Preferred Communities

Preferred Communities Program

The Preferred Community Program provides the following services:

Local Community Public Education - Help local communities understand new refugee populations through orientation sessions, materials, and cultural events that provide information and direct contact with the people, history, and culture of new refugee groups, train service providers, employers, and community and religious organizations on how to communicate and deliver culturally appropriate services to new refugee groups with direct training support from members of new refugee groups, facilitate dialogue and interaction between new refugee groups, service providers, employers, and community and religious organizations through information sharing exchanges that address cultural attitudes and issues related to housing, community services, transportation, health care, employment, education (i.e. parental involvement in children’s education), childcare, banking services, law enforcement, cultural adjustment, and rights and responsibilities of refugees;

Providing Learning Opportunities that Ensure Assimilation -Conduct extensive cultural orientation that promotes integration into local community and American society. Provide information to new refugee groups through trained community leaders, interpreters, and translated materials on how to access housing, community services, transportation, health care, employment, education (i.e. parental involvement in children’s education), childcare, banking services, law enforcement, cultural adjustment, and rights and responsibilities of refugees. Offer experiential learning opportunities that promote direct independent interaction between refugees, service providers, employers, and community and religious organizations;

Develop strong relationships in the community with many public institutions and have their professionals consult on various issues with refugees to familiarize them with the way of life in the United States. Topics include finance, law enforcement, adult education and vocational education.

Return to the Refugee Resettlement homepage.

International Institute of Akron, Inc.