Detail
Arrival: Monday, May 13, 2024
Departure: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to integrate and thrive in Georgia communities. Since opening in 1979, the IRC’s locally funded office in Atlanta has welcomed more than 28,000 refugees from over 65 countries to resettle in communities across the state. A committed staff of more than 150 professionals work together with volunteers to assist families in reuniting and rebuilding their lives in the greater Atlanta area.
The IRC in Atlanta offers a broad range of programs including resettlement and case management services, adult education classes, youth programs, employment assistance, asset building resources, community health response programs, and immigration services, all of which serve more than 4,000 clients each year.
The physical intensity level for this visit is easy: Light walking. Programs accessible by land with reasonable distances by road or rail. This itinerary is subject to changes due to circumstances out of our control.
DAY 1 - Arrival Day: Monday, May 13
- Arrive at ATL Airport and check-in to Holiday Inn Express
- Dinner with Justin Howell, Executive Director of IRC Atlanta, and Omar Aziz, Deputy Director of Resettlement
Day 2 - Full Visit Day: Tuesday, May 14
- Welcome tour of IRC Atlanta program office and overview of programs: Resettlement, Asylum Seeking, and Case Management
- Meet with Community Health Response and CORE program teams
- Observation of Adult Education - ESL and New Arrival Orientation classes
- Lunch with Economic Empowerment and Micro-enterprise Development team and clients
- Visit to Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies partner Refuge Coffee
- Presentation on Youth programs and visit to IRC Atlanta-supported after-school program for career panel with 14-15 year-old students
- Farewell and debrief with Ellen Beattie, VP of Program Excellence and Justin Howell, Executive Director
- Transfer to ATL Airport
Fee: $1,500 USD
The trip fee covers:
- Meals, accommodations, road travel
- Pre-departure support
- A donation to the IRC in RAI - Atlanta
Please Note: Air travel to and from Atlanta are not included in the above fee.
A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required to reserve a spot on this visit.
What is a delegation visit?
Donor Delegation Trips are quarterly pre-planned, fee-based group trips of 5 to 10 participants to destinations prioritized based on funding needs and accessibility.
What is IRC’s COVID-19 policy regarding the delegation visit?
IRC puts forth the greatest possible effort to provide a safe and secure operational environment. However, given the nature of our work, participants on the trip may be exposed to healthcare risks, including but not limited to the risk of communicable diseases such as COVID-19. While IRC communicates and expects all operating partners to comply with and encourage appropriate safeguarding measures, the risk of COVID-19 and other potentially infectious diseases still exists. Visitors are required to review the medical guidelines that are provided by IRC prior to participating in the trip and to carefully consider them as they relate to your own medical profile and medical risk tolerance levels.
What happens after I register?
Immediately after you register, you will receive an email from the IRC's Program Visits team. This will be your primary contact for trip-related questions or concerns in advance of the visit. Before the visit, you will receive many resources to support your preparation process (see the response to the question below “Are there resources to help me prepare for the upcoming visit?”)
I would like to see specific a program during the delegation visit — can you help coordinate that?
Trip registrants should assume that the itinerary shared with their invitation is the itinerary for their visit, for all intents and purposes. The itinerary is shared at this stage to help set expectations around the locations and program types to be seen, and the pace of the visit. Making changes to meet the interests of individual participants will make it impossible to set realistic expectations.
That said, the itinerary distributed with the invitation is tentative and subject to changes at any time due to circumstances out of our control, such as weather, politics or safety. The itinerary is designed by the hosting country and program teams based on accessibility of programs and priority of funding needs, with the objective of showing as many program highlights as possible.
We aim to avoid having idle time, ensure travel routes are safe and destinations are secure, and recommend flight arrival and departure windows to ensure the best experience.
Are there resources to help me prepare for the upcoming visit?
