Videos for Providing Orientation
Videos are a powerful way to deliver refugee orientation, enabling refugees to hear from refugees like themselves who have already undergone the experience of resettlement, as well as to see the diversity of people and environments in the United States.
Orientation providers often deliver orientation by using a variety of complementary methods: participatory activities, discussion, opportunities for reflection, and so on. The majority of the videos hosted here are accompanied by lesson plans that incorporate these different methods, so these resources can be a valuable addition to a service provider's orientation toolkit.
Welcome to the United States features newly-arriving and previously-resettled refugees from various ethnic groups. Shown in Cultural Orientation programs overseas as well as in the United States, the Welcome video can be used by itself, in concert with group-specific videos listed below, or in conjunction with the Welcome guide.
Faces of Resettlement, which runs ten minutes, features five former refugees resettled in the United States, from Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Iraq, and Sudan. Told in their own voices, the video highlights their resiliency as well as their positive impact on receiving community members.
Bhutanese Refugees in the United States
Refugees from Bhutan speak about their refugee background, experiences learning English, employment opportunities, education for children and adults, and other matters that affect their daily life. Accompanied by English-language transcript and four lesson plans.
Refugees from Burma in the United States
Interviews with refugees from Burma, talking about challenges and accomplishments with learning English, employment, housing and community, rights and responsibilities, and the long process of resettlement. (Note that this link leads to a bilingual version of the video in Burmese and Karen; Burmese-only and Karen-only versions are also available.) Accompanied by English-language transcript and five lesson plans.
Congolese Refugees in the United States
This video includes interviews with refugees and community leaders from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and refugee service providers, speaking about the resettlement experiences of newly-arrived and previously resettled refugees, such as employment opportunities, experience learning English in the United States, education for children and adults, inter-ethnic co-existence, family adjustment, and other matters that affect their daily lives.
Congolese Refugees in the United States, Kinyarwanda version
Congolese Refugees in the United States, Swahili version
Cuban Refugees in the United States
This Spanish-language video provides information for and about refugees from Cuba resettled in the United States. The video is comprised of interviews with resettled refugees and their service providers, using their own words to share their thoughts and experiences.
Darfuri Refugees in the United States
Interviews with refugees from the Darfuri region of Sudan, speaking about matters that affect their daily life, such as the need to work and entry-level positions available, education for children, learning English as an adult, time management, and daily schedules. Accompanied by English-language transcript and five lesson plans.
Refugee Seniors in the United States
Refugee seniors from Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan talk about their refugee background and resettlement experiences. Accompanied by the video script and questions to consider in Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali, and English, and by three lesson plans.
Refugee Families and Youth Videos
A New Day: Refugee Families in the United States and Be Who You Are: Refugee Youth in the United States are designed to facilitate adjustment of refugee families and refugee youth to their new lives in the United States. A New Day is 24 minutes, and focuses upon refugee families. Be Who You Are is 9 minutes, comprised of clips from A New Day; its focus is on refugee youth. Topics include family adjustment, discipline, school life, home life, and learning English. The videos are available for online viewing in English, Farsi, Nepali, and Somali.
