REFUGEE integration CONFERENCE and Arts Festival
march 4-5, 2022
Tufts university: BREED MEMORIAL HALL
also broadcast on zoom
This year’s RIT Conference and Arts Festival explored the links between migrant and refugee integration and mental health, identifying the barriers to and opportunities for protection and improvement of mental health in different communities and cities. Drawing on nearly 50 case studies conducted by refugees across the globe, researchers and practitioners showcased lessons and strategies that facilitate refugee integration and promote mental health. Interactive workshops led by local artists allowed attendees to understand how a variety of art forms help migrants and refugees and their hosts heal and protect and promote mental health in their communities.
Izmir, Turkey, Mert Kahveci
ARTS FESTIVAL
saturday, march 5
Artists, researchers, and the public explored the integration experiences of refugees and communities through different art forms. Art transcends culture, language, and boundaries, and conveys the experience of displacement and integration in an intimate way. This community-oriented series of performances and workshops was led by artists in the New England area, who invited the public to actively engage with dance and music, theater, painting, creative writing, photography, etc. The guests learned about the role of art in refugee integration and mental health protection and promotion.
CONFERENCE
friday, march 4
Practitioners, policymakers, and researchers from around the world shared how their city/town/neighborhood is supporting migrant integration, and the challenges to mental health in the integration process itself. Participants included resettlement coordinators, aid workers, and people who’ve been displaced. Drawing from over 50 RIT case studies of urban integration authored by refugees in cities worldwide, the event was a powerful opportunity to analyze and discuss the links between integration and mental health, and learn what works and what hurts. Our goal was to encourage fresh ideas for improving migrant-host integration, and to widen the network of people working toward improving inclusivity while prioritizing mental health of refugees and hosts alike.
schedule: saturday
All times in Eastern Standard
SCHEDULE: FRIday
All times in Eastern Standard
10:45-11:00 AM – Opening Remarks
11:00 AM-12:30 PM – Refugee Stories on Stage: Finding Meaning through Storytelling
12:30-12:45 PM – Coffee Break
12:45-2:15 PM – Representation and Filmmaking with Refugees
2:15-3:15 PM – Lunch & Networking
3:15-4:45 PM – Art, Activism, and Integration
4:45-5:00 PM — Poetry Reading: Tabo Bo
5:00-6:00 PM – Tying it Together: Coffee Hour with RIT Team
11:00-11:05 AM – Opening Remarks by Dr. Karen Jacobsen
11:05 AM-12:05 PM – Race, Identity, and Mental Health
12:05-12:10 PM — Remarks by Dean Rachel Kyte
12:15-12:30 PM – Spotlight: Exploring Psychedelic-Assisted Treatments
12:30-1:30 PM – One Health: Humans, Animals, and the Environment
1:30-2:30 PM – Lunch & Networking
2:30-2:45 PM – Spotlight: Supporting Youth Refugees--Trauma Systems Therapy
2:45-3:45 PM – Border Spaces & Perpetual Waiting
3:45-4:00 PM – Spotlight: Culturally-Competent Mental Healthcare
4:30-6:30 PM — Reception & Keynote: Martín Espada
keynote speaker
Friday 5:00-6:00 PM
BREED MEMORIAL HALL
Martín Espada
Martín Espada has published more than twenty books as a poet, editor, essayist and translator. His new book of poems from Norton is called Floaters, winner of the 2021 National Book Award. Other books of poems include Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (2016), The Trouble Ball (2011), The Republic of Poetry (2006) and Alabanza (2003). He is the editor of What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump (2019). He has received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Shelley Memorial Award, the Robert Creeley Award, an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, the PEN/Revson Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. The Republic of Poetry was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The title poem of his collection Alabanza, about 9/11, has been widely anthologized and performed. His book of essays and poems, Zapata’s Disciple (1998), was banned in Tucson as part of the Mexican-American Studies Program outlawed by the state of Arizona, and reissued by Northwestern. A former tenant lawyer in Greater Boston, Espada is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
session information
FRIDAY 11:05 AM-12:05 PM — Panel: Race, Identity, and Mental Health
In recent years, cities and states across the United States have increasingly recognized racism as a public health crisis, a central component of which is mental health. Some members of immigrant and refugee communities face discrimination upon arrival to the U.S. and consequently suffer an array of impacts on their mental health. Others, upon settling in a new country and interacting with different cultures, grapple with questions of racial and other forms of identity in new ways. This panel will probe these complex intersections of race, identity, and mental health for refugees and immigrants in the U.S., sharing insights from research and practice.
