This is our last edition of The Forum Daily for 2024 — we’ll be back Jan. 3. And we’d like to close out the year with some hope and uplift
Our friend Stuart Anderson has curated his own selection of stories from 2024 in a piece for Forbes. But in this festive season, we also are heartened by the many, many communities that are helping their immigrant and refugee neighbors feel welcome.
In Arizona, the nonprofit Gathering Humanity organizes volunteers to deliver gifts to 100 refugee families, reports Cameron Polom of ABC 15. In Columbia, Missouri (Go Tigers), the annual Columbia City of Refuge holiday market includes products from around the world and and the profits will go towards care and programming for refugees, reports Jay Motiwala of KOMU 8.
Andrea Acosta of the Catholic Standard shares how the Archdiocese of Washington [D.C.] helped several refugees celebrate their first Christmas in the United States.Finally, in Brooklyn, New York, Sunset Park neighborhood staple RaisingHealth put on a Winter Wonderland event at which 400 families gathered to celebrate, report Rommel H. Ojeda and April Xu of Documented.
"Even though we can’t solve every challenge immigrants face, we want to provide an opportunity for them to feel joy and support during the holidays," the Rev. Mike Chan, Executive Director of New York Ministries at the Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC) Immigration Services Center, said of a separate Christmas carnival event.
Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s strategic communications VP, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Marcela Aguirre, Jillian Clark, Soledad Gassó Parker and Clara Villatoro. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
HEALING — Advocates and mental health experts are coming together in Chicago to help resettled refugees and migrants handle trauma through "radical hope," reports Courtney Wise of Mindsite News. Susana an advocate working on this initiative, recognizes that not all challenges are avoidable but emphasizes working together to encourage healing in hard times.
RESILIENCE — The holiday season can be difficult for newcomers, as it can bring stronger feelings of homesickness, stress and isolation, social worker Mira Antonyan writes in a Psychology Today piece. Antonyan shares a guide to support migrant and refugee families. The season "can also be a time for the resilient and vibrant migrant spirit to shine through," she writes.
RADIO — Every Thursday in Santa Rosa, California, Rafael Vásquez brings hope, comfort and information to immigrants through his weekly radio show, reports Raquel Issenberg for La Prensa Sonoma. Líderes del Futuro is a two-hour show featuring a number of different guests from the community every week. It is "a go-to source of information and advice for Spanish-speaking local immigrants," Issenberg reports.
OFFERING AN OASIS — Colombia hosts the largest group of Venezuelan migrants, according to the International Organization for Migration. Faith leaders such as the Rev. Arturo Arrieta, who oversees human rights initiatives in the Catholic Diocese of Palmira, cares for and aids the newcomers, reports María Teresa Hernández of the Associated Press. "Our motto is that we are a caress from God, we want them to find an oasis here," Arrieta said.
Wishing you peaceful, joyful holidays and a Happy New Year,
