Cultural and Practical Considerations for Working with Ukrainian Clients
Webinar from SwitchboardTA
Switchboard is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar open to all refugee service providers, whether working at state agencies, resettlement agencies or affiliates, or other organizations. Please circulate this announcement widely among your colleagues!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
1:00–2:15 PM ET
What will this webinar cover?
Ukrainians who have arrived in the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program require support from service providers, but assisting this population can be challenging without a thorough understanding of their cultural needs. This webinar aims to provide newcomer service providers with greater cultural context and skills necessary to work effectively with Ukrainian clients. In partnership with the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE) and a panel of experts, this session will help participants cultivate increased cultural awareness to better support Ukrainians in their communities.
Why should I participate?
After participating in this 75-minute session, you will be able to:
- Summarize basic cultural and practical considerations for working with Ukrainians through review of content from CORE’s Ukrainian Backgrounder
- Identify practical resources for service providers and Ukrainian clients, such as materials from CORE and Settle In
- Apply insights from discussion with panelists to better support Ukrainians in their resettlement experience
Speakers
Regan Hill is the Senior Community Orientation Coordinator for the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE). She supports CORE’s various capacity-building initiatives, including providing technical assistance to Preferred Communities staff serving Ukrainian newcomers. She has experience working domestically within resettlement agencies as well as for international nonprofits focused on peace and reconciliation, education, and human rights.
Oleksandr Kostenko is one of the contributors to the CORE Ukrainian Refugee Backgrounder and has previous experience working as a Cultural Orientation Trainer at Resettlement Support Center (RSC) Eurasia. His role involved both providing pre-departure face-to-face and virtual sessions for Ukrainian clients and developing learning materials. He currently resides in Ukraine and works as a Learning and Development Trainer for a clinical research organization.
Valentyna Ostapets is one of the contributors to the CORE Ukrainian Refugee Backgrounder and currently works at World Relief Western Washington as the Interim Pre-Arrival Manager. In this role, she oversees gift-in-kind donations, housing, cultural orientation, and family reunification programs. She also has previous experience working as a Cultural Orientation Specialist at World Relief, where she created curriculum and printed materials for cultural orientation. Valentyna came to the U.S. as a refugee from Ukraine and was resettled in 2016.
Mariana Kopachevska is a Case Manager for the Ukrainian Response Program of Catholic Charities Community Services. She assists Ukrainian newcomers with social services and connects clients with supportive community networks. Mariana also worked as a teacher and previously volunteered through a community organization in Ukraine serving internally displaced people. She speaks English, Ukrainian, and Russian.