哈德逊山谷社区学院和拉塞尔塞奇学院联手支持难民重新安置
2023年8月29日
哈德逊山谷社区学院 was awarded a $25,000 “每个校园都是避难所” (ECAR) grant to support refugee resettlement in the Capital Region. The college will be partnering with neighboring 罗素塞奇学院 提供住房, 教育, and essential support services to assist families as they relocate to the area.
Under the leadership of the Women’s Institute and Office of Service Learning, Russell Sage was the first college in NYS to partner with ECAR and receive a grant in 2021, 哈德逊谷是第一个与ECAR合作并获得项目资助的纽约州立大学机构. 这两所学院将与 U.S. 难民委员会 & 美国移民局奥尔巴尼办事处.
每个校园都是避难所 is a higher 教育 initiative founded in September 2015 at Guilford College. 它的使命是使每一个美国人.S. 与当地难民安置机构合作，在校园内接待难民，并支持他们成功融入社会. 自ECAR成立以来, 包括拉斐特学院在内的16个校区, 维克森林大学, 罗素塞奇学院, 锡耶纳大学, 华盛顿州立大学, 老道明大学, 詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学, and Clemson University among others have started their own ECAR Chapters. ECAR has been recognized by the White House, 联合国, and with several higher 教育 community engagement awards. In addition to mobilizing universities to support refugee families, ECAR is a member of the U.S. 国务院的 校园欢迎团 财团, 并将支持学院和大学的私人赞助团体，因为他们赞助难民学生. For more information about ECAR, visit their website.
Dr. 迪亚Abdo, Founder and Director of 每个校园都是避难所, 去年担任妇女研究所的访问附属学者，并帮助进一步发展罗素赛奇大学的ECAR项目. ECAR和妇女研究所于2023年5月为潜在的新章节举办了一次证书培训, 哈德逊河谷是第一个动员并成为ECAR分会的参与机构.
哈德逊山谷和拉塞尔塞奇将在他们重新安置在该地区的头几个月为他们提供支持. By providing temporary housing and a wide range of support services, 难民家庭将获得空间和援助，以实现软着陆，并在新的社区有一个更强大的开端. 自2020年以来, Russell Sage has partnered with USCRI to build “Good Neighbor Teams,“组织教师小组, 工作人员, and students to provide direct support to recently arrived refugee families. With the expanding partnerships with Hudson Valley and ECAR, the colleges can help multiple new families in the coming months.
“This past year a number of refugees resettled by USCRI benefitted from the support of ECAR, 特别是拉塞尔塞奇学院, and we welcome and look forward to the opportunity to expand our partnership with HVCC,”医生说。. 大卫·萨斯曼，奥尔巴尼USCRI主任.
哈德逊山谷将提供一名项目协调员，并提供英语作为第二语言的教学, high school classes and career preparation courses, along with dedicated enrollment advisement, 医疗保健导航支持, 就业深思熟虑, 在其他服务中. Russell Sage will offer temporary on-campus housing. Both colleges will deepen partnerships with area refugee resettlement agencies, create student engagement activities and events, and co-sponsor community 教育al opportunities.
“我们很高兴与邻近的拉塞尔塞奇学院合作，建立一种独特的伙伴关系，帮助难民家庭在该地区重新定居，并成为纽约州立大学ECAR的第一个分会,罗杰·拉姆萨米总统说. “我们的目标是减轻重新安置的负担，并帮助我们自己社区中需要基本教育的人, 语言技能, job training and wraparound services to start building a new life. 通过与Russell Sage合作, 我们正在整合两所学院的优势，并计划以两所学院都无法独立完成的方式为ECAR家庭提供支持.”
“罗素塞奇学院 emphasizes its role in building healthier communities, and that mission includes welcoming newcomers to our community, who enhance the cultural landscape and provide us all with a deeper understanding of the world,” said Russell Sage President Christopher Ames. “我们很自豪能与ECAR和哈德逊河谷合作开展这项工作，因为它为我们的学生提供了发挥作用的机会，并帮助他们成长为公民和未来的专业人士.”
