BRYCS - Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRYCS has officially launched its Discussion Listserv! Hundreds have signed up for BRYCS’ Discussion Listserv over the past few months and we have begun posting service providers’ questions and comments. If you, too, would like an opportunity to consult with your fellow colleagues who are working with refugee children and families across the United States, then subscribe! You will not be sent multiple emails per day; all incoming emails will be screened and sent out as weekly digests. Please recognize that this mailing list is separate from our general mailing list and requires separate subscription.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has funded the Center for Applied Linguistics to survey secondary school newcomer programs in the United States and update the CAL database of newcomer programs. CAL will also identify exemplary programs based on student data and case study information. Email your program contact information to CAL ( jhimmel@cal.org) to participate in the survey and list your program in the online database.

EVENTS

The 2008 National Convening of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), focusing on “Promoting Immigrant Integration: Leadership in Challenging Times”, will be held in Chicago, Illinois, June 18-20, 2008. The convening will focus on some of the most critical immigrant-related issues facing communities across the United States, including current local, state and federal policies that further or compromise immigrants’ ability to integrate, the importance of building cross-issue, cross-community and cross-sector alliances, and efforts to strengthen the infrastructure for immigrant civic integration. For more information, contact Alison de Lucca at Alison@gcir.org.

The American Professional Society of the Abuse of Children (APSAC) 16th Annual Colloquium will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 18-21, 2008. BRYCS’ audiences may be particularly interested in the workshop titled “Assessing Child Maltreatment in Multicultural Populations,” which will address how religious rites and cultural practices can be misunderstood as child maltreatment, and conversely, how parents can claim that a practice is cultural as an excuse for maltreatment. (Description summarized from source.)

Childhood & Migration: Interdisciplinary Conference 2008 will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 20-22, 2008. The conference is hosted by the Working Group on Childhood and Migration and is open to researchers and policy advocates from all disciplines and all areas of the world whose work focuses on the ways that increased migration affects children and the cultural, legal, educational, medical, and psychological perception of childhood. For more information, contact Rachel Reynolds at rrr@drexel.edu or 215-895-0498.

The 2008 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Annual Conference will take place in Arlington, Virginia, on July 21–23, 2008. The conference will bring together criminal justice scholars, policymakers, and practitioners at the local, state, and federal levels to share the latest research findings and technology. This year's conference includes a panel on youth gang research and best practices organized by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Other panel topics that may be of particular interest to BRYCS’ audience include the commercial sexual exploitation of children, school-based prevention programs, and bullying.

The National Migration Conference will be held in Washington, DC, July 28-31, 2008. Co-sponsored by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS), the conference aims to educate the public, particularly public policy makers, on the challenges and abuses faced by refugees, immigrants, migrants, trafficking victims, and other persons on the move in the United States and throughout the world. Stop by the BRYCS exhibit! For more information, contact Todd Scribner at tscribner@usccb.org. (Description summarized from source.)

The 71st Annual Conference of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will be held July 27-20 in Norfolk, Virginia. This year’s event is titled "Navigating the Complex Waterways of the Judicial System" and will focus on juvenile and family law topics including custody and visitation, divorce, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, and substance abuse. Workshops will address cross-cultural and immigration issues.

The Center for Applied Linguistics is offering a three-day Training of Trainers Institute titled “What’s Different About Teaching Reading to Students Learning English?” July 28-31 in Washington, DC. Registration is limited to 50 participants, on a first-come, first-served basis.

FUNDING

The U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is accepting applications for Learning in the Arts Projects for Children and Youth. The NEA will offer awards ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 to public and private nonprofits for projects that help children and youth acquire knowledge, understanding and skills in the arts. Projects must provide participatory learning and engage students with skilled artists, teachers, and excellent art. The deadline is June 9, 2008.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company is seeking applicants for its 2008 Community Partnership Grant Program. The program will award up to four grants of $10,000 each for community-improvement projects in cities and towns where ADM operates, which includes 40 states. Eligible applicants must be nonprofit, educational, or community organizations. The deadline is June 30, 2008.

Access to Artistic Excellence, a grant from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, funds projects that provide short-term arts exposure or arts appreciation for children and youth, as well as intergenerational arts education. The deadline for applications is August 11, 2008.

FOR REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT YOUTH:

Check out BRYCS’ new “Youth Arts and Voices” Web page! This Web page provides refugee and immigrant youth will an opportunity to view artwork done by their peers. Service providers will benefit from the countless resources and information about expressive art programs for youth as well as the accompanying Summer Spotlight article on Youth Voice. We welcome your feedback on this new BRYCS initiative!

In The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky, Farah Ahmedi tells her story of being crippled by a landmine when walking to school in Kabul and eventually escaping to the U.S. with her mother. While Farah adapts quickly to her new country doing such typical teenage activities as learning how to drive, her mother falls into a despondent state and requires psychiatric help. This book is appropriate for middle and high school students.

RESOURCES

Cultural Orientation

Understanding Arab Culture & Customs Related to Recovery, by Dr. Roula K. Sweis, is a Powerpoint presentation presented at the Arab American and American Muslim Youth Summit in March 2008. It includes information on Arab immigration, Arab culture and beliefs, perception of mental illness, and more.

Child Welfare

The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center is a new Web site providing information about states’ policies on guardianship and assistance for families where grandparents or other relatives are raising children. The site includes information on subsidized guardianship, available to kinship care families in Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and New Jersey, who have not had prior involvement with the child welfare system. This information may be useful to refugee resettlement agencies in those states.

Pathway to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, by the Project on Effective Interventions/Pathways Mapping Initiative and outlines six goals for what it takes to improve the lives of children and families. Numerous references are made to respecting clients with diverse cultural backgrounds and respecting cultural norms. Some of the goals are particularly relevant for those working with refugee and immigrant communities, such as strengthening of families and communities, as well as improving the capacity of vulnerable communities to respond to abuse and neglect.

Education

Schools Brace for Bhutanese Wave from Education Week discusses how teachers and faculty are preparing to handle the language and cultural challenges posed by the Bhutanese refugees who are beginning to arrive in various communities across the U.S. Viewing this article requires a free registration with Education Week. For more details on Bhutanese refugees, read the Refugee Backgrounder and Supplement on Bhutanese refugees from the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and view a Powerpoint presentation by UNHCR.

Doing What Works is a Web site dedicated to assisting teachers in the implementation of effective educational practices. Those teaching refugees and immigrants may be particularly interested in the English Language Learners section.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Assessment of English Language Learners by Colorín Colorado clarifies what NCLB says about testing English Language Learners. In addition, this article provides teachers with information on helping ELL students prepare for tests, and talking to parents about the exams.

Youth Voice: Listening to Refugee and Immigrant Youth