Most refugee children arrive in the United States and have not had an opportunity to learn how to swim. This winter we were approached by an amazing local swim instructor who offered to donate her time to teach refugee kids to swim. She started with 4 girls from Eritrea, ages 13-16. She picked them up and took them to the pool once a week for 12 weeks. Over the course of those 3 months, the girls went from being afraid to put their head under water, to swimming the length of the pool. They became confident and competent swimmers. Once word got out, kids have been begging to be next for swim lessons with Kyle. She is now on to her third group of kids. We want to help her sustain this effort by helping to pay for pool usage and equipment. Please make a donation to Soft Landing Missoula by cash, check or online at https://softlandingmissoula.org/donate. Leave us a note online after you have completed your donation or send us an email at volunteer@softlandingmissoula.org to let us know this is a donation for swim lessons. Any funds raised over the $250 will go to support our other youth programming. Thank you for your support!
Lights for Liberty Photos and Follow-up
Thank you to the hundreds of people that joined us, our amazing partners- Missoula Rises, Montanans for Immigrant Justice, and the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center- and the incredible musicians- Jose Lobo, John Kratz, and Bernardo Paiva, to bring our voices together to ask for immediate solutions for families and children being detained in squalid, and life-threatening, conditions on our southern border.
We were part of an international movement that was over 700 cities strong, but the work does not stop with your attendance. If you couldn’t come, you still did not miss out on the most important part of this action. We must continue to be loud about this. Here are some step you can take and be sure to check out the amazing photos from photographer Tiffany Williams and remember the power of the vigil as you contact our representatives, and more!
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????ACTION ITEMS FROM THE VIGIL????
1. EDUCATE. Keep educating on the FACTS
Six migrant children — five from Guatemala and one from El Salvador — have died in federal custody since September (LA Times, 5/24/2019). One more child died in May 2018, after time in federal custody, likely as a result of improper medical care while there. (ABCNews, 8/29/18)
The 1997 Flores Settlement case requires that unaccompanied, or separated, children detained the Dept. of Homeland Security are promptly transferred into the custody of the Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement and held in “safe and sanitary” conditions.
Transfer times and ORR conditions are crowded, unsanitary, unsafe, and have been called concentration camps. Many children are being held at Border Patrol Stations, in jail-like holding cells for as many as 27 days, far longer than the Flores 72-hour limit.
Although the ACLU won a case last year halting family separation, loopholes have allowed the separation of over 700 families between June 2018 and May 2019. (Slate.com, 6/24/19)
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 14). everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol protects refugees from being returned to countries where they risk being persecuted and also protects their right to ask for asylum, regardless of how and where they arrive in a country. Refugees and asylum-seekers have the same rights as all other human beings.
The Trump administration is forcing many asylees to await court hearings in crowded, unsafe conditions in Mexico or releasing them to overcrowded, under-resourced shelters on the southern border.
There are 1.2 million refugees around the world. More than half of them are children. (Amnesty International)
2. ACT
????Call/Email/Visit our Members of Congress OFTEN! Tell them you oppose the separation of migrant children from family members and that holding asylum seekers in concentration camps is inhumane, unjust and a violation of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. Demand inspection of detention centers and the release of children and families. Tell them to vote no on any additional funding for ICE/CBP and deportation. The Congressional Switchboard is: 202-224-3121. *** Ask that all 3 of our representative visit the INSIDE of the camps together and get a true eye on what is happening!***
????Tell our local and congressional officials( Mayor, County Attorney, and Sheriff ) that you do not support local law enforcement cooperation with ICE raids and they must be stopped. Raids terrify and separate families, are conducted indiscriminately-without legal warrants, and decrease the likelihood that actual crimes will be reported. Holding people detained in raids in local county detention centers is a common practice and uses local resources. Sign the ACLU petition to end 287g agreements between ICE and local governments.
????Reach out to local groups working on immigrants’ rights like: Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance, National Lawyers Guild Chapters, Montanans for Immigrant Justice, Billings Sanctuary Rising, Montana ACLU and Montana Human Rights Network, and International Rescue Committee.
