsturm at refugeeworks.org

This month, RefugeeWorks is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its 
online resource portal, www.refugeeworks.org. The website offers a wealth of 
research materials, downloadable publications and best practices and 
training materials for service providers, employers and clients.

Would you like to learn more about supporting refugees with disabilities? 
Are you interested in career pathways for refugees with professional 
certifications? Check out our recently expanded online resource center. 
Find new strategies, helpful tools and promising practices specifically for 
front-line employment services staff.

Check out the new materials in the sections For Service Providers & For 
Employers!
* http://www.refugeeworks.org/service_providers/
* http://www.refugeeworks.org/employers/

Unsubscribe or manage your RefugeeWorks E-Newsletter subscription at:
http://lists.lirs.org/mailman/listinfo/refugeeworks

To post to this list, send your email to:
refugeeworks at lists.icn.net

with regards,
~Daniel Sturm, Jonathan Lucus, Rebecca Armstrong
The RefugeeWorks Consultant Team


CURRENT RESEARCH
We've opened a short online survey that explores Iraqi refugee employment 
options. The results will be shared during this year's RefugeeWorks 
Employment Training Institutes. Your participation in this 15-minute survey 
will help to improve employment services in the national network for this 
incoming refugee population. The participation of more employment 
specialists will improve our findings. Please complete this survey by 
February 15, 2008 and share it with colleagues.
Survey link:
http://tinyurl.com/36v53l


RESEARCH QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Does your have a partnership with CVS stores? If so, we'd like to hear from 
you. Drop us a line to give your feedback on refugee service providers' 
employer relations. Thanks!


EMPLOYMENT TRAINING INSTITUTES
* March 4-5, 2008: Los Angeles, Calif., Refugee Forum of Los Angeles County
* April 15-16, 2008: Fort Worth, TX., Catholic Charities of Fort Worth
* June 17-18, 2008: Indianapolis, IN., Exodus Refugee and Immigration, Inc
* August 19-20, 2008: Manchester, NH., International Institute of New 
Hampshire
http://refugeeworks.org/about/training.html

RefugeeWorks trainings are specifically tailored for front-line employment 
staff from refugee resettlement and mutual assistance agencies. Each of our 
two-day trainings will highlight a special topic and cover a range of themes 
(such as vocational training, new populations, financial literacy and career 
upgrading.)

* Los Angeles, California
Focus: Transportation, Housing & Jobs
March 4-5, 2008:
Host: Refugee Forum of Los Angeles County
Although 3/4 of low-income residents live in city centers, 75 percent of 
employment in the United States today is located in the surrounding suburbs. 
Attend this training and take back home with you solutions and practical 
ideas that will help bring your clients to their workplaces.

* Fort Worth, Texas
Focus: Engaging Employers
April 15-16, 2008
Host: Catholic Charities of Fort Worth
Since 1980 providers have amassed a wealth of knowledge on how to entice 
employers to hire refugees. Over the course of this two-day workshop, we 
will explore some of the tactics that have worked best, and will brainstorm 
solutions for the future. Come and participate in exciting expert panels and 
discuss best job development practices with employers, refugees, employment 
specialists and scholars.

* Indianapolis, Indiana
Focus: Recertification & New Populations
June 17-18, 2008
Host: Exodus Refugee and Immigration, Inc
Recertification allows refugees with university degrees and professional 
training to remain in their chosen career fields. And job upgrading can lift 
refugees out of entry-level employment and increase their income level and 
self-sufficiency. In this training, you will hear success stories from 
refugees who have reclaimed their careers or built new ones and meet 
recertification specialists. You will also learn more about new refugee 
populations and hear about RefugeeWorks' Iraqi Refugee Employment Survey 
findings.

* Manchester, New Hampshire
Focus: Employment Strategies from A-Z
August 19-20, 2008
Host: International Institute of New Hampshire
This workshop is designed to bring experienced refugee employment 
professionals together with newcomers in the field, enabling both sides to 
learn from each another. Attend this training and learn the essential skills 
of an effective workforce development specialist. Seasoned professionals 
will be encouraged to share their secrets of success with new colleagues 
from across the country. Topics will include marketing, career upgrading, 
employment obstacles and more.

To register for an upcoming institute, download a registration form, at:
http://www.refugeeworks.org/downloads/ETIRegistration2008.pdf


REFUGEEWORKS WINTER 2007 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER IS OUT!
Issue #23: Tackling Transportation. Table of Content:
* Tackling Transportation, Editorial
* The Point Is to Join Up-An Interview with Carolyn Jeskey, Community 
Transportation Association of America
* Establishing a Reverse Commuter Express Line in Kentucky
* Collaborating With Employers
* Maryland Refugees Gain Special Access at the MVA
* Bicycles Can Bridge the Gap
* The Commercial Driver's License: A Career and Chance to See the Country
http://www.refugeeworks.org/transportation.html

Please contact us to order a free subscription.


BOOKS AND REPORTS:
* Recertification Fact Sheets. (Office for Refugee Resettlement, December 
2007)
Three new fact sheets on re-licensing of refugee professionals are now 
available.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resources

* E-Verify: Case Resolution. USCIS PowerPoint Presentation (USCIS, 12/2007)
http://www.immigration.com/newsletter1/everify

* E-Verify Factsheet "Not a Magic Bullet." (National Immigration Law Center, 
09/2007)
http://www.tinyurl.com/2zmo6r

* Raising Children in a New Country. An Illustrated Handbook (Bridging 
Refugee Youth)
http://www.brycs.org/documents/RaisingChildren-Handbook.pdf

* Living in Religious Time and Space: Iraqi Refugees in Dearborn, Michigan 
(Journal for Refugee Studies, 2007)
http://jrs.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/3/441


NEWCOMERS IN THE NEWS:
* Iraqi Refugees Reach City
The New Haven Independent, Nov. 19, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/373klf

* Refugees from the world's most troubled nations find new homes in Buffalo
Buffalo News, Oct. 21, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3xv8jc

* Iraqi family fleeing war finds refuge in Lakewood
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 18, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3dzykz

* Towns Rethink Laws Against Illegal Immigrants
The New York Times, Sept. 26, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2tekua

* A kind of homecoming
YES Weekly, Greensboro, Sept. 18, 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/3dzykz

* Bourbon, Baseball Bats And Now the Bantu. Louisville, Ky., Welcomes 
Immigrants to Bolster Its Shrinking Work Force
Wall Street Journal, Sept. 18, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2us4gp


CONTACT US
Please visit our web site at http://www.refugeeworks.org

RefugeeWorks is the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement's training and 
technical assistance arm for employment and self-sufficiency activities. 
Submit newsletter contributions to dsturm at refugeeworks.org

Would you like to hear about new RefugeeWorks resources and Web site feature 
each month by email? To sign up for the RefugeeWorks E-Newsletter, visit 
your subscription page at:
http://lists.lirs.org/mailman/listinfo/refugeeworks


REFUGEEWORKS
700 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone 410/230-2758
Fax: 410/230-2859

The National Center for Refugee Employment & Self-Sufficiency
A Program of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Email: dsturm at refugeeworks.org
Visit: http://www.refugeeworks.org
You are subscribed to the RefugeeWorks Monthly E-Newsletter