DALLAS – Students from the Global Mission Leadership initiative at Baylor University visited the IRC Dallas office earlier this month. These students spent the day visiting our Live Oak Community Garden where IRC clients farm, participating in question-and-answer sessions with our department heads, and learning about the refugee resettlement process. As students of faith-based international social work, this group gained valuable insight into our resettlement programs and local refugee communities.


Shortly after Baylor’s visit, students from Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service came to the IRC office in Dallas to learn about our programs. The group spent a day and a half hearing from our department heads about their work, visiting local refugee communities and New Roots gardens, and participating in presentations and discussions about the resettlement process and refugee advocacy. These students, as part of Dr. Silva Hamie’s International Organizations and the Refugee Crisis course, will prepare grant proposals to help fund new and existing IRC programs. 


Accompanying Dr. Hamie’s class were students from A&M’s Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications program. Under Dr. Michael Piña, these students will use their observations from their visit to create proposals for new programs that will further the mission of the IRC in Dallas. Several groups presented their ideas, which included advocacy campaigns, improvements to the farmers market, and suggestions about urban agriculture in local refugee communities. 


Members of the group expressed the value of their visit, saying that interaction with our staff provided them with a deeper understanding of how the IRC helps to support refugees as they adjust to life after resettlement. Others appreciated the firsthand look at the relationships between the many programs housed in our Dallas office.
“I work in international development, so it was very impactful to see what kinds of work I can do in my home country and to help the populations that I support abroad,” said Agriculture Leadership student Alene Seiler-Martinez of the visit. 

 

By: Ariel Bailey

University, Students, Texas
Students from Baylor University and Texas A&M University
Photo: IRC Volunteer