About CORE

Cultural orientation providers attending a workshop hosted by CORE

About CORE

The Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE), a technical assistance program, connects and supports refugee resettlement staff globally to deliver effective Cultural Orientation which helps refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders achieve self-sufficiency in the United States.

Through CORE, Cultural Orientation providers can:

  • Participate in online and in-person learning opportunities
  • Download resources to deliver Cultural Orientation
  • Utilize refugee resources in multiple languages and multimedia formats

CORE is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and administered by the International Rescue Committee.

Who We Serve

Before refugees arrive in the United States, they usually work closely with an assigned Resettlement Support Center overseas. Most refugees come to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and receive pre-departure Cultural Orientation. This map provides information about pre-departure Cultural Orientation at the Resettlement Support Centers worldwide.

 

  • RSC Africa – Church World Service (CWS)
  • RSC Austria – HIAS
  • RSC Asia – International Rescue Committee (IRC)
  • RSC Eurasia – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Latin America – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Middle East and North Africa – International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • RSC Turkey and Middle East – International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)

In the U.S., refugees are assigned to a Resettlement Agency to help them integrate into their new communities. Resettlement Agencies have cooperative agreements to resettle refugees under the Reception and Placement Program, a public/private partnership with PRM. This map provides the locations for offices in the U.S. during FY20.

Our Impact

CORE’s work helps Cultural Orientation providers boost their skills and increase their knowledge. The Cultural Orientation they provide to refugees is then better coordinated, more consistent, and higher quality. Indirectly, CORE serves refugees through the creation of resources and digital platforms that support the understanding of key Cultural Orientation messages.


47

trainings attended by 3,414 individuals

524+

resources for refugees

52,000+

visitors from 170 countries to CORE Resettlement Navigator

Our Team

Jamie oversees CORE’s capacity building and digital initiatives and supports strategic development of CORE’s direct technical assistance framework. For 13 years, she has implemented education and training programming across the globe, including six years of work in refugee resettlement with staff from more than 22 different countries. Her work has included capacity building and systems change projects for youth in Africa and the Middle East, delivering trainings to United Nations peacekeepers, and developing blended multilingual curriculum for USAID. She holds an MA in International Training and Education from American University in Washington, D.C., and a BA in English Literature and Communications from Hood College in Frederick, MD.

Tiana Gonzalez leads CORE’s capacity building of community partners, volunteers, and cosponsors to deliver effective Cultural Orientation. Tiana entered resettlement and integration as an intern with the International Rescue Committee in 2012. Since then, she has worked in direct services with ECDC’s African Community Center in Washington, D.C. and in national program management with HIAS Headquarters. During her eight years in resettlement, Tiana has garnered experience in program design and management, adult education, digital efficiencies, and partnership development. At HIAS, Tiana managed employment and digital literacy programming and served as the Cultural Orientation lead and volunteer coordinator. She holds a BA in Global Studies from St. Lawrence University.

Ella manages CORE’s monitoring and evaluation initiatives and leads CORE’s capacity-building activities for new Cultural Orientation providers. She has ten years of experience managing AmeriCorps programming and working within non-profits. Before joining CORE, Ella managed the Refugee AmeriCorps program at Church World Service for more than three years and served as an Associate Director for the Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps program at Hunger Free America. She holds a BA in Journalism from Bowling Green State University.

Emily oversees the strategic development of CORE’s Settle In app and the start-up of new digital initiatives. She also provides guidance on CORE’s engagement and communication strategy. She has more than ten years of experience in the field of digital communications, including three years managing a global intranet news channel at Cargill for 155,000 employees across 70 countries. Prior to this, she worked for Minnesota Public Radio as an Associate Digital Producer and at Washington City Paper as an Online Producer. She holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Annaleah oversees strategic development of CORE’s two websites, contributes to the creation of CORE’s refugee-facing resources, and manages CORE’s Refugee Advisory Council. She has over six years of experience in evidence-based digital strategy, developing intuitive and user-friendly information architectures, digital content management, and user research. Prior to joining CORE, she worked on digital content strategy and resource development at the Florida Atlantic University Libraries—Special Collections & Archives. She has also worked as a freelancer helping non-profits enhance their digital strategies and taxonomies. She holds an MA in Library & Information Science from the University of South Florida and a BA in History from Florida Atlantic University.

Michal oversees CORE project logistics, including management of vendors and consultants for translation, publication design, and video production. She also manages administrative planning for CORE workshops and shipment of materials to Resettlement Support Centers. Michal has more than 15 years of experience working as a professional translator and editor and taught ESL at Georgetown University. She holds an MA in TESOL from American University in Washington, D.C., a post-baccalaureate in Language and Copy Editing from Bar Ilan University, and a BA in English from Tel Aviv University.

Manar supports CORE’s capacity-building initiatives, including managing CORE’s online learning platform and assisting in the delivery of virtual and in-person trainings. As an education and humanitarian professional with over 13 years of experience, Manar worked as the Family Education Coordinator at the International Rescue Committee in New York.  She expanded CO programming and trained new interns and volunteers in the delivery of Cultural Orientation, while also leading a Cultural Orientation Community of Practice at the IRC. She holds an MA in Sustainable International Development and an MA in Conflict and Coexistence from Brandeis University, and a BA in English Literature from Tishreen University.

Adele supports the management of content on CORE’s two websites and refugee-facing app, Settle In. Adele has more than three years of experience in various communications roles, including work with Atlanta Council for International Relations and Voice of America. She is skilled with creating and managing social media content, utilizing a wide range of tools and technology, including WordPress, MailChimp, Canva, and Final Cut Pro. Bilingual in French and English, she has a BA in International Affairs from the University of Georgia.

Mostafa supports Settle In Facebook, including overseeing engagement with newly arrived Afghans and supporting overall management and monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities. He has more than ten years of experience working in capacity building, project management, and utilizing his language abilities in Afghanistan related to intelligence reporting. He has worked for USAID and Tetra Tech, and SOS International. Most recently he worked at Appen Connect as a Language and Social Media Analyst. He has a MA in Homeland Security from George Washington University, and a BS in Political Science from University of Maryland.

Rashida supports Settle In Facebook by engaging with newly arrived Afghans resettling to the United States and assisting with overall management of the page. She has more than ten years of experience in the international development context, including in program and project development and management. She also worked for three years implementing refugee resettlement programming with YMCA International in Texas. She holds a BSc. Degree in Agriculture Science from a national university in Afghanistan and is currently pursuing a MSc. in Management and Project Management in the United States.

Jamal supports Settle In Facebook with multimedia product development and assisting newly arrived Afghans resettling to the United States with information and resources. He is a media professional with more than ten years of experience in the field. His work has included serving as the head of media productions for the Presidential Office of Afghanistan and as a Communications and Public Outreach Officer. He has experience developing content for social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and also supervising large teams of video production, editors, and writers. He has a BA in Journalism from Herat University.

Ajmal supports Settle In Facebook by providing accurate and up to date information and resources to newly arrived Afghans resettling to the United States. He also assists with overall management of the page. He has more than 12 years of experience in delivering foreign language training, curriculum development to U.S. military. Ajmal has also worked as business analyst and project lead in multiple for-profit organizations. He holds BS in Business Economics from California State University and MBA from West Texas A&M University.

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