NEW AMERICANS IN OUR COMMUNITY:
A Workshop for Criminal Justice
In this interactive workshop, participants will get a glimpse inside the refugee experience and will build skills for working with new Americans. What is it like to be forced to leave your homeland? How does it feel to ask for services in a strange language, in a strange land? How do trauma and cultural norms interfere with communicating with law enforcement? And how do we, as officers and staff, help build bridges with immigrants to improve public safety?
Note: We customize the content to the needs and strengths of your organization.
Topics:
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Who are refugees (& other “forcibly displaced people”) & how do they arrive in the US?
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What is it like to be forced to leave your homeland?
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What can we do when someone has a trauma response?
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How can cultural norms influence immigrants’ behavior?
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How can we communicate with people who speak limited English?
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How can we use interpreters more effectively?
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What organizations/resources in Idaho support refugees and other immigrants?
Time: The full workshop is four hours, but we can shorten the workshop to as little as one hour.
Facilitators:
Presented by the Neighbors United Refugee Collaborative, a coalition of organizations working to support Idahoans with a refugee background. Workshops always include a personal story from someone with a refugee or immigrant background. Depending on the topic and organization, we bring in additional facilitators with specialized expertise.
“Eye-opening and impactful.”
Staff Member, Ada County Sheriff's Office
". . . law enforcement can be a tough crowd
to teach to, but I will tell you the group was engaged and got a lot out of what you shared."
Detective Shannon Garza, Ada County Sheriff's Office