Name of Working Group
Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable (June 2003-September 2005)
Brief Description of Working Group
The Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable working group was established to share best practices in and to advocate for community-based solutions to resettlement in San Diego, California; promote the importance of both social and economic assimilation as equal factors in the success of resettlement; and encourage the creation of partnerships between resettlement agencies, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in order to coordinate resources and improve resettlement services.
Sponsoring Organization
Forced Migration Laboratory, University of California, San Diego (2002-2005)
Primary Contact
Nathaniel H. Goetz, Founder and Director, Forced Migration Laboratory (2002-2005)
Meetings
Issues Facing Resettled Refugees in San Diego, 1st Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable, June 2003
Creating New Partnerships: Preparing for the Bantu Refugee Resettlement in San Diego, 2nd Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable, January 2004
Women, Asylum, and Domestic Violence in San Diego: Improving Access, Strengthening Protection, 3rd Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable, September 2004
Working Group Members
Kathi Anderson, Executive Director, Survivors of Torture, International, San Diego
David Gangsei, Clinical Director, Survivors of Torture, International, San Diego
Arleen Kahn-Shifrin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Private Practice, San Diego
Gordon Shifrin, Physicist, retired, San Diego
Emily Moore, International Development and Relief Consultant, San Diego
Lawrence Palinkas, Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego
Lydia Tiede, Immigration Attorney, San Diego
Elana Zilberg, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of California, San Diego
Walter Lam, President and CEO, Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego & Former Refugee
Robert Montgomery, Regional Resettlement Director, International Rescue Committee, San Diego
Abdi Mohamoud, Executive Director, Horn of Africa, San Diego, California & Former Refugee
Lejla Voloder, Refugee Resettlement Manager, Catholic Charities, San Diego & Former Refugee
Anne Hoiberg, Past President, United Nations Association of San Diego
Nathaniel H. Goetz, Founder and Director, Forced Migration Laboratory, University of California, San Diego
Noted Visiting Participants
Jim De Harpporte, Western Regional Director, Catholic Relief Services USA, San Diego
Bol Bulabek, Executive Director, Sudanese Community Association, San Diego & Former Refugee
Loren Landau, Director, Forced Migration Studies Programme, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
Michael J. McBride, Professor of Political Science, Whittier College, Whittier, California & Consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland
Average Public Attendance per Roundtable
30-35 (not including working group members)
Languages
English
Region of Focus
San Diego County, California, USA
Outcomes
Goetz, N.H. (2005, May). Bridging the Gap: The Forced Migration Laboratory, Refugee Health, and Community-based Solutions. The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Harris, L.M., ed. (2004, September). Women, Asylum, and Domestic Violence in San Diego: Improving Access, Strengthening Protection,” Report of the 3rd Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable, San Diego, CA: The Forced Migration Laboratory, University of California, San Diego.
Goetz, NH., ed. (2003, June). Report of the 1st Good Practices in Refugee Resettlement Roundtable, San Diego, CA: The Forced Migration Laboratory, University of California, San Diego.