Moderated by: Joseph Zorokong (Country Registration Specialist, FHI 360; Fletcher School alumnus & RIT Case Researcher: Lowell, MA) Panelists: Tabo Bo (Founder, Nomadic Voices), Sarah Morehouse (MALD Candidate & RIT Case Researcher: Utica, NY), Dr. Joelle Taos Taknint (Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Boston Center for Refugee Health & Human Rights), Rachel Vinciguerra (National Program Manager, Hello Neighbor)
FRIDAY 12:15-12:30 PM — Spotlight: Exploring Psychedelic-Assisted Treatments
Migrants and refugees often report being exposed to high levels of stress before, during, and following their journeys. As a result, this population is disproportionately diagnosed with high levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other illnesses. Despite this increased need, migrants and refugees are less likely than ordinary populations to receive care. This spotlight will examine burgeoning research that explores the use of psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA, to meet the therapy needs of migrants and refugees and improve long-term mental health outcomes.
Speaker: Dr. David P. Roberson (Founder and CEO, Cacti Therapeutics)
FRIDAY 12:30-1:30 PM — panel: One Health: Humans, Animals, and the Environment
A One Health approach centers the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. By better understanding the relationship between the living world, impacts on human health come into sharper focus: zoonotic diseases (like COVID-19), food safety and security, and environmental health, among others. What might a One Health approach reveal about mental health? This panel will explore the ways in which animals and the environment shape migrants’ and refugees’ mental health experiences post-displacement. It will consider how intentional interventions can breathe life into migrants’ and refugees’ connections with others and their new world.
Moderated by: Dr. Muhammad Zaman (Founding Faculty, Boston University Initiative on Forced Displacement) Panelists: Meg Daley Olmert (Science Advisor, The Big Fix Uganda’s Comfort Dog Project), Dr. Clare Rishbeth (Senior Lecturer, Department of Landscape Architecture, The University of Sheffield), Dr. Benjamin Thomas White (Senior Lecturer of History, Department of Humanities, University of Glasgow)
friday 2:30-2:45 PM — Spotlight: Supporting Youth Refugees — Trauma Systems Therapy
The stress that child refugees and migrants experience does not end with the journeys. Beyond the traumatic stress that can result from the persecution, violence, or dangerous living conditions they are fleeting, children may experience compounding stress as a result of resettlement, acculturation, and isolation. Drawing on the resilience of children while recognizing their unique therapy needs to overcome this trauma, Dr. Ellis will present her pioneering Trauma Systems Therapy—Refugees (TST-R) framework. TST-R addresses social environmental and system-of-care factors, and employs components of prevention and intervention to improve outcomes for young people.
Speaker: Dr. Heidi Ellis (Director, Boston Children’s Hospital Trauma and Community Resilience Center)
friday 2:45-3:45 PM — PANEL: BORDER SPACES AND PERPETUAL WAITING
Migrants are often stuck for long periods of time in both physical and psychological borderlands, whether in refugee camps, transitional urban developments, detention centers, or continual feelings of uncertainty in new homes. This state of flux and constant movement can take a toll on refugee mental health as they grapple with the ambiguity of their future. Through this panel, we will seek to understand the mental health impact of living in perpetually transitional spaces and the challenges faced by refugees crossing borders. We will also discuss ways in which refugees in various border areas and liminal situations have coped with their uncertain environments and taken action to build community and support themselves and one another.
Moderated by: Dr. Katrina Burgess (Director, Henry J. Leir Institute; Associate Professor, Political Economy, The Fletcher School) Panelists: Akram (RIT Case Researcher: Beirut), Teodora Jovanović (Research Assistant, Institute of Ethnography SASA; RIT Case Researcher: Belgrade), Cassie Stewart (President, Rio Valley Relief Project), Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti (RIT Case Researcher: Cape Town)
friday 3:45-4:00 PM — SPOTLIGHT: culturally-competent mental healthcare
Refugees and other migrants have unique mental health care needs stemming from experiences of war, trauma, loss, movement, and uncertainty around their status and situation. Traditional care practitioners without migrant-specific training often lack cultural awareness that can further exacerbate mental health issues for migrants. In this spotlight, we will learn about barriers to culturally-competent mental health care as well as ways in which care providers can and should incorporate knowledge about the particular circumstances and needs of refugees and migrants into their work.
Speaker: Sarah Bansen, APRN (Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center)
Saturday 11:00 AM-12:30 PM — Refugee Stories on Stage: Finding Meaning through Storytelling
In the months following 9/11, the unexpected migration of more than 2,500 Somali migrants to Lewiston and Auburn, Maine garnered national attention. The migration changed many lives, including for workshop instructor Cheryl Hamilton. Born and raised in the twin cities, Cheryl was hired to help manage the relocation efforts and to bridge relationships between newcomers and long-term residents. In 2008, Cheryl wrote and performed a one-person play based on her experience. The play addresses issues of refugee resettlement, racism, and sexual trauma. In this interactive workshop, we will explore the important role of theater in creating more inclusive spaces for refugees and others. To learn more about Cheryl and her company's work amplifying refugee and immigrant stories, visit www.stellarstory.com.
