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ICFRC: Refugees & Immigrants in Iowa

Listen to an audio podcast of this program.

The ICFRC is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities to carry out a project on Iowa refugees and immigrants from December 1, 2021, to August 30, 2022. This project will consist of six free public educational programs with expert speakers from across Iowa addressing specific relevant topics. Overall, the project's goal is to raise the voices and share the stories of refugees and immigrants who come to Iowa. The programs will aim to give Iowans and their communities a deeper understanding of other cultures and countries, and how engaging with refugees and immigrants can not only increase our empathy and understanding but can benefit and help our communities to thrive as diverse people living together.

Dr. Peter Gerlach, Project Director, discusses the project and provides an overview of the six upcoming programs. He is the Summer Institute Coordinator at the UI International Writing Program. He received his BA and MA degrees in English from Ripon College and the University of Northern Colorado, respectively. After serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Mongolia, he earned a Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education from Syracuse University. Since 2004, he has taught university students in composition and literature, English as a foreign language, qualitative research, and international education. Dr. Gerlach is also an adjunct assistant professor in the UI International Studies Program. He teaches a UI undergraduate course, "Community Engaged Learning with Refugees and Immigrants in Iowa" which helps to inform this project and which will also draw on the project's learnings for future classes.

We are grateful to Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities for their support for this project. One of the grant's requirements is that we must match this funding. If you would like to make a donation to support this project, please go to: https://www.icfrc.org/donate.html to make an online donation or you can mail a check to our address below:
Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
308 E Burlington St, #282
Iowa City, IA 52240-1602

For more information on the Foreign Relations Council visit their website at www.icfrc.org.

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