Late last week, the Georgia Council for International Visitors and the U.S. State Department brought a delegation from Portugal to visit the Clarkston Community Center to meet with Executive Director Cindy Bowden, tour the Center and speak with the Center’s staff and local residents.  This delegation is just the latest group of international dignitaries to visit the Center to discuss best practices to help manage the ever-increasing influx of refugees fleeing war, poverty and persecution in the homelands.

“Over the past two decades, Clarkston, Georgia has become a refugee haven for people from over 57 countries,” said Bowden.  “In fact, our community is often referred to as America’s most diverse square mile.  The Clarkston Community Center was created to address some of the challenges that arise from bringing together people from different cultures, races and religions who speak different languages and have completed varying levels of formal education.  We use the common themes of art, food and recreation to engage people, and offer specific educational programs for all ages including computer and technology training, English language, job skills, cooking, arts and crafts and performing arts.  I am very pleased the State Department and Georgia Council for International Visitors have asked us to showcase our best practices to others who work with refugees.”

During their visit, the dignitaries dropped in on the Center’s summer camp, toured the athletic facilities, bicycle repair shop and community garden, and sat down with Bowden and her staff to discuss how the programs work, how they are funded and what type of government support is received.

While in the U.S., the group also visited Phoenix and Washington, D.C.  The State Department’s goals for these international fact-finding missions are:

• To learn how central governments, states and municipalities develop policies regarding refugee resettlement and how this translates into implementation through procedures and best practices
• To observe how government and implementing agencies coordinate with each other throughout the relocation, reintegration and rehabilitation process
• To discuss why it is important to conduct assessments in health, psychology, language and cultural orientation
• To learn how central and municipal governments have shaped acceptance through public awareness and cultural sensitivity training campaigns
• To explore how the U.S. integrates security into the screening process

“Georgia welcomes between 2,500-3,000 refugees every year, many of whom become residents of Clarkston,” said Bowden.  “They have gone through a lengthy legal process to be relocated to the U.S. and most seek to eventually become U.S. citizens.   Each refugee must first be officially recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees and then goes through a 12-step screening and security process.  Once they arrive in our country, a large network of local organizations, including the Clarkston Community Center, aids the refugees in adapting to their new home and becoming self-sufficient through education and employment.  My staff and I are happy to share both our success stories and challenges with officials from around the world as they put programs into place to help support their own refugees.”

About Clarkston Community Center

Established in 1994 and headquartered in the beautifully renovated former Clarkston High School building at 3701 College Ave. in Clarkston, Ga., the Clarkston Community Center offers programs for children, teens, adults and seniors, centered around art, recreation and community building.  The Center serves over 40,000 individuals annually, primarily from Clarkston and greater DeKalb County, Ga., many of whom have immigrated to the United States or are newly-arrived refugees.  The Center’s programs are designed to bring people together and bridge divides of language, customs, culture and faith.  In addition to the headquarters building, the Clarkston Community Center includes an activity field for sports and recreation, acreage for a planned community garden and an additional structure for future development.  Angora Hall, the Center’s renovated auditorium and stage, is available for public rental for parties, weddings and other special events.  A new fundraising program, Friends of Clarkston Community Center, offers individuals the opportunity to financially support the work of the Center.  www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org