Community Partner : Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance ( ERICA ) Intern : Koye Oputa Site Supervisor : Betty Symington
What is ERICA ?
The Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance ( ERICA ) welcomes those fleeing injustice , poverty , and persecution in other countries . With volunteers and community partners , ERICA helps refugees , asylum seekers , and other vulnerable immigrants in Greater Baltimore rebuild their lives through one-on-one problem solving , emergency assistance , and educational workshops .
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Co-coordinated the Women ’ s Health Series , a three-part educational health series led by three physicians Performed post-event quantitative and qualitative analyses and explored opportunities for expansion ( in partnership with Intercultural Counseling Connection ) Collected and analyzed data and designed online course for ERICA volunteer orientation Facilitated ERICA ’ s World Refugee Day 2021 Silent Auction Supported program participants with personal needs on a case-by-case basis
I set several goals as I began my internship with ERICA and the Intercultural Counseling Connection this summer . I tempered my expectations , given the mercurial nature of the COVID-19 world , and still , every single goal was met . Here are the top four : 1 ." Learn more about how to serve the people — the refugees , asylees , and migrants of Baltimore — who I know so little about .” Every single participant I met had such rich personality and curiosities . Each participant ' s needs varied and extended far beyond just needing help with immigration paperwork . As uniquely complex as each participant ' s life is , learning how to serve them started simply with knowing them as people — not Baltimore residents nor refugees nor program participants . Just the person .
2 ." Help ERICA raise however much they may need for fundraising ." I am happy to say that with the help of ERICA ' s motivated volunteers , generous donors , and the relentless dedication of my supervisor , Betty , we were able to coordinate ERICA ’ s Annual Silent Auction , and raise roughly $ 8,500 , which is on-par with auction proceeds from previous years .
3 ." Learn more about how ERICA has developed and maintained such a close relationship with each of its program participants ." Again , it was just people being people . Give any program participant the basic kindness , respect , and interest of someone important to you , and the relationship naturally grows .
4 ." Develop my Spanish so that I can work with Spanish-speaking program participants ." This one is still in the works , but my greatest improvement has resulted from the encouragement of a program participant : sometimes you must get it wrong to get it right . Also , listen to a lot of Spanish podcasts .
All my goals were accomplished by or with other people . Week after week ERICA has shown me the value of welcoming people , welcoming your neighbor , and welcoming the stranger . I finish this internship welcoming the smiles I receive and give every day . I am blessed to end this summer knowing that my relationship with my program supervisors and participants will not be ending any time soon , even if I am no longer supporting in the capacity of an intern .