Safe Harbor

Minutes of July 2006 Meeting

Aug 07, 2006

At the July meeting, the group agreed that it is time to take action steps to address the training and resource needs expressed through both the formal and information assessment that has been done over the last several months by the group. The next steps are to develop a core set up trainings that respond to these training needs.

There was an emphasis by Cassandra to be sure and not skip over the basic training needs that service providers have expressed. A focused conversation on developing some training followed. One key audience is social service providers who do work with immigrant and refugee clients, but that is not their primary client population. This usually means that some foundation training is needed to ensure culturally competent services are provided.

In addition, service providers need to know about basic resources available (what they do and don?’t do). For example: refugee resettlement organizations, community centers serving primarily immigrants and refugees, and advocacy groups such as the Hispanic Latino Coalition.

Training design would begin with a 1 ?– 1 ?½ hour training module. This training would provide a general overview, including a self assessment completed by the participants. Then additional, more focused trainings would be developed and offered.

Ideas for Introduction to working with Immigrants and Refugees:

?· Overview of immigrant and refugee populations living in Louisville
Which sources to use?
Could we create a map of diversity?
Which groups to touch on? (at Americana primary groups served include: Liberian, Somali Bantu, ethnic Somalian, Sudanese, Bosnian, Cuban, and Mexican. There are other significant populations in Louisville including: Meskhetian Turks, Vietnamese, and several others)
?· An overview of what services are available
?· Working with Interpreters/Translators
Incl. Basics of Title VI
?· Key Terms (a part of each topic)

Ideas:
Start the session asking participants to use the session as a self assessment.
Create a self assessment checklist to determine follow up training needs/interests.

An additional training module on
Cross-cultural Understanding
Hx. Of war and trauma
Hygiene practices
Historical context
Religious beliefs and practices
Exploring your own sense of culture
Cultural ?“Overviews?”

Culturegrams at LFPL are a good resource

Training themes to be sure and include:
: it?’s not always culture
Diversity within diversity


A request was made to discuss the challenges of providing trainings at the next safe harbor meeting.

Also: an invitation and information email will go out to explain that the next several meetings will be working meetings to plan the trainings. Responsibility for drafting pieces of the training will fall to the leadership group and others who express interest and commitment in participating in this process. There will always be an open invitation to participate in this process.

Additional local experts would be asked to participate in either development of focused training modules and possibly to provide the trainings as well as a future step.