Helping Clients Navigate Times of Economic Hardship: A Community Conversation
Hosted on July 23, 2020, this virtual panel discussion was hosted by by Daniel Wilkinson Program Manager for Economic Empowerment, Switchboard along with a panelist of economic empowerment experts.
Recent months have presented a dramatic learning curve as we’ve adapted to the realities of living and working in the shadow of a global pandemic. If you’re like most service providers, you’ve had to completely change the way that you work, while trying to take care of yourself and juggle personal responsibilities. One of our greatest assets in this changing environment is each other and our collective expertise. This engaging virtual panel discussion featured front-line, headquarters, and state voices from across the refugee resettlement network.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this training you will be able to name at least one promising practice for:
- Serving economic empowerment clients remotely;
- Helping clients access public benefits or make financial decisions; or
- Helping clients consider and obtain employment during and/or after COVID-19.
Webinar Panelists:
Khalid Ahmadzai is Director, Economic Advancement at Canopy Northwest Arkansas. Previously, Khalid worked at Turquoise Mountain, a charity that partners with the World Bank and UNHCR to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Afghan returnees produce and sell their carpets in the Western market. He has also worked as a liaison and consultant between the International School of Kabul and the State Department/USAID.
Erica Bouris is Director, Economic Empowerment for the IRC. She supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of economic empowerment programs that serve refugee, immigrant, and low-income families in nearly 30 communities across the U.S. Prior to IRC, Erica held positions with community organizations, in higher education, and in public/private partnerships, both domestically and abroad.
Myat Lin is the State Refugee Coordinator for Maryland. Prior to his current role, he oversaw employment and integration programs at the headquarters offices of HIAS and LIRS. Earlier roles in refugee services included providing direct employment services at IRC in Silver Spring, MD and working as a Translator/Case Manager at the U.S. Embassy’s Refugee Resettlement Unit in Bangkok, Thailand.
Carla Passos-Morgan is a Career Counselor with Lutheran Family Services for the New American Pathways program. She connects refugee and immigrant clients with a variety of free professional development training, enrolls participants in training programs with educational partners, offers in-depth assistance with job placement, and help clients find and refine their strengths and skills based on their career goals. Carla is also an ESL instructor with Central New Mexico Community College.