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Over the last year, we had the opportunity to work with six amazing Community Advocates in our Wellness in Action (WIA) training program. They are artists, survivors, refugees and immigrants who have seen all the struggles and are very motivated to help their communities in uplifting and giving voice to the voiceless. This group facilitated community listening sessions and reached over 150 people from diverse newcomer communities, including Eritrean, Afghan, Persian, Nepali, and Spanish speaking populations. Community members opened their hearts during listening sessions. People shared that they felt homesick and alone, hopeless and stressed being in the United States. They shared about experiencing trauma to arrive here and, once here, navigating complications with immigration. We heard about people hiding their pain from their family and friends due to fear of judgment. The high cost of living in the Bay Area leaves people unable to access needs, such as housing, jobs, food, childcare, healthcare coverage, and mental health services that are culturally aligned and language accessible. We supported community members with resources to address a range of concerns, from domestic violence to public benefits to English language learning. We listened to stories about intergenerational gaps and tensions, where loss of language and culture bring up grief and fear and longing. So much came up. Deep listening is a necessary part of taking grounded actions for change, and we are so proud of the heartfelt work that our Community Advocates did this past year to understand community needs. When the Wellness in Action training program came to a close in May, one of our Community Advocates shared: “Sometimes I’m thinking I’m alone and no one understands my situation. When we are together, I see that other people have my experience. It’s important for refugees and asylum seekers to feel this.” By bringing passionate community leaders together to share cultural strengths, we created another universe for awareness and connection around global knowledge. It was special. We are grateful to be a part of building a caring community where we reflect one another and work together to make change. As we grapple with all the learning, we are identifying ways to raise these issues up to leaders, systems administrators, and policy makers. We hope you will join us!
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