????Contribute to organizations on the front lines of assistance like: El Otro Lado, United We Dream, RAICES, Angry Tias y Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley, KIND – Kids in Need of Defense, The Florence Project, Make the Road, La Union del Pueblo Unido, Annunciation House, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and the Tuscon monastery shelter, No More Deaths. Check out www.miles4migrants.org to donate frequent flier miles to reunite families.
TESOL Certificate Program
Who is this course meant for?
ELI’s TESOL Certificate Program offers English language teacher training to anyone who is interested in working with non-native speakers; this includes recent graduates, current students, those interested in teaching abroad, current teachers looking for strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners, and international participants who meet English language proficiency requirements.
How much does this course cost?
This program costs $1300 and includes 100 instructional hours, 20 hours of practicum (observation and instruction), mentorship by experienced ESL/EFL teachers, and help pursuing a career in the teaching profession. There is the option to split the payment cycle into two payments—one at the beginning of the course and one by the midterm.
When can I start this course?
The fall 2019 course starts the first week of September.
When does the course finish?
The course ends the first week of December. However, teacher candidates will have two months after the last day of instruction to complete the 20 hours of observations and practicum and to turn in the capstone project: a teaching portfolio.
Is there a certificate of completion?
Yes, once you have successfully completed the program with a 75% or higher, you will be given a certificate showing you have completed the TESOL certificate program. This program meets industry standards for program length and structure, administration, student services, curriculum and instruction, and instructor qualifications as defined by the TESOL International Association. The combination of this certificate and a bachelor’s degree will satisfy minimum qualifications to teach English at most independent language schools worldwide.
Can I complete this course if I work full time or am a student?
Yes! Each week consists of approximately 8-10 hours of online instruction and completion of weekly assignments. For most weekly tasks, deadlines are consistent each week (e.g. the weekly lesson quiz is due by Sunday night; weekly assignments are due by Wednesday night). The class is structured in a way that allows for flexibility in that students can use evenings and weekends to complete lessons and homework. Also, the timing for the 20-hour observation/practicum component is flexible and can be completed in a way that works with your schedule. Students who need extra time to complete the observation/practicum component can even get a two-month extension after the end of the 12-week course.
How do I register?
Registration is through the School of Extended & Lifelong Learning. Here is the registration link: TESOL Registration Fall 2019
Do you have specific questions about the program?
Feel free to reach out to TESOL Certificate Program instructor Josh Rosenberger: joshua.rosenberger@mso.umt.edu; 406 243 2084.
Seeking Responses for Study on Refugee Integration in Rural America
Missoula resident and Fordham University student Rosie McCormack is seeking broad perspectives for her research thesis on refugee integration and community involvement in Missoula.
If you are interested in taking a short survey, please click here! To learn more about the project, reach out to her at rmccormack6@fordham.edu.
ELI seeks host families for one afternoon
UM’s English Language Institute is looking for community members to host 1-2 high school students from Kumamoto, Japan, (Montana’s sister state) for one afternoon on Saturday, July 27 from 2-7 pm. Hosts will coordinate an activity or excursion for their students and then provide dinner either at home or out. The program is looking for hosts for 23 students.
Lullaby Flash Mob at Lights For Liberty: Humanitarian Vigil and Action- July 12th
On July 12th, Missoula, Montana will be joining hundreds of cities around the nation, as well as cities across Montana, to stand together and call for an end to child and family detention at the border. In partnership with Montanans for Immigrant Justice and Missoula Rises, Soft Landing Missoula invites you to join us in expressing our horror at the conditions in the detention center and the deaths of 7 children in America’s custody.
Where: St. Paul Lutheran Church- 202 Brooks St, Missoula, MT 59801
When: 7:30p
For more info on this local event and the motivation and details behind this national effort, please visit the Missoula FB event page as well as the Lights for Liberty website.
