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Welcoming the new year with expert speakers, social experiences, and free lunches
Hello Members and Supporters,
2024 is here, and with it, we are excited to share the next phase of our return to in-person programming. This spring, in addition to a slate of expert speakers, afternoon programs at the Iowa City Public Library will include a free meal for attendees, with doors opening 30 minutes early to allow time for meeting old friends and making new ones before the start of the program. The Dee Norton Fund will provide beverages.
In addition, we also look ahead to the final two events in celebration of our 40th Anniversary, which include a partner soirée at the Lasansky Gallery in March and a community celebration in the UI Old Capitol Senate Chamber in April.
We look forward to welcoming our members and supporters back this season to explore new topics, partner events, and a return to social engagement and community connection. If you can't make it, remember that all events will be streaming online and shared via our Glocal Voices podcast on YouTube, thanks to our ICPL and City Channel 4 partners.
All the best in the New Year, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
James Dykeman
Director of Development
and Communications
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We celebrate decades of ICFRC's impact in the community this academic year while honoring our longtime supporters, students, families, community partners, business leaders, and young professionals. Celebrate the past with us and let’s look forward together to the future.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AT A GLANCE | |
SUNDAY GOSHIT
Program Committee Member
Dr. Sunday Goshit moved to Iowa from Jos, Nigeria in 2000 to pursue a PhD in Geography. His first love in research and academics crosses the boundaries of physical geography with an emphasis in synoptic climatology, environmental planning, and information science. He is interested in the environmental impacts of climate variability and change. Later he developed an interest in intercultural communication generally and cultural adjustment of international students and recent immigrants to the United States of America, in particular. He focuses on immigrants’ adjustment process, and institutional and communal responses to the need and potentials of the newcomers.
"ICFRC provides a unique opportunity for understanding global affairs. Developing a global mindset requires knowledge and skills. ICFRC programs open the Iowa City community to the world in broad and specific (local) terms. Moving from Nigeria to the US more than two decades ago has provided me with unique learning experiences, but ICFRC gives me a depth I have always yearned for. The dynamic nature of global issues requires that communities are aware of those changes and their implications, and ICFRC provides the awareness in a community-based, engaging effort."
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Speaking from the student perspective, co-hosts Kennedy Lein and Thom Blair welcome you to the Glocal Voices Podcast. In this second episode, Thom and Kennedy share clips from a few of their favorite programs from this season and perspectives on what topics mean for them and what other students can do to make an impact on urgent issues. | |
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NEW PROGRAM RECORDING ON THE GLOCAL VOICES PODCAST
Digital Democracy and Youth Empowerment
Digital democracy uses digital technologies to promote and strengthen democracy, including accessing information, participating in political discussions, and holding elected officials accountable. Young people increasingly use digital technologies to participate in democracy, using social media to organize protests, raise awareness, and contact their elected officials.
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Working with Refugees and Displaced Persons: The International Rescue Committee in Iowa - LUNCH
JANUARY 23, 2024, 11:00AM - 12:00PM
IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
DOORS OPEN AT 10:30AM - JOIN US FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION AND A MEAL!
PLEASE RSVP BY JANUARY 15th - SO WE KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD TO ORDER
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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization supporting individuals impacted by conflict and displacement. The IRC operates in 52 countries internationally and 30 offices in the United States. Sarah Terlouw, IRC’s Executive Director in Iowa, will speak about her 15-year career supporting refugees and other conflict-affected populations. She will share her experiences overseas and the transition to working domestically, focusing on the opening of the IRC in Iowa in 2022 and the organization’s expansion into Iowa City in October 2023. Aimerance Makunda, originally from the DRC and an Iowa City resident since 2012, also speaks. | |
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FEBRUARY 7, 2024, 12:00PM - 1:00PM
IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
ALSO STREAMING ONLINE: https://www.youtube.com/@thelibrarychannel
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In Pursuit of Food Justice, Globally and Locally - LUNCH
Food Justice, a social movement ensuring universal access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food for all, is a growing imperative today. Only by examining the structural disparities of food systems and by becoming prepared to accept a meaningful change can we address the urgency of food insecurity, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities. The Global Food Project in Johnson County is one example of how people in Iowa have come together for an inclusive, just, and sustainable way forward.
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FEATURED PROGRAM RECORDING | |
RUSSIA’S PERSISTENT DISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA WAR AGAINST THE WEST | Since 2000, the Kremlin has been waging a relentless information war against the U.S., NATO, the European Union, democracy, and liberal values. Russian disinformation and propaganda, disseminated to one extent or another on every continent, achieved hyper status as Vladimir Putin prepared to invade Ukraine. It continues in its varied, preposterous ways as the conflict endures. The presentation examines the nature, goals, and consequences of these ongoing struggles for the hearts and minds of audiences and the West’s late arrival on this bloodless, nonetheless perilous battlefield. | |
Peter Gross, Ph.D., is professor emeritus and former Director of the University of Tennessee’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media (2006-2019). | |
COMMUNITY PARTNER EVENT SPOTLIGHT | |
Bridging Voices: Exploring Language Justice and Identity
This webinar, hosted by the University of Iowa (UI) and the University of Dar es Salaam, will invite panelists to share knowledge and experience on language justice. Language justice is a concept that encompasses the fair and equitable treatment of all languages and linguistic communities, ensuring that individuals and groups have equal opportunities to communicate, participate, and access services in their preferred language(s). It is rooted in the principles of linguistic diversity, inclusion, and the recognition of the importance of language in shaping individual and collective identity.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM CST
Virtual Event
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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS! | | |
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Our programming is made possible by our supporters just like you who have helped us reach communities across Iowa for nearly 40 years. Learn more about how your support is helping uplift communities and raising awareness about issues affecting our world. | |
Are there topics and speakers you would like to see brought to your community? Are you interested in being one of our speakers? | |
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