August Updates from Girasol
Dear <<First Name>>,
As we reach the end of summer, we are inviting a new season of care and wellbeing. As individuals and as a community we have faced a lot in the last year and a half. This fall we are embracing a call to rest, rediscover creativity, and engage our communities.
In that spirit, we are excited to announce our first groups open to the public! A part of our How This Work Affects Us series, this 4-group opportunity has been created for folks who provide, or have provided, services to unaccompanied minors. These groups will focus on burnout, secondary trauma, and self-care. We look forward to having folks join us and creating future opportunities within this series!
Our Immigration Dialogues will begin a new chapter this fall in line with our theme of rest and creativity. On the first Friday of each month, starting September 3rd, we will host a virtual brown bag lunch series exploring everyday and creative resistance to immigrant detention. We hope you will join us and share your own unique perspectives with our community.
With Gratitude,
Ana Vidina Hernández,
Girasol Program Coordinator
|
|
|
Learn More with Meet Girasol Mondays!
Join Girasol's program coordinator Ana Hernández to learn more about our work and how to support our vision of creating a global community that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of all immigrant families.
At each session, we share a brief virtual tour of our program and offer plenty of time for questions and getting to know one another.
Dates & Times:
- September 13, 1-2 p.m.
- November 8, 1-2 p.m.
- December 13, 1-2 p.m.
Audience: Anyone interested in learning more about our program!
|
|
The Mental Health Collaborative brings together a diverse group of mental health professionals. We provide trainings on writing letters of support and serving as expert witnesses for immigration relief cases. The aim of this project is to create a network of trained professionals able to provide expertise for the cases of individuals and families seeking asylum, U visas, and T visas.
Stay tuned for future opportunities!
|
|
The Social Work Detention Response Team is an interdisciplinary group of social work and law students who orient migrants to the credible fear interview and asylum system, assist in their preparation for the interview, and provide emotional support to women and children undergoing this process. The team also goes on two trips to the border yearly to assist asylum-seekers at the Texas-Mexico border. While we cannot go to the border or to detention centers currently, please stay tuned for future Social Work Detention Response events.
September Immigration Dialogue
An Introduction to Creative Resistance
In our September 2021 Immigration Dialogue, we introduce the concepts of everyday and creative resistance. We will share the history of integrating creativity in resistance to immigrant detention and systems of oppression at large, as well as have opportunities to engage in creative activities together in discussion rooms.
Date & Time: Friday, Sept. 3rd, 12-1:30 p.m.
Cost: Please consider donating $20 when you register. By paying what you can, you help us ensure that these trainings are accessible to everyone!
Audience: Social work students, law students, other students, mental health professionals, and community members
|
|
Group Series: How This Work Affects Us
Reducing Burnout While Supporting Unaccompanied Migrant Youth
In this 4-part series, discussion and learning groups will provide a supportive virtual space to reflect, process, and learn. The purpose of these groups is to meet the needs of folks who provide, or have provided, services to unaccompanied minors. Topics that may come up in these groups include: tools for self-care and healing, boundaries, secondary trauma, and trauma-informed work.
Due to limited capacity for these groups, we ask that you only register if you are able to attend all 4 sessions in this series (see dates/times below).
If you are interested in attending group series in the future, or if the spots have already been filled, please fill out our interest form here so that we can let you know when more opportunities become available.
Dates & Times:
- Tuesday, Sept. 14, 12-1 p.m. CST
- Tuesday, Sept. 21, 12-1 p.m. CST
- Tuesday, Sept. 28, 12-1 p.m. CST
- Tuesday, Oct. 5, 12-1 p.m. CST
Cost: Free. Thank you to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for funding this work!
Audience: Social work students, law students, other students, mental health professionals, and community members
|
|
Check Out Our Unaccompanied Minors Resource Hub
Several schools of social work, NASW Texas, and other organizations across Texas are coordinating efforts to recruit volunteers, share resources, and advertise donation needs of various influx sites. As part of this effort, Girasol created an online hub housing resources and volunteer opportunities.
|
|
Ways to Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering in-person or virtually to support unaccompanied minors, please fill out this form. Girasol will contact you with in-person and virtual opportunities as they arise, including translating materials, providing virtual case management, and helping co-facilitate processing groups.
|
|
|
We are taking a pause in our training offerings this summer while we focus on strategic planning for Girasol. If you or your organization would like to request an in-house training, please email girasoltexas@gmail.com to learn more about what topics and options we offer.
|
|
Girasol’s Navegando Austin website compiles resources to the undocumented community in Austin, TX with the aim of expanding to other areas in the state. We need volunteers to help us at this time to make sure this website reflects all recent updates about the pandemic, federal public charge rules, and resources available to the community.
Interested in helping us update the Navegando Austin website? We'd love your help! Reach out to us at girasoltexas@gmail.com for more info.
|
|
Thank You To Our Partners and Donors!
Your contributions are critical to the success of our program. When you donate to Girasol Texas, you are committing to supporting justice and well-being for our immigrant communities. Thank you to the following donors for supporting our mission!
|
|
Dean Luis Zayas
Mike & Jeanie Haggerty
Robert Margolin
Sherika Wilson
Anya Tyson
Daniel Hogan
Julie Macrae
Kathleen Wendland
Margaret Everhart
Kaitlyn C. Doerge
Lumos
St. David's
Texas Bar Foundation
|
|
|
|
|