We are asking for your presence, but we are also asking for your PARTICIPATION! Along with select speakers, there will be a chance for audience participation to join our voices together in song. The song below was selected by members of Missoula’s immigrant community as a special lullaby sung by mothers to their children to comfort and soothe. There have been 7 children that have died as a result of conditions in these detention camps and we want to sing this song in their honor. Please join us and share with your communities, youth groups, etc.. so that we can send this song as far out into the universe as possible. Below is a youtube video and lyrics for you to learn ahead of time. Feel free to print and bring lyrics to the vigil. If you have a child or group of children that would like to stand at the front of the vigil and sing with a group (vs from the audience), please contact mary@softlandingmissoula.org. Thank you.
A la rorro niño
A lo rorro ya
Duérmete mi niño
Duérmete me ya.
Este niño lindo
Que nació de dia,
Quiere que lo lleven
A ver a su tia.
Este niño lindo
Que nació de noche
Quiere que lo lleven
A pasear en coche.
A la rorro niño
A lo rorro ya
Duérmete mi niño
Duérmete me ya.
Este niño lindo
Se quiere dormir,
Y el pícaro sueño
No quiere venir.
Este niño lindo
Que nació de noche
Quiere que lo lleven
A pasear en coche.
Back Country Hunters and Anglers- Conservation Collective
Join Back Country Hunters and Anglers (BHA) on Thursday June 20th from 4-7p at Montgomery Distillery to promote their new initiative to increase access to Montana’s beautiful open lands and waters for marginalized communities.
On this evening, they are asking people in the community to donate old fly rods and reels and come and learn about program.
***Fun Fact! Soft Landing is partnering with them for the first event in this new program and on June 29th, refugee families will be getting the opportunity to be introduced to fly fishing and explore some of the beautiful waterways Montana has to offer! We are so excited!***
BHA went to introduce as many Montanan’s regardless of their backgrounds or economic status to all of the amazing things that the outdoors has to offer. The goals of this program are to:
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set a precedence for Montana and for BHA chapters across the country to get involved with community organizations.
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work with marginalized communities is in efforts to make BHA more inclusive; often the hunting and fishing worlds may seem unapproachable to a new person, as well as unaffordable.
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In Montana, we live in a state where people thrive off the industry but may not be contributing back to the community
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Gear is expensive
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It is very hard to start without knowing the right people or the community.
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help get resources and education out to vulnerable communities. At each event BHA will be:
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talking about how to access public waters
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exploring river entomology
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learning about different styles of fishing.
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Come help us launch this wonderful new initiative aimed at making the real “Montana Experience” accessible for all!
Exciting opportunity to work for Soft Landing Missoula!
We are hiring! SLM is searching for an experienced and adventurous Director of Development and Planning to join our team! Check out the job post below – maybe you are our match?!
Current SLM team- Mary, Molly, and Greta!
Director of Development and Planning
The Director of Development and Planning will join Soft Landing Missoula’s dynamic non-profit organization as a team player, and will lead the fundraising efforts of the organization by developing and implementing an ambitious plan to leverage grants, major donors, special events, and general giving to ensure Soft Landing Missoula’s long term financial sustainability. S/he will work in a fast paced, interactive office environment to help SLM enhance its ability to serve a growing number of resettled refugees and continue to increase Missoula’s capacity to be a welcoming community. This position is flexible, but primary hours need to be in office and spread across the work week. Occasional night and weekend hours required.
Wage: $21-24/ hour, DOE
Hours: Full time (30-40hrs/wk) preferred. Part time (under 30 hrs/wk considered).
FT benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums are covered. In addition, SLM offers 20 paid vacation days each year, 10 paid sick days per year and 12 paid holidays. SLM will offer 6 weeks of paid family leave to full time employees welcoming a new family member.
About Soft Landing Missoula:
Our vision is to help Missoula be a welcoming, supportive and informed community that can assist refugees and immigrants to integrate and thrive. Soft Landing Missoula operates under Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing fiscal sponsorship. Starting as a grassroots effort to do our part to help families fleeing war and terror, we have been in operation for 3.5 years and have helped to welcome over 75 new families to Missoula since the return of resettlement to our city in 2016. We are a post-resettlement, client-driven organization that focuses on long term integration of refugees and immigrants. We help refugees, immigrants, and supporting organizations to work through the challenges of making a new home while taking every opportunity to celebrate all of the richness in culture and experience that our new neighbors bring to our community.
