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Switchboard is pleased to announce a free online certificate course on Supporting Acculturation for Newly Arrived Afghan Families, which will run daily for 90 minutes from Monday, June 26 to Thursday, June 29.

What will this certificate course cover?

This course is designed to help service providers gain a deeper understanding of the acculturation process and cultural nuances among newly arrived Afghan families. In live workshops, we will address topics including Afghan family structure, gender roles, parenting practices, and views on mental health. We will also discuss how to support Afghan families in overcoming barriers and successfully integrating into their new communities. Knowledge of these considerations will help service providers better support Afghan clients to self-advocate, understand their rights, and navigate countless new systems as they adjust to life in the United States. Additionally, this course will highlight the importance of cultural humility, which will help service providers become more self-aware and reflect on their own biases. 

Is this certificate course for me?

This course is geared toward refugee service providers working directly with Afghan clients—specifically providers seeking to better understand the correlation between cultural humility and helping Afghan clients integrate into life in the United States. Although this course is geared toward supporting Afghan newcomers, skills learned in the context of cultural humility and acculturation will be applicable to supporting newcomer clients of diverse backgrounds.

Why should I participate?

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:   

• Describe the acculturation process most newly arrived Afghans experience and identify ways to support them while navigating new systems
• Describe common social, cultural, and religious considerations among Afghans
• Practice cultural humility skills to build and strengthen client rapport and trust
• Describe elements of Afghan family life, such as parenting practices, gender roles, family structures, and other culturally sensitive considerations 
• Identify practical and culturally sensitive ways to support the psychosocial well-being of newly arrived Afghans  

Eligibility:

This course is open to 50 staff members of any ORR-funded organization, including state agencies, resettlement agencies and affiliates, and ethnic community-based organizations. 

Participants must be working directly with Afghan newcomers and their families. Applicants are expected to seek full support from their supervisor/director for course participation prior to applying. 

Format:

This course is designed to be completed by individual participants. Multiple staff members from the same organization may individually apply for the course. In a combination of four live workshops and independent activity, the total time commitment will be approximately 8 hours. 

The webinars will not be recorded to allow participants maximum comfort as these sessions will be interactive. 

• Course Schedule: Live webinar workshops will be held on four consecutive days. Commitment to attend all four live workshops is required.   
  1. Monday, June 26, 1:00–2:30 PM ET
  2. Tuesday, June 27, 1:00–2:30 PM ET
  3. Wednesday, June 28, 1:00–2:30 PM ET
  4. Thursday, June 29, 1:00–2:30 PM ET
     
     
• Attendance and active participation are expected of participants, which includes participation in breakout activities and discussions, as well as written dialogue exchanges via discussion board with course participants and instructor.
  
  
• Independent activity for course participants includes pre-readings, case studies, reflections, and discussions, as assigned by course instructor.