WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Each year on June 20th, communities around the globe acknowledge the particular experiences of refugee communities during World Refugee Day. Since our beginning, ReEstablish Richmond has honored World Refugee Day by hosting events and reducing barriers for newcomer communities to access resources that aid their integration.
2023 | Multicultural Festival: Imagine
This was our second year of collaborating with the City of Richmond’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement (OIRE) to co-host the Imagine: Multicultural Festival. Attendees enjoyed performances by 15 varied cultural groups, interacted with 40 local support organizations, and sampled cuisine from an array of immigrant-owned businesses. This annual event is one of our favorite ways to invite our neighbors to learn more about resources in the Richmond community and celebrate World Refugee Day and Immigrant Heritage Month.
2022 | Multicultural Festival: Imagine
We joined forces with the City of Richmond’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement (OIRE) to co-host the Imagine: Multicultural Festival. The festival brought together thousands of newcomers to learn more about resources in our community in celebration of World Refugee Day and Immigrant Heritage Month. The event was especially joyous after the necessary restrictions on group gatherings during the pandemic over the previous two years.
2021 | Neighborhood Parades
We took our annual community resources fair on the road, visiting three neighborhoods where our clients live. Together with volunteers and community partner organizations, we conducted a festive car parade in honor of newcomers who now call Richmond home. Some additional ways of welcoming newcomers through this event included providing a mobile vaccine clinic, a workshop on belonging, and funding to cover the cost of invitations and parade decorations.
2020 | Virtual Celebration
World Refugee Day 2020 looked and felt very different since we couldn’t gather together in person this year. Even with COVID-19 restrictions, however, we remained committed to honoring our resettled neighbors. Our virtual celebration included a series of videos that shared information about resources related to education, employment, public benefits, transportation, health, immigration, and more — all in the primary languages of our clients. We also shared a video of World Refugee Day celebrations from previous years.
2014 — 2019 | Community Resources Fair
In collaboration with community partners and a host of volunteers, we celebrated World Refugee Day by gathering the resources that our clients requested most often, providing transportation to and from the event, and ensuring interpreters were on hand so that attendees could fully engage as they chose. In 2019, this event brought together 814 clients, 142 volunteers, and 413 vendors to learn more about Richmond’s resources and one another.
REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT VOLUNTEER SUMMIT (RAIVS)
This annual event provides robust resources to inform, encourage, and build the capacity of leaders and volunteers across multiple faith communities, civic organizations, and volunteer groups who work with refugees and immigrants in the greater Richmond area.
2023 | RAIVS 2023 began with a volunteer networking breakfast sponsored by the City of Richmond Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement (OIRE), followed with a keynote address by ReEstablish Richmond founder, Patrick Braford. Joined by 102 volunteers, virtual learning sessions addressed the current needs of volunteers working with newcomers across the region. Collaborators for this year’s summit included the Afghan Association of Central Virginia, African Community Network, International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).
2022 | In the wake of the evacuation of Afghanistan and the influx of Afghan newcomers to our area, more community volunteers were involved — and eager for practical support — in the work of welcome. We again collaborated with the IRC and Sacred Heart Center for RAIVS 2022, providing 18 virtual learning sessions as well as several in-person networking opportunities for 170 volunteers across the greater Richmond area and beyond.
2021 | Just like everything else during pandemic life, RAIVS 2021 went virtual. Together with the IRC and Sacred Heart Center, we gathered volunteers across Richmond and beyond on a virtual platform to explore the current state of immigration and to learn how we can all support newcomers more effectively. Senator Ghazala Hashmi introduced us to the new Office of New Americans, and Ahmed Badr and Brice Nordquist shared information about the Narratio Fellowship. Breakout sessions included topics like Trauma Informed Care; Teaching ELL Virtually; Bias and White Saviorism; and Supporting Latinx Families During the Pandemic.
2020 | In February we partnered with the IRC and the Sacred Heart Center for our second RAIVS event. Participants learned what the resettlement process looks like before someone arrives in the U.S. and what kind of support is needed once they arrive here. Breakout sessions included Trauma-Informed Care; Using Empathy in English Language Learning; Tips and Tricks for Preparing Newcomers for Citizenship; Cultural Awareness, Boundaries, and Values; Navigating Social Services, Public Schools, and the Tax System; and a round table discussion centering the voices of resettled refugee and immigrant leaders.
