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The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in New Jersey is pleased to share some updates on what the Community Engagement Team was able to achieve in 2023.

It is with your support that the team was able to foster new relationships, support volunteers and interns, and advance our local presence and engagement with community leaders. Below is a glimpse of the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ’s Community Engagement impact!

IMPACT

In 2023, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ received the support of over 200 interns and volunteers and was able to match three families with three separate community sponsorship groups! ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ hosted 4 career fairs and 20 community events, including one World Refugee Open House, and co-host five New American Resource Pop-up Centers with Make the Road NJ in which over 30 community partners attended and over 600 New Americans were served!  

This work could not have been possible without the support of over 50 community partners/organizations, which includes multiple universities, the NJ Interfaith Council and Interfaith Council of Union County, One World One Love, Make the Road NJ, Urban League of Union County, Ukrainian Cultural Center, Egyptian Festival, HAUP, Furniture Assist, and many more. 

Many translation, media/content management and development accomplishments were made in 2023 as well to improve the service delivery of our colleagues. Connections with volunteer interpreters developed into ongoing relationships passed on to other caseworkers and departments to meet the high need for interpretation services during intakes, client meetings and more. 

Community Sponsorship  

This year, Community Sponsorship enabled ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ to not only serve 3 families and 11 individuals, but access broader resources for clients as a whole. Relationships developed with landlords and realtors through the co-sponsors have led to additional housing opportunities for families that have been living in temporary housing. Similarly, some long-standing community partners have diversified their engagement within our departments and are now integral parts of ongoing service delivery. We also engaged more than 35 volunteers through community sponsorship who have in turn returned to support our service delivery needs.   

VISION FOR 2024 

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ is always in need of interpreters, especially those who speak Spanish or Haitian Creole. Interpreters may work in-person and virtually. In-person, interpreters may assist with workforce development and financial capabilities sessions, accompany case workers and clients in economic empowerment, and assist with case management, ICM, and operations. 

Many community members have asked for a list of engagement activities they could support on. The team invites you to look at this one-pager which outlines how you can either volunteer, fundraise, or support with in-kind donations.  

This year in 2024, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in NJ is excited to participate in local engagement opportunities all over Union County, Hudson County, Essex County, Bergen County. Stay tuned for that! Please reach out to Fiorella Rodriguez, the Community Engagement Manager, [email protected] to connect!