Core responsibilities will include:
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Maintain grant calendar and lead the efforts for grant prospecting, writing, and reporting
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Maintain donor/supporter database (currently using Salesforce), track and respond to donations (with possible support from interns and volunteers)
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Plan and execute special events, including house parties, collaborations with local business, donor appreciation/stewardship opportunities, etc.
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Develop and execute online giving campaigns
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Oversee direct mail appeals
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Cultivate major donors to build a major gifts program, including securing one-on-one meetings with individuals and businesses
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Participate in the communication efforts for the organization, help develop and implement systems to increase SLM’s positive visibility, including social media
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Effectively manage interns, volunteers, and board members to increase capacity
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Help with general duties as assigned
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Contribute to the cleanliness and welcoming environment of our active and shared office space and Community Center.
Additional responsibilities may include:
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Contributing to the thoughtful and sustainable growth of this organization by helping design and implement systems that increase the effectiveness and efficacy of our programs
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Managing attendance and program evaluation records and coordinating the use of data analysis for learning and improvement, as well as annual reporting.
The ideal candidate will have:
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Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field
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Two years work experience in a non-profit organization, with a focus on fundraising, systems, and communication
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Proven ability to establish and meet deadlines, multitask, and prioritize
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Experience successfully prospecting, cultivating, soliciting and securing major gifts
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Experience with the grant writing process, including prospecting, writing LOIs and proposals, and reporting on grant outcomes
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Familiarity with Salesforce or other donor databases
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Experience with website maintenance and social media platforms
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Experience overseeing volunteers and interns
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Working knowledge of the Missoula community and resources
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Interest in working in a team environment
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Passion for refugee resettlement in Missoula
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Interest in designing and implementing systems to increase organizational productivity
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Ability to work independently and take initiative to follow through with organizational goals
To apply, please submit cover letter, resume and two references to molly@softlandingmissoula.org.
We Love You Bonnie Medlin!
This week, we were beyond excited to honor one of our most dedicated and incredible volunteers, Bonnie Medlin. Bonnie is a graduate student at the University of Montana and won the Outstanding Student Volunteer of the Year Award, an award given to only one student at UM every year.
Bonnie began as one of our very first volunteers with one of the first refugee families to arrive in Missoula. For the last 2 and 1/2 years, she has been a consistent presence as a mentor and friend to a single mother and her 4-year-old daughter. She has guided this family through everything from learning to drive, new jobs, new schools and all aspects of adjusting to life in America. Bonnie and her refugee family have a bond that is unbreakable. This mother and daughter from Eritrea have been separated from everyone they knew and loved in their life. Bonnie has helped them build a new extended family and supported them every step of the way in Missoula and beyond. Bonnie has taken them home with her to Seattle to spend the last two Christmas’ with her own family, helping them start a new tradition that eases the losses of the old.
Bonnie continues to see this family on a weekly basis but has also taken on additional responsibilities as a volunteer. Bonnie is now a regular presence in the Soft Landing office most days of the week. She answers the phone, helps with outreach and fundraising and jumps in whenever she is needed. But most importantly, she is available for one on one help for refugees that walk into the office with a question or need. In the past few months, she has helped dozens of refugees navigate the daily challenges of American life.
Bonnie is a joyful presence and has a generous soul. She always greets people with a smile, puts them at ease and is ready to help. She is dedicated and has grown meaningful relationships with so many refugees who now call Missoula home. She is open and at ease with people from all different cultures and has been a huge asset to Soft Landing Missoula. Thank you so much for everything you do! We love you!!!
Newsletter 4/12/19
Whirlwind!