INSTRUCTOR BIO: CHERYL HAMILTON
Cheryl Hamilton has devoted her career to advancing more inclusive communities and storytelling. She brings more than 20 years of experience directing local and national nonprofit programs, including as the national coordinator for RefugeeWorks where she advised companies on how to welcome immigrants into their workforces. More recently, she was the creator and director of Suitcase Stories, a program that featured stories of refugee and immigrant life. As Founder and Executive Director of Stellar Story Company, she manages the curation and coaching for Stories from the Stage, a national media program produced by WORLDChannel in partnership with GBH events. In addition to the training and events she leads for institutions, Cheryl has coached over 400 people from 80 countries to tell their stories. Her personal stories have been featured on national podcasts and she routinely performs on stages throughout the U.S.
SATURDAY 12:45-2:15 PM — REPRESENTATION AND filmmaking with refugees
Filmmaker Loch Phillipps and Tatjana Kulalic, a Bosnian Refugee who appears in Loch’s documentary, Utica: The Last Refuge, will talk about representations of refugees in the media. How does the media’s focus on the trauma suffered by refugees and their dramatic stories work for and against the ultimate goal of resettling them? How much agency do refugees have in how they are portrayed? How can we do a better job of helping them live safer and more productive lives? We will show selected scenes from the film to illustrate how the filmmaking team on the project addressed some of these questions.
speaker Bio: Loch Phillipps
Founder of Off Ramp Films, Loch has been making films for 30 years. He left graduate school focused on fiction filmmaking, but quickly got bounced into documentaries as the primary editor for UNICEF in New York. From there he moved into shooting and producing, traveling widely. His work for international organizations has been televised from China to Brazil and on CNN International. More recently, Loch has been working with the multiple Emmy-winning production company Hock Films, directing films for ESPN, Fox Sports, and Major League Soccer. He was the main director for Hock’s series MLS Insider, which ran for 5 seasons and was nominated for an Emmy.
Loch lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Lee Skaife, a filmmaker and sometime collaborator. They have two college aged children, Circe and Eero. He is currently co-directing a short film in western Pennsylvania with a recently arrived Burmese refugee, Hong Sar Mhan, and collaborating with the Rockefeller Institute to produce a series of short films on refugee resettlement in upstate New York.
speaker bio: Tatjana Kulalic
Tatjana was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result of the conflict that engulfed former Yugoslavia in 1992, she fled with her family to neighboring Croatia. She was granted refugee status and arrived in the United States with her family in December of 1998. Originally resettled in Columbia MD, the family moved to Utica in upstate NY in 2000, where she found employment with The Center, formerly known as the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees. There she works as the Coordinator for Immigration and Citizenship, helping refugees navigate residence issues and the citizenship process. Tatjana has one son, Isak, who is in college.
saturday 3:15-4:45 PM — Art, Activism, and Integration
speaker bio: anthony romero
Anthony Romero is a Boston-based artist, writer, and organizer committed to documenting and supporting artists and communities of color. Recent projects and performances have been featured at the Blue Star Contemporary (San Antonio), The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston) and the Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Biennial (Calgary, Canada). Publications include Lastgaspism: Art and Survival in the Age of Pandemic, coauthored with Daniel Tucker and Dan Wang, and The Social Practice That Is Race, coauthored with Dan S. Wage, and the exhibition catalogue Organize Your Own: The Politics and Poetics of Self-Determination Movements, or which he was the editor. He is a cofounder of the Latinx Artist Visibility Award, a national scholarship for Latinx artists produced in collaboration with artist J. Soto and OxBow School of Art. Romero is a Professor of the Practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
SATURDAY 4:45-5:00 PM — spoken word poetry: tabo bo
speaker BIO: TABO BO
Tabo is a Karen refugee that immigrated to America when he was four years old. His experiences and activities growing up in Utica molded him into the person he is today. He grew up at Thea Bowman, was a Young Scholar, graduated from Proctor in 2018 where he was a part of JROTC and is currently a senior at Utica College. He is now 22 years old, and started exploring poetry and spoken word during quarantine. Loving bringing people together, he founded Nomadic Voices in 2020 – an open mic platform to allow himself and a variety of other young area talent and creators to share their gifts in a public space. You can catch their pop-up events throughout the year as they travel from city parks to other pockets of the city that come alive during their performances.
He has held over a dozen open mics at Kemble Park, Nurses Candlelight Park, MLK Park on South Street, Handshake.City, downtown on Charlotte Street. He has also performed at Levitt AMP Utica Music Series and most recently at the Bank of Utica’s New Years Eve event.
thank you to our organizing team
Stéphanie Khoury, co-organizing chair of the arts festival. Stéphanie is a lecturer in the Music Department. Her research addresses how music operates as a tool for community building and knowledge transmission within Cambodian and Cambodian American communities.
Marina Lazetic, RIT Program Manager; Fletcher Ph.D. student
Antti Toivanen, RIT Senior Research Assistant; Fletcher Ph.D. student
Jacob Ewing, RIT Senior Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Anna Cloud, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Sara Lodgen, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Heather Odell, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Maggie McGlynn, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Annis Roberts, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Allison Dalton, RIT Research Assistant; Fletcher MALD student
Allison Larmann, Zoom Manager; Fletcher MALD student
