Refugee summit planned for June in Iowa City

IOWA CITY - A first-of-its-kind summit, aimed at introducing refugees and immigrants to available services, as well as celebrating cultural differences, is set to take place this summer in Johnson County.

Various services providers from Johnson and Linn counties met Tuesday at IC Compassion in Iowa City to hammer out preliminary details of the refugee summit, which is being modeled after a similar event in Des Moines last summer.

It is scheduled to take place June 16-17 - the Friday and Saturday before World Refugee Day on June 20.

The event is part of a series of refugee assistance alliance meetings that began last August. It is being coordinated by IC Compassion's three RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps employees. RefugeeRISE is a program started in 2015 through the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service that aims to provide services for refugees across the state.

The summit is intended to unite Eastern Iowa residents, but those outside the corridor who wish to attend are welcome.

'We want to bridge that gap between community and refugees,” said Stephanie Getting, one of the RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps employees at IC Compassion. 'We have those cultural differences and they need to be celebrated and recognized in that they bring about a richness in our community.”

While much still needs to be planned, the group identified Iowa City West High as a possible location to hold the two-day event, using the school's auditorium for large meetings and classrooms for breakout sessions.

The group plans to begin looking for sponsors and said cost to attend is going to be $35. Those wishing to attend must register before the event. For now, Megan Schmidt, a RefugeeRISE member, said they do not plan on charging admission for refugees who wish to attend.

Schmidt said IC Compassion has seen an increase in volunteers working to assist area refugees.

'We're seeing a lot of new volunteers, increasingly with the changes in the political climate,” Schmidt said. 'We have volunteers contact us almost daily, starting about the time of the election.”

The event may include a panel discussion, information on resources already available in the corridor and information on the difference between immigrants, migrants and refugees, as well as the unique challenges and triumphs each face.

Jean Paul Mugemuzi, president of the Refugee and Immigrant Association, is helping to organize the itinerary for Saturday, June 17. Mugemuzi said he wants area refugees to have a hand in planning an event specifically tailored to their needs and interests. Activities should reflect their culture and heritage, he said.

The group planning the summit is to meet again at 6 p.m. Feb. 24 at IC Compassion, 1035 Wade St. Those looking to get involved can send email to info@iccompassion.org or call (319) 330-9883.

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