Every Campus A Refuge

Part of resettlement work means balancing immediate needs with an eye toward the future, a challenge that continues to evolve in today’s shifting landscape. In our second day panel at the ECAR Gathering, “Pivoting and Reframing: Mobilizing for the ‘Long Welcome,’” speakers from community and campus-based organizations explored how to sustain engagement beyond initial arrivals. The discussion emphasized partnership, adaptability, and shared responsibility, reminding us that the long welcome requires collective effort, imagination, and care to ensure every newcomer not only arrives safely but thrives. Special thank you to Soemoe Aung, Janine Block, Ali (Horton) Schaeffing, and Alex Malanych.

🍰💜 Another sweet success from our ECAR Chapter at Clemson University! Their latest bake sale raised $400 to support their ongoing efforts to create a culture of welcome and help resettled friends feel at home in the Clemson Family. It looked like such a wonderful afternoon of sweet treats and even sweeter connections. We’re so proud of the Clemson team and can’t wait to see what they do next this semester! 🧡🐾

At this year’s Gathering, our first panel, “The Current Landscape and the ‘State of Play,’” offered a timely look at the evolving refugee resettlement landscape in the U.S. Panelists discussed shifting policies, on-the-ground challenges, and inspiring bright spots of innovation emerging across campuses and communities nationwide. In a moment of transition and change, this conversation reminded us how critical it is to channel the growing desire to support newcomers into meaningful, sustained action, transforming compassion into long-term commitment. Special thank you to Jessica Entwistle, Alex Soto, Hector Resto, Laura Wagner, and Marc Singer.

🌟 We are thrilled to celebrate Diya Abdo, who has been named a 2025 Ashoka Fellow! 🌟 This honor recognizes Diya’s visionary work in building a national movement of Resettlement Campuses, where colleges and universities host refugee families on campus, offering a soft landing, stronger beginnings, and true pathways to belonging. Her leadership has helped position higher education as a powerful civic actor in refugee welcome and resettlement. As part of the Ashoka Fellowship, Diya joins a global community of leading social innovators who are advancing solutions for a more equitable and inclusive world. Ashoka supports 300+ changemakers across the U.S. who reflect the dynamism and diversity of our country and are shaping a future where everyone is a changemaker. ❤️ Please join us in congratulating Diya on this transformative recognition and in celebrating the collective work of our ECAR campuses, partners, and communities who make this movement possible. Learn more about the Ashoka Fellows here: https://lnkd.in/eYmVtZeH

Applications are NOW OPEN for the second annual National Young Adult Leadership Council (NYALC)! The NYALC offers robust leadership development for refugees, asylees, and others with forced displacement experience who are living in the United States. NYALC Members will gain and deepen skills in community leadership, civic engagement, public speaking, and more, while being supported to use these skills to design and implement a project benefitting their local community. To learn more about the NYALC and to apply, visit https://lnkd.in/e7TtMnXM NYALC is led by Refugee Congress, in partnership with Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), Every Campus A Refuge, Church World Service, and USAHello.

On the second day of the Gathering, we were honored to hear from Taiba Sultana of Easton’s 3rd District. She shared her powerful journey as an immigrant, educator, and advocate for equity and inclusion, reminding us how local leadership shapes communities of welcome. Her message was one of courage, compassion, and commitment.

The first day of the Gathering began with an inspiring keynote from Dr. Matthew DeMaio, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Lafayette College. His talk explored questions of displacement, belonging, and the meaning of home, themes that resonate deeply with ECAR’s mission and the lived experiences of newcomers across campuses nationwide. Dr. DeMaio’s reflections set the tone for a weekend of meaningful conversation and collaboration.

📈NEW POLL: Data from The Refugee Advocacy Lab, Refugees International, and Data for Progress finds that more than two-thirds of voters believe that the United States should have a refugee resettlement program that helps bring people seeking safety here. These new findings also reveal the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes enacted by this administration that have undermined access to protection for people seeking safety in the United States and abroad, and have sown chaos and fear in U.S. communities. Dive into the data⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gmbRdsi7

✨ Intern Spotlight: Jada Ball ✨ We’re so grateful to have Jada Ball on our team, joining us through our partnership with Humanities at Work at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, helping us advance ECAR’s mission of welcome and belonging across campuses nationwide! 💬 "I’m excited to work with ECAR because I’ve always felt a desire to assist those who’ve been forcibly displaced. I’m honored to be part of a national organization whose mission has helped so many find a home—not just in my home state, but across the entire nation."

Last month, campuses, community partners, and advocates came together for a weekend of learning, reflection, and collaboration at the Every Campus A Refuge Gathering, hosted by our incredible partners at Lafayette College. The weekend began with a warm welcome from Nicole Hurd, PhD, Lafayette’s 18th president and founder of College Advising Corps, who reminded us of the power of education to expand access and opportunity for all. Stay tuned as we share highlights from a weekend full of insight, connection, and inspiration.