Community Partner: ERICA – Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance Intern: Shiaomeng Tse Site Supervisor: Betty Symington
What is ERICA? ERICA honors and ministers to the dignity of our brothers and sisters fleeing oppression, persecution, and poverty in other countries. We pledge to provide immediate, practical, and material assistance to refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants, regardless of race, religion, or language; partner with other civic, community, and faith groups to provide direct services such as casework, educational workshops, and referrals for legal assistance, healthcare, and housing; empower the refugee community; connect volunteers and civic leaders with refugees and other immigrants; and provide small grants and zero interest loans for immigrationrelated legal fees to smooth the journey to stability in the US.
• Organized and processed information from ERICA’ s annual fundraising event
• Completed an employment workshop for residents of ERICA’ s new housing program at Gilead House
• Helped provide services and assistance to ERICA clients
• Connected with The Intercultural Counseling Connection and helped with the formation of a new Mother-and-Baby Bonding and Support Group
" Coming into ERICA, I was excited to experience intimate, one-on-one work with clients and what it would be like to work for such a small NGO( with a part-time executive director being the only employee). However, little did I know that I would experience and learn much more than what I initially thought. Working with Betty, my supervisor and executive director of ERICA, was an incredible experience. I was able to witness the empathy she had for every one of her clients, the frustration she experienced with the sluggishness and barriers that the system presented, and the passion she had for her work. She was truly inspiring and made me realize that every effort, no matter how small, counted. Although I was able to assist Betty with some client work, my main goal for this summer was to create an employment workshop for a new housing project, at Gilead House in Pikesville, that ERICA is working on. Many of the future residents at Gilead House are asylees or asylum seekers who have not had any work experience in the United States. This employment workshop would introduce them to many aspects of employment in the U. S., the intricacies of the system, and how they can best navigate their way around with their statuses. Although it was interesting learning about the immigration system in the U. S., it was also frustrating at times. Many resources are made mainly for U. S. citizens and people who are on a path to citizenship, so it’ s difficult to find a lot of detailed information for people who are refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, and of similar statuses. During my time at ERICA, Betty was also able to connect me with another organization, The Intercultural Counseling Connection, which provides free mental health services to refugees, asylum seekers, and other forced migrants. I was able to help create a new mother-and-baby bonding and support group for mothers and babies who have gone through trauma. Working with ERICA and The Connection has opened my eyes to the importance of small NGOs. Although larger NGOs have more leverage and funding, smaller NGOs are able to reach out directly into the community to connect people of similar statuses and backgrounds. The foundation that they provide for a new family of people from around the world is incredibly heart-warming and I feel very grateful that I was able to be a part of it this summer."-Shiaomeng
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