We can’t believe it’s already September! What an amazing and busy August it has been at IIA. We’re excited to share everything we’ve been up to this past month below!
On August 22nd, IIA honored International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion.
On this designated day and every day, we support victims of faith-based acts of violence and terrorism. We also envision a world where “intolerance” is a word of the past. To make this vision a reality, we shared five habits we can all practice to be more tolerant of people whose beliefs differ from ours.
Check out these five practices on our blog: International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion: creating more tolerant communities.
Staff Spotlight!
This month, we wanted to give the spotlight to a stellar IIA team member, Tamana Ziar! Communications intern, Jamie Brian, sat down with Tamana to learn more about her experience and work at IIA.
After six years of waiting, Tamana and her family emigrated from Afghanistan to the United States under a Special Immigration Visa in July 2021. In Afghanistan, Tamana was Vice President of programs for Kabul University’s student union, where she represented 23,000 students.
Noticing her vast experience, Tamana’s IIA case manager, upon arrival, encouraged her to apply for a case manager position at the Institute. In this role, she supports refugees by finding housing, arranging health screenings, and applying for social security cards and government identification. Her main goal is to help newly arrived refugees navigate their communities.
Read more about Tamana, her journey, and her work at IIA on our blog, Staff Spotlight: Tamana Ziar.
Welcome to the Team, Mojtaba!
We are incredibly excited to welcome the newest addition to the IIA family, Mojtaba Mohammadi!
Mojtaba, his three young children, and his wife came to the United States last August as a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) case since Mojtaba had spent four years working for the U.S. forces as an interpreter. He wanted to come to the U.S. for his family; so that his children could receive an education and live somewhere they’d be safe.
After being resettled by IIA, Mojtaba got a job working for Amazon but quickly realized he wanted to work in the community and help refugees and immigrants like himself overcome culture shock and the language barrier.
Four months ago, Mojtaba was hired as a contracted interpreter for IIA’s Education Department. His work included interpreting during English classes for Afghan clients and going to newly arrived Afghan refugee homes with the education team to explain what life is like in the United States.
The education team noticed how well Mojtaba was doing as a part-time interpreter and encouraged him to apply for a full-time position as a driver and interpreter.
Mojtaba enjoys working with refugees and immigrants in the community and helping them overcome culture shock when they first arrive. Hence, he was thrilled to begin working full-time at IIA on August 15th!
We are so excited to have another fantastic person join our team and to see the IIA family grow!
Staff Appreciation Event
On August 17th, we closed our office for the afternoon to show IIA staff, interns, and volunteers how much we appreciate them!
We enjoyed homemade Lasagna from DeViti’s, the beautiful weather with a walk in the Summit Metroparks, and each other’s company over a few board games!
The work IIA does in our community would not be possible without the outstanding support we receive from our staff, interns, and volunteers. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone on the IIA team for their continued hard work!
This month, we were thrilled to host Global Ties Akron and a group of delegates from Moldova for a discussion on the topic of education and integrating refugees and displaced persons.
As a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War, many women and children were forced to flee Ukraine to seek refuge in neighboring countries. The Moldovan government and municipalities began working to integrate Ukrainian students into Moldovan schools before the Fall school year began.
Since Moldova doesn't have much experience integrating many refugees/displaced persons into its education system, Global Ties and a group of Moldovan delegates visited Akron and Northeast Ohio to discuss with community partners how to integrate Ukrainian students into the school system.
IIA case manager and former refugee Eka Anthony presented to the Moldovan delegates his experience enrolling refugee children into the public school system and how to help them best integrate.
We were honored to participate in this discussion and to help refugees and immigrants abroad!
Akron Pride Festival!
On August 27th, IIA staff participated in the Akron Pride March to show our support for the LGBTQIA+ community! It was wonderful to stand with our community and show our pride.
Now and forever, IIA will be there for the LGBTQIA+ refugee and immigrant community. Our doors are always open.
Preparing for Welcoming Week
Summit County will be celebrating Welcoming Week from September 9-18 to welcome refugees, immigrants, and new citizens to our community.
IIA Communications and Development Specialist, Liv Randall, spoke to Summit County Council on why it’s so important to welcome and celebrate our refugee and immigrant community, stating, “I believe Summit County would be a completely different community If we didn't begin welcoming refugees and immigrants here over 100 years ago.”
Read more about Welcoming Week and Liv’s discussion at the Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County celebrating Welcoming Week for immigrants, refugees in Septemeber.
Support IIA Through the Akron Marathon!
Presper Financial Architects are raising money for the 2022 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon! PFA will donate all funds raised to IIA to support our work in the refugee and immigrant communities.
Their goal is to raise $9,000 for IIA, and they are already 30% of the way there! Help PFA reach their goal before the marathon on September 24th.
If you’d like to donate, you can do so at: https://raceroster.com/events/2022/55928/2022-firstenergy-akron-marathon-half-marathon-and-team-relay/pledge/participant/13769683.
Thank you for taking the time to catch up with IIA, and stay tuned for a big announcement we will make in our next monthly newsletter!