Web-Based Resource to Aid Newcomer Integration in the Missoula Community
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Kelsey Stamm
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Purpose: We developed a website for refugees and other newcomers in Missoula that will assist them in finding needed resources and help fill the gaps in services currently available through organizations like Soft Landing Missoula (SLM) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). This service will aid refugees and other newcomers to successfully resettle in Missoula by aiding them in navigating the community.
Methods: During the Fall 2021 semester, our group researched the refugee crisis worldwide and the United States’ approach to accepting refugees. After various discussions with key stakeholders in the community, including representatives from SLM and the IRC, we identified certain areas where a website would prove useful to newcomers to Missoula. As a supplement to the work of SLM and the IRC, the web platform will provide for specific needs, including accessing places of worship, finding ethnic foods in grocery stores, becoming familiar with banking and postal systems, and even learning about local events. Through this web-based resource, we hope to help refugees and other newcomers become comfortable in their new home by making the Missoula community more accessible and welcoming.
Significance: As of 2022, roughly 1% of the global population is displaced—including 26.4 million refugees. Unfortunately, over these past few years, there has been significant political turmoil, economic crises, environmental degradation, social conflict, and armed upheaval across the globe that negatively impact refugees and resettlement efforts. In 2016, amidst the shuttering of other resettlement agencies, Missoula reopened its own agency through the IRC. Since then, Montana has received over 400 refugees, many of whom live in Missoula. In FY2021 and FY2022, approximately 100 humanitarian parolees fleeing Afghanistan’s ongoing political crisis resettled in Missoula. In addition to the lengthy and burdensome process of resettlement, refugees and newcomers often face specific challenges when integrating into a Montana community. Newcomers face language barriers, cultural differences, and separation from their support networks back home. Learning to navigate a new community is challenging and can be a major stressor for new arrivals, causing some to feel isolated or face other negative feelings that can be detrimental to their mental or physical well-being. Our project aims to aid refugees and other newcomers in their efforts to successfully resettle in Missoula, helping them find resources and confidently navigate the community so Missoula can truly feel like home.
Category
Franke Global Leadership Initiative
Web-Based Resource to Aid Newcomer Integration in the Missoula Community
UC 220
Purpose: We developed a website for refugees and other newcomers in Missoula that will assist them in finding needed resources and help fill the gaps in services currently available through organizations like Soft Landing Missoula (SLM) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). This service will aid refugees and other newcomers to successfully resettle in Missoula by aiding them in navigating the community.
Methods: During the Fall 2021 semester, our group researched the refugee crisis worldwide and the United States’ approach to accepting refugees. After various discussions with key stakeholders in the community, including representatives from SLM and the IRC, we identified certain areas where a website would prove useful to newcomers to Missoula. As a supplement to the work of SLM and the IRC, the web platform will provide for specific needs, including accessing places of worship, finding ethnic foods in grocery stores, becoming familiar with banking and postal systems, and even learning about local events. Through this web-based resource, we hope to help refugees and other newcomers become comfortable in their new home by making the Missoula community more accessible and welcoming.
Significance: As of 2022, roughly 1% of the global population is displaced—including 26.4 million refugees. Unfortunately, over these past few years, there has been significant political turmoil, economic crises, environmental degradation, social conflict, and armed upheaval across the globe that negatively impact refugees and resettlement efforts. In 2016, amidst the shuttering of other resettlement agencies, Missoula reopened its own agency through the IRC. Since then, Montana has received over 400 refugees, many of whom live in Missoula. In FY2021 and FY2022, approximately 100 humanitarian parolees fleeing Afghanistan’s ongoing political crisis resettled in Missoula. In addition to the lengthy and burdensome process of resettlement, refugees and newcomers often face specific challenges when integrating into a Montana community. Newcomers face language barriers, cultural differences, and separation from their support networks back home. Learning to navigate a new community is challenging and can be a major stressor for new arrivals, causing some to feel isolated or face other negative feelings that can be detrimental to their mental or physical well-being. Our project aims to aid refugees and other newcomers in their efforts to successfully resettle in Missoula, helping them find resources and confidently navigate the community so Missoula can truly feel like home.