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Project Details
Created:
10/16/2008
Project Title:
Refugee Mental Health
Project Category:
Other
Project Status:
Proposal
CASE Competition
CASE Competition:
University of North Dakota - UND Fall 2008
Grant Winner
Project Snapshot
Problem:
Solution:
Student Information
College or University:
University of North Dakota
State:
North Dakota
Student Name:
Sierra Kraft
Year in College:
Senior
Major:
philosophy/nonprofit leadership
Faculty Advisor
Advisor Name:
Robin David
Community Partner
Partner Name:
New American Services
Student and Community
What societal problem does your project solve?
This project involves helping refugees resettle themselves into a new community by becoming self sufficient and one of the processess to do so is to first be healthy mentally. Many refugees have lived through very difficult times in their countries and are often scarred with post traumatic stress syndrome. Many of these individuals go undiagnosed and eventually suffer from depression, turn to addictions or commit suicide.The project would involve giving refugees in this community an opportunity to have the resources to seek help so they can be on their way to self sufficiency and a good life.What would be the measurable outcomes of the partnership that you propose to create between the community and your educational institution?
I forsee many partnerships coming from this project such as bringing together a nonprofit organization and the University. Students will also benefit from helping others in a more diverse population and learn how to better understand the needs of different people. When the psychology students enter into their professional careers they will already have experience working with people with post traumatic stress syndrome and who do not speak English. I find it also beneficial for the community members as well because New American Services is continually looking for resources and ways to link refugees to the community and this would be a great opportunity to be linked with students.How would you, with the support of your faculty advisor on campus and some one from the community, work together around this specified community issue?
My faculty advisor, community member and myself already work very closely with the refugee populations assisting them with many things they need so I think this idea will only re-enforce the strong relationship we with each other. We all have a vested interested in helping refugees become acclaimated and we all take pride in finding them new resources to better their situations and enhancing our lives.How would you envision sharing power and decision making in the partnership? In other words, instead of doing something for the community how would you do something with the community?
We would be working very closely with New American Services because we are using their clients and developing a program that will be able to sustain itself even after the project is gone. Refugee mental health is something that New American Services has not been able to provide and it is very importantHow would you collect data on what the project was doing and use it in the decision making process?
Like any good service there needs to be an evaluation in our work and the opinion of everyone involved matters. I would to surveys on the clients to see how beneficial they have found it to be and have monthly evaluations of how the students feel the program is progressing. I think it is imporant to touch base with everyone involved by having meetings to map our progress and see what we can do differently. I would keep a record of what the clients need and how they have been met so that as the program progresses we will have documented the previous needs and how we can continually expand.What would be the project activities? Give examples of how the strengths already existing in the community will be acknowledged, built upon, and enhanced in the partnership to solve the problem.
The reason that Grand Forks is able to resettle refugees is because it is a strong community in the sense that it can offer it's members jobs, housing, and education. As a community we have already proven to be cohesive and I think there still exists room for improvement. I think it is a shame there is not a mental health program already established for the growing refugee population but refugee health has surprisingly not been researched much so I think as a community it will make us unique to be one of the first communities to offer these resources to our new members.What obstacles or challenges might you encounter in implementing your project, and how would you address them?
I feel the obstacles we will have is facing the issue of what is lost in translation. Many of the clients that will be served will be using interpreter services and there is much language that is lost in translation and the concept of mental health is very foreign to many of these people so it will be a difficult task to approach yet another new concept into their lives. I do think that we can handle it with great cultural sensitivity and articulate how much they will get from expressing themselves and having someone to understand their issues they face.
Recruiting Volunteers:
Would you recruit additional student volunteers? If so, how?
Enlisting Partners:
Do you envision enlisting businesses, or other organizations, etc., to help; if so, how?
How would the award money be used here?
If your project idea is an innovation of an existing
program, what are its current funding sources?
What do you anticipate learning from engaging in the service project?
I hope to gain a better networking system and a better understanding of how we can implement ideas and services to people by seeing what is available and making it happen. I am truly inspired by refugees and I hope that this project will be able to give back to their community and I just want to see these people succeed. Refugees seem to be an invisible population and I would like to learn how to get them to network to have a collective voice, but so many slip through the cracks because they are not mentally well and do not have the energy so I hope to learn how to empower people as well.If the above questions have not enabled you to convey the essence and value of your project’s impact, use this space to supplement your answers.
I find this project incredibly valuable because if it weren't for a grant I do not forsee this project getting off the ground because there is no money in the program to expand its resources to cover mental health. I hope this project is taken with serious consideration because it will enrich the lives of many and is a much needed service. I am committed to this project and I hope to recruit many other like minded people to actualize this idea.Please submit an abstract (clear summary) of your proposed project idea.
A refugee is a person who has fled his/her country because of fear of persecution based on race, religion, their nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Grand Forks has resettled 57 individuals this fiscal year from Somalia, Burundi, Iraq, and Bhutan. New American Services, a program of Lutheran Social Services provides case work and employment services to these individuals helping them to achieve self sufficiency. New American Services find and furnish apartments, which includes 1st month rent and deposit, meeting the family at the airport, orientating the refugee on the rights and responsibilities of becoming a US citizen, enrolling them in English classes, helping them find a job, going over a budget and preparing a self sufficiency plan. These are only some of the services this organization must provide in the eight months in which they primarily assist the clients. The eight months are a very busy and stressful time. Refugees are survivors and once they come to the United States they have yet another set of obstacles to face. I think it is important to be mentally prepared to welcome all of these new ideas and people into your life. The project involves teaming up with the clients of New American Services and offering mental health resources to those in need by the graduate students of psychology in the program at the University. Most of the money will be spent on interpretive services helping bridge the language barrier gap.User Login