“We are delighted that 哈德逊山谷社区学院 is joining the growing ECAR network of colleges and universities supporting refugee newcomers to the Capital Region; these institutions, like 罗素塞奇学院 and 锡耶纳大学, are providing their newest community members with a softer landing and a stronger beginning, 同时让他们的学生参与相关的变革性教育体验，并加深当地社区的联系,”医生说。. 迪亚Abdo, Founder and Director of 每个校园都是避难所 (ECAR). “哈德逊河谷也是社区大学如何在其所在城市扮演锚定机构角色的一个很好的例子. And as the first SUNY school to participate in the ECAR program, Hudson Valley will lead the way for many more to follow suit. 非常重要的是, 哈德逊河谷学院和拉塞尔塞奇学院的合作伙伴关系为参与ECAR项目提供了一种新的创新模式，将公立大学和私立大学结合在一起, 并允许没有校园住房的机构以持续和有意义的方式为新移民家庭提供服务.”
凯瑟琳·威利斯, 哈德逊谷大学的教员, will serve as the ECAR coordinator and act as the first line of communication for ECAR families, 并与拉塞尔·塞奇妇女研究所执行主任谢莉·卡拉布雷斯进行协调, 和阿里·谢弗林, Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement. Willis will oversee an ECAR advisory team that includes students, 教师, 工作人员 and community organization representatives to increase support for ECAR, refugee and new immigrant families in our community.
Several existing college programs will support the refugee families, including Hudson Valley’s Capital District 教育机会中心, which offers 教育 and skills-based training for careers at no cost. The college also offers academic support services, 辅导, 指导, 实际/工作经验, 托儿中心, counseling and wellness services and a food pantry, 哪些将提供给ECAR家庭. 此外，还向哈德逊山谷和EOC的学生提供通用的CDTA乘车服务，并将提供给家庭.
The ECAR grant provides supplemental funding for needs not covered by donations, 包括手机, 床垫, 和无线网络. 这笔资金还专门用于搬迁费用和第一个月的租金，以过渡到永久的校外住房. 额外的资金将通过哈德逊山谷基金会与拉塞尔·塞奇共同筹集.
在罗杰·拉姆萨米总统的领导下, 哈德逊河谷建立了全球倡议办公室，并与支持难民和移民人口的组织建立了许多新的伙伴关系, including Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) and the U.S. 难民委员会 and Immigrants (USCRI). Through proactive college outreach and events with refugee, 移民和信仰组织, the college has increased enrollment in ESL courses, with a leap from serving 115 students between 2004-2018 to a total of 284 students in 2020.
Hudson Valley currently serves students from more than 35 foreign countries each year. Recognizing the need to expand services beyond the Capital Region, the college adopted a new mission statement during its 2019 strategic planning process, codifying its aim to provide transformative, 以学生为中心的高质量教育机会，满足当地和全球社区的不同需求.
从那时起, the college has introduced a variety of new initiatives, including offering non-credit ESL courses at no cost at Centro Civico in Albany; hosting the inaugural Refugee and Immigrant Community Forum to engage in an interactive dialogue with agencies that support resettlement; welcoming the International Center of the Capital Region’s headquarters to campus; and announcing that its Capital District 教育机会中心 is partnering with the Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus to offer free English as a Second Language classes for adults who want to learn English as a new language.
4月, 哈德逊山谷获得了世界大学和理工学院联合会颁发的著名的全球公民卓越奖, 认识到学院致力于为学生提供全球化世界所需的模范策略和工具.
The ECAR initiative has been recognized by the White House, 联合国, 以及第六届年度校长跨信仰和社区服务校园挑战聚会. It has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” with Ari Shapiro, WUNC’s “The State of Things” with Frank Stasio, 以及《华盛顿邮报, and is part of the State Department Toolkit on how universities can help refugees. 每个校园避难所都获得了由恩图曼的阿赫法德大学颁发的优素福巴德里公民参与国际奖, 苏丹(2021), 南海湾峰会高等教育杰出服务学习合作奖(2017), and The Washington Center’s Higher Education Civic Engagement Award (2017).