News from Elizabeth, NJ

Join this webinar briefing to gain insight into the experiences of refugees resettling to the United States and the impact on their mental and emotional health. Guests will hear from IRC staff who are creating unique wellness programs to help refugees flourish in their new country.

The IRC in New York and New Jersey is currently offering volunteer and internship opportunities.

Jean joined fellow professionals in this unique opportunity to network with experts within the Haitian diaspora specializing in technology, education, business, entrepreneurship, and politics. He spoke with Haitian-American elected officials and Haitian government officials about important topics such as migration and international development. He also attended sessions on leadership, career development, and entrepreneurship, which spoke deeply to his values and his commitment to leadership and service.

One of the IRC’s goals in resettling refugees is to ensure that youth and adults have high levels of livelihood, literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills. To that end, volunteers in NJ are currently facilitating English language instruction for refugees resettled in the Elizabeth area.

Salvador arrived in the United States one year ago from Havana, Cuba. Previously a professor of Journalism and Communications at the University of Havana, Salvador’s first job in the U.S. was as a cashier at Burlington Coat Factory and Marshalls at the Jersey Gardens mall.

Read about how Abdulrasul and Bakry received a raise shortly after obtaining their first job in the U.S.!

Raffi Gostanian came to the United States from Syria 15 years ago on a student visa. A jazz musician who plays the saxophone and piano, he intended to study music but graduated with a political science degree from William Paterson University. As a front desk volunteer at IRC for the last 10 months, Raffi has diligently trekked twice a week from Paterson, home to a large Arab community, to IRC’s office in Elizabeth.

The IRC in New York and New Jersey recently welcomed several AmeriCorps members to their teams.

The career development intern focuses on assisting clients through career counseling to advance beyond entry-level jobs and to resume their professional careers after resettlement.

The Immigration Program provides fee-based services to refugees, asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants and other immigrants in New Jersey. The intern will work closely with IRC staff to provide legal services to clients seeking assistance with various forms of immigration.