Deliver Remote Cultural Orientation
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Ideally, Cultural Orientation is meant to be delivered in-person and in a group setting. However, this may not always be possible. Various factors, such as a location of a refugee prior to their departure or safety and security considerations for both the Cultural Orientation provider and refugee may necessitate remote Cultural Orientation. In order to ensure refugees still receive critical Cultural Orientation messages in these instances, CORE recommends the following remote delivery approaches and tips. For guidance on delivering telephonic cultural orientation, visit CORE’s Telephonic Refugee Resettlement Cultural Orientation Guidance and Curriculum. In addition to the above guidance, CORE also released an effective practice, Delivering Effective Remote Cultural Orientation, which provides tips, guidance, and resources for delivering interactive and engaging remote Cultural Orientation.
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Conduct needs assessment
Slide Content
Steps to Deliver Remote Cultural Orientation
Conduct needs assessment
There are multiple approaches for delivering remote Cultural Orientation to refugees. In order to best determine which method might be best, Cultural Orientation providers should start by answering the following questions:
- What is the refugee’s literacy level?
- What is the refugee’s digital abilities?
- Does the refugee have access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer?
- Is the refugee able to access WiFi or Internet for a period of time?
- What language does the refugee speak?
Steps to Deliver Remote Cultural Orientation
Select appropriate remote Cultural Orientation approach
Based on the above answers, Cultural Orientation providers can select any number or combination of approaches to deliver remote Cultural Orientation, including either self-paced sessions or telephonic, virtual instructor-led online sessions. Use the below flowchart to determine the indicated Cultural Orientation delivery based on refugee needs in terms of language, literacy, and digital awareness and connectivity. For each of these methods, click on the list below for more guidance. When providing remote Cultural Orientation, It is important to ensure interpretation and properly document remote Cultural Orientation in accordance with cooperative agreement guidelines.
Steps to Deliver Remote Cultural Orientation
Consider the role of partners
In addition to determining the remote Cultural Orientation approach, Resettlement Support Centers and Resettlement Agencies also need to consider the role of partners. Partners include, but are not limited to, interpreters, volunteers, interns, community guest speakers, and other organizations, such as businesses, faith-based groups, UNHCR, or IOM. These partners can play a role in in facilitating remote Cultural Orientation. For example, there may be partners who can assist in securing a location for the refugee to attend Cultural Orientation with a stable internet connection.
Steps to Deliver Remote Cultural Orientation
Use in-person Cultural Orientation best practices
In delivering remote Cultural Orientation, providers should still employ the same best practices of in-person Cultural Orientation delivery in terms of methodology and resources. Specifically, adult learning principles, student-centered learning, and avoidance of cognitive overload are critical. For more guidance on these concepts, Cultural Orientation providers are encouraged to complete CORE’s online courses. In terms of resources, Cultural Orientation providers can adapt and use resources available through the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange, the Settle In website and mobile app. Providers can access more tips on utilizing Settle In through CORE’s Whole Office Approach to Cultural Orientation page.
Additional Remote Cultural Orientation Tools
- CORE’s Telephonic Refugee Resettlement Cultural Orientation Guidance and Curriculum: This resource from CORE includes guidance on structuring and delivering telephonic Cultural Orientation by topic and can be adapted for use in other modes of remote Cultural Orientation, such as instructor-led online sessions. It also includes references on incorporating CORE’s translated refugee resources.
- HIAS Virtual Communications Guide: Resource created by HIAS in collaboration with Accenture with step-by-step instructions and visuals on how to use Whatsapp on (Apple and Android) and Zoom (Apple, Android, and desktop). Translated into Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Ukrainian, and Urdu.
- HIAS Digital Literacy Toolkit available in Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya, and Ukrainian
- USCCB How to Use a Chromebook Guide: USCCB created this guide in collaboration with an affiliate in Fort Worth, Texas. The guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to use a Chromebook and is translated into Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Pashto, Spanish, Swahili, and Tigrinya.
- HIAS Digital Literacy Videos for Newcomer Families: These short videos cover topics such as digital safety and scams, preventing viruses and malware, and other topics related to digital literacy. Each series includes 16 short videos.
- Switchboard’s Resource Round-up: Multilingual Tutorials on Zoom and Other Online Platforms: Provides a list of multilingual resources on how to use Google Classroom and Zoom.
- HIAS Training Youtube Channel: Introductory Chromebook Orientation videos for Newcomer Families available in English, Arabic, Tigrinya, Burmese, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Swahili, and Nepali
- IRC’s Digital Literacy Videos available in Rohingya, Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Dari, and Burmese
