A Community Picnic Builds Connections

The IRC’s Community Integration Program helped co-organize a community picnic in the Frankford area of northeast Baltimore to commemorate the National Night Out Against Crime on August 2, 2011. The event was designed to help neighbors socialize and have fun in a safe multi-cultural space.

The Community Integration Program recruited over 40 refugees from Bhutan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Congo, Iraq, Kenya, and others to participate in the event.  Refugees also cooked food to share with their U.S. born neighbors. The food was a big hit and over 100 people enjoyed cuisine from Iraq, Eritrea, and Nepal.

The Baltimore City Community College’s Refugee Youth Project facilitated a community arts project for adults and children to create a community quilt.  Participants drew on individual squares in answer to the questions: What change do you want to see in your community?  How can you make that change? The completed quilt is on display in the Baltimore Orientation Center on Eastern Avenue.

Community Quilt                                  Photo:Billie Weiss