Immediately after you register for your trip, you will be contacted by the Program Visits team. This will be your primary contact and provide any support you will need in advance of the visit, such as visa invitation letters, flight recommendations, and itinerary updates. Several weeks before your trip, you will receive a Pre-departure Briefing containing history of the regional crisis and IRC’s response efforts, IRC emergency contact information, packing list, safety precautions and cultural norms to be aware of, IRC reports and information sheets, as well as additional recommended readings. Several days before your trip, you will participate in a mandatory Safety and Security briefing with the Program Visits team and the local Security officer from the region you will be visiting.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
During the registration process, we ask about any dietary restrictions or preferences. Within reason, most dietary needs can be accommodated during delegation trips and if for some reason this is impossible, the registrant will be notified in advance of the trip. Because IRC operates in many remote locations, there will likely be limited options for meal alternatives at some points during the trip, and therefore it is important to be prepared for the likelihood of meal repetition.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
If you would like to cancel your participation in the trip, contact Program.Visits@rescue.org. In your email, please indicate whether you would like a partial refund (see below for our refund policy) or prefer to donate the refundable portion of your trip fee. If you opt to donate the refundable portion of your trip fee, the donation will be allocated to the hosting IRC country office and a thank you letter and tax receipt will be emailed to the cancelled registrant.
Refund policy: In order to register for the trip, a non-refundable deposit is required. This amount is different for each trip and can be found on the trip registration page. The deposit cannot be refunded for any reason, other than IRC has cancelled or postponed the trip. The remaining balance of the trip fee may be refunded if the registrant cancels more than 45 days prior to the trip arrival date. Within 45 days of the trip, IRC may have already incurred expenses related to domestic air and land travel, accommodations, and other non-cancellable charges, which the registrant may be held responsible for. Any refunds will be applied back to the credit card used to pay for the trip fee.
When would IRC cancel a donor delegation program visit?
IRC will cancel a donor delegation program visit if the number of registrants does not meet the threshold for covering trip costs and allowing for a minimum donation size to the hosting country program. A visit may also be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances related to safety, or changes in the hosting country program staff capacity.
Forms
All registrants were required to read, sign, initial and return these forms as part of the registration process. The forms are available to you here for easy reference.
Getting Ready to Travel: Flights, Safety and More
Flights
Please plan to arrive at ATL Airport no later than 5 PM local time on Monday, May 13th. Your return flight from ATL Airport should depart no sooner than 8 PM local time on Tuesday, May 14th. If you have any questions regarding flight planning or would like support with scheduling your arrival/departure, please email Program Visits.
Hotel Information
The hotel selected for this visit is the Holiday Inn Express. Transportation will be arranged to transport you from the airport to the hotel upon arrival. Your trip fee will cover one night at the Holiday Inn Express.
Safety & Security
There will be a mandatory Pre-Arrival Briefing call held in the weeks leading up to the visit. We will answer any questions or concerns to best prepare you for your trip. Here is the tentative agenda for that call for your reference, your availability will be requested in order to ensure you can join.
Deputy Director of Operations | Zak Metz
Zak.Metz@rescue.org | +1 678 982 0463
Deputy Director of Resettlement Programs | Omar Aziz
Omar.Aziz@rescue.org | +1 470 596 1835
Executive Director | Justin Howell
Justin.Howell@rescue.org | +1 678 636 8929
- Programs and Services Overview – IRC Atlanta
- IRC Health Strategy 2023-2027
- Atlanta Office Strategy Action Plan
Safeguarding Guidelines
The IRC is an organization that works closely and regularly with people affected by crisis and conflict. The IRC commits to protecting the dignity, confidentiality, and safety of our clients. As partners and guests of the IRC, we thank you in advance for following these guidelines.
1. Please take time to reflect on your biases and assumptions, and how one's personal background and identity can be perceived by others. Be prepared to adapt your preferred communication style or behavior to what is appropriate and effective on site. Remember to read and adhere to IRC’s Social Media Guidelines and Gift Policy (refer to pages 9-10).
2. Please make all efforts to minimize the risk of harm to clients, especially child clients, by following the ‘do-no-harm’ principles.
3. There will be time and space to ask clients questions.
- Approach client interaction with an open mind and genuine curiosity. Refrain from giving your personal opinion or proposing solutions directly to clients. Programme ideas can be discussed with the IRC staff accompanying your visit.
- Please focus your questions for clients on their impressions and experiences with IRC’s work and keep them open-ended. Personal, political, or sensitive questions can bring up trauma and lead to a client’s discomfort or mistrust of the IRC.
- Do not focus your questions on clients’ vulnerabilities. Instead, highlight affirming experiences and success stories. Please remember that clients are resilient and have many strengths.
- Be aware of gender dynamics, especially when interacting with clients of a different gender.
4. Do be mindful and respectful of staff and clients’ time during the visit, noting that if you spend more time on a specific project, you might miss the next activity on your schedule where staff and/or clients are waiting for you.