The IRC in Silver Spring is supporting vulnerable refugee women by removing barriers to their employment, by offering English instruction, socialization and specialized cultural orientation.

This past semester, ten high school students from four different countries were selected to represent their peers on the first IRC CONNECT Leadership Council. The IRC CONNECT Leadership Council was created to offer recently resettled students a formal opportunity to develop their leadership skills,explore civic engagement and build confidence in their ability to create change in our communities.Over the past couple of months, students have participated in a variety of activities including the SUMMIT Leadership Course at George Washington University and workshops focusing on public speaking, critical thinking, and debate skills.

The Refugee Resettlement Committee at the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City goes above and beyond to ensure that newly arrived refugees resettled by the IRC in Salt Lake City feel welcome and comfortable in their new home.

In early February, the IRC in Salt Lake City’s Spice Kitchen Incubator hosted Congressman Ben McAdams and colleague Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (FL) at a gathering focused on meeting with refugee aid community leaders and learning more about programs that help refugees and other New Americans reach self-sufficiency.

The fastest growing GenR chapter in IRC history, GenR: LA is full of diverse and caring members with extraordinary backgrounds. In the past four months, we've grown from a group of eight people interested in learning more about the IRC to a group of 83 passionate professionals, working and living in the Los Angeles area.