This is a recording and notes from presentations at an immigrant and refugee-serving sector-only virtual event on June 16, 2020. I was honored to moderate the panel. The panelists focused on technological adaptations made to settlement service delivery due to COVID-19, share promising practices and challenges, as well as other outcomes from the sector discussion.
Here’s some advice for students (and their parents) about what to look for as learning remains online. These qualities aren’t qualities of good online courses. They are qualities of good courses, period.
You know when you’re compiling resources to read and share later and then you don’t? Yeah. The title of this post is the subject line of an email from a colleague who asked me about how to improve online meetings and webinars. And it occurred to me that I had answers! All waiting to be shared. Thank you for asking! So, here is what I sent. I hope you find this useful.
Given income inequality and poverty trends among newcomers, especially those from racialized groups, along with trends towards increased digital service provision across sectors, it should be a concern to us that, while newcomer clients can be among the most digitally literate and connected, they can be among the most vulnerable and still remain digitally, socially, and economically isolated.
It’s never been more important to share how we’re doing. Share successes, new models of service delivery, but also the struggle. I’ve been enjoying seeing how immigrant and refugee-serving agencies have been successfully pivoting to online services. I’ve been enjoying even more how some are sharing their experiences. There is so much to learn from each other.
Many thanks to Maytree for asking me to participate in their “Five Good Ideas: Home Office Series.” I presented five good ideas for remote client service work.
Two reports came out within the past week which I have had the pleasure of being part of. They’re both about the now and future of the immigrant and refugee-serving sector. I hope you find some time to read them.
“You’re not ‘working from home’; you’re trying to get some work done while confined to your home during a crisis.”
So often we don’t focus on the helpers. I think it’s important to do that now and always. Immigrant and refugee-serving organizations have suddenly started working and serving clients remotely. So we quickly created a sector survey to check in with workers and leadership during this time of everyone suddenly moving to remote/digital work.
The immigrant and refugee-serving sector is starting to close offices. That means remote work. You are likely to start moving your teams to remote work very soon, if not already. You can learn from others.