2018 | In the months following the 2016 presidential election, scores of local residents were activated by the anti-immigrant policies of the new administration. As they searched for practical ways to extend welcome and support to newcomers, ReEstablish Richmond wasn’t the only organization with an influx of new volunteers. In October and November of 2018, we collaborated with local resettlement agencies (the International Rescue Committee, Church World Service, and Commonwealth Catholic Charities) to provide two days of robust volunteer training workshops with sessions focused on the Richmond Refugee Landscape, Immigration Statuses, Cultural Awareness, Anti-Bias, Tips for Teaching English, and more.
BOOK CLUB
Each spring, ReEstablish Richmond staff invites our community of volunteers, board, partners, and supporters to come together for a book club that provides a safe and welcoming space to explore the complex issues surrounding immigration through the voices of those who have lived it firsthand. By sharing their own perspectives and listening to those of others, readers gain a deeper understanding of the world and all of our places in it.
FILM PREMIERE
2023 | Anahita — A Mother’s Journey
Anahita was a police officer in Kabul. This documentary is her first-person account of escaping from Afghanistan in August 2021 with her five children, after being tipped off that the Taliban was looking for her. Anahita tells the harrowing story of getting into the airport, climbing over barbed wire, almost being shot by the Taliban, and the challenge of keeping her children safely by her side throughout the ordeal. She arrived at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where immigration officials began her resettlement process. Shortly after arriving, Anahita discovered something that would change her life and impact her family forever.
After the world premiere showing, audience members engaged in Q+A with the filmmakers as well as leaders in the local Afghan community. Proceeds from ticket sales and additional donations were shared by Belltower Pictures, ReEstablish Richmond, and the Afghan Association of Central Virginia.
BREAKING BREAD
Our signature series of culinary-centered events was designed to highlight the food and cultures of resettled communities here in Richmond; to empower chefs from within these communities; and to invite long-term Richmonders to better understand, identify with, and build community alongside our newest neighbors.
2021 | A Virtual Cooking Experience
Like many things this year, our Breaking Bread event was hosted in an online format, with virtual cooking demonstrations by chefs from Nepal, Nigeria, and Syria. Attendees received access to cooking videos by our guest chefs; a materials packet — including recipes, lists of ingredients, and a list of immigrant-owned local grocery stores — to participate alongside them; as well as a list of children's activities linked to the cultures/food and a specially curated play list of music from the chefs' home countries to enjoy while cooking.
2020 | Kneading Community at Home
This summer we hosted a virtual Breaking Bread dinner, watch party, and discussion of The Breadwinner, an award-winning film with refugee and immigrant themes. The multi-generational event was designed for families with children (upper elementary and older) and adults of all ages looking for a social event during a time of isolation. To enhance the viewing experience of this film, we created an Educational Guide, including background and cultural information, movie-themed activities and educational materials for students of all ages, recipes, and more!
2019 | Summer Series
For the first event in our summer series, attendees enjoyed an Afghan meal served family-style. For the second event, three local businesses — Sub Rosa Bakery, Nota Bene Restaurant, and Native Selections, distributor of organic and natural wines in Virginia — teamed up to present a unique Pop Up dinner + wine tasting event, with a portion of proceeds benefitting ReEstablish Richmond. For the third event, a cooking demonstration centered the food and customs of Congolese culture, especially the practices of preparing and sharing food.
WELCOME FEST
2018 | Our goal for WelcomeFest was to highlight the cultures of the refugee and immigrant communities in the greater Richmond area, celebrating the gifts, talents, and diversity that newcomers bring to our city. Attendees experienced international cultures through storytelling, dance, drumming, music, handicrafts, tea tasting, cooking demonstrations, and language lessons. Participants proudly shared these aspects of their culture with the community.
A TASTE OF AFGHANISTAN
2017 | In December this year, we hosted a dinner event to honor the food, culture, and experiences of members of our largest client community. Attendees savored delicious dishes prepared by Afghan women who have participated in ReEstablish Richmond programs like the Heela sewing course and our learner’s permit study course. Together we shared stories around the table, and long-term Richmonders learned about specific ways that ReEstablish Richmond helps newcomers rebuild their lives here. More details about the event are available in this blog post.