As I was stumbling out of the office today, in a rush to reunite with my kiddos at the end of a busy day, I couldn’t help but smile as I walked past room after room of refugee students hard at work studying with volunteer tutors (Shyla- Our AMAZING practicum student built this program that serves 15+ kiddos twice a week from SCRATCH! She is incredible!). I had to dodge a few balls from the kiddos who were taking a break from studying to unwind with an impromptu game of “using a youth basketball to play soccer in tight indoor spaces while not trying to knock pictures off of the walls”. My walk towards the back door then lead me by the father of the first refugee family who arrived to Missoula in August 2016, shepherding a brand new family that arrived just in the last couple weeks as they were looking through items (that had been so so generously donated by our community) for their new apartment. By the time I high-fived another neighbor, smooched a kiddo good bye and got out the back door, I was no longer just smiling- I was grinning ear-to-ear, absolutely in awe of what we have created here.
The last couple weeks, we have also been honored to have been a part of several wonderful events with incredible partners. Our timely lecture at UM (live streamedby MCAT) in partnership with Climate Smart Missoula and the JRPC looked at howclimate change is driving human migration. Over the next 2 days, we saw this topic being covered by a few major news outlets, like here and here (Trendsetters, I know!). We had so much fun, and full bellies, at the Celebrate Islam Week Banquet put on by SALAM that we were so lucky to help sponsor this year. At this event, we got to meet an incredible woman, Asmaa Albukaie. Forced to flee after the kidnapping and subsequent murder of her husband, Asmaa and her two boys were the first Syrian refugees to arrive to Boise after the start of the Syrian civil war. There is so much I could say here about her amazing and inspiring talk, but our biggest take home were the photos she showed of her “American mom and dad” and her “American sisters” who got this single mother through the most trying times of resettling in a new home and truly became her family. We looked around the room and saw the new mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers holding hands with many of Missoula’s refugee families and again, I KNEW this community was doing something amazing. A huge thanks goes out to the incredible Clem Work, Soft Landing board member, for finding and arranging both of these speakers- no small task! We love you!
Lastly, you guys showed up in droves for our new food adventure, United We Eat @home this week! One email I received before the pick up time was even over said it best, “We (my 11-year old son and I) just picked up and ate our first United We Eat meals—best meal I’ve had in Missoula in years. The boy loved it too! Wow! Our compliments to the chef. That was outstanding and I can’t wait for the next one!”. If you didn’t already get an email in your inbox today with the new menu- please sign up if you don’t want to miss out!
OK! That’s it from me! I hope you all have lovely weekends and can take advantage of every sliver of sunshine thrown our way.
In love and gratitude,
Mary Poole
ED Soft Landing Missoula
United We Eat
The first week of United We Eat @home was an amazing success! Sign up here if you haven’t already so you don’t miss your chance at an amazing and affordable meal cooked weekly by refugee and immigrant chefs!
We are also in need of volunteers in the kitchen for this new program! Email mary@softlandingmissoula.org if this sounds up your alley and you have availability Tuesdays and Wednesdays!
People, Partners, Programs
Lawrence & Argyle is an apparel company based out of Chicago that celebrates America’s immigrant heritage. They partner with non-profit organizations throughout the year and we are lucky enough to be chosen for this quarter!
If you purchase any of their apparel, 50% of the proceeds will go directly to Soft Landing Missoula through the end of June! Take a peek around their store to support refugees and immigrants here under the big sky.
Upcoming Events
Bingo! for the Lifelong Learning Center: English classes (and more!) though the LLC are essential for the success of refugees in Missoula. On April 17th from 6:30-8:30, come out and have fun while supporting their incredible and life changing work! <<LEARN MORE>>
World View Film Series: Cultures in Harmony- Join us for the third film of this series in partnership with The Roxy! Under African Skies will be playing at 7p on April 22nd. <<LEARN MORE>>
Painting with a Purpose- Painting with a Twist® is proudly sponsoring SLM for their monthly fund raising event on April 30th at 6:30p. <<LEARN MORE>>
A few more photos for your enjoyment!
Thank you to the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and MAC for working with Soft Landing Missoula to help 2 ambitious women learn to use their Camera’s in the RMSP “Mastering Your Camera” course. Learning the art of Photography has been a skill that these women have been excited about since they arrived in Missoula last spring, so thanks for helping make photography a reality for them!
Everyone wants more food photos right? If this makes you hungry-
sign up to receive weekly menus for United We Eat @home!
