1. Thank Our Elected Leaders for Their Consent & Support
President Trump passed an Executive Order passed in September 2019 (since halted by a federal judge), requiring refugee resettlement agencies to obtain state and local consent to continue placing refugees in their communities. For Canopy, this meant gaining official consent from Washington County and our local cities where we resettle our clients, as well as the state Governor’s consent. We are so grateful that our Fayetteville and Springdale mayors, Washington County Judge, and state Governor gave not only their consent, but their support for refugee resettlement to continue in NWA -we want to make sure that they know just how thankful we are for them!
- Send handwritten letters of thanks! Help us tell our elected officials that we appreciate them, and that we believe they made the right decision.
- Email them thank you letters and notes of appreciation!
- Call their office to say thank you!
A full list of addresses are here!
2. Become an advocate
Your voice is important! One of the most powerful ways to stand in solidarity with our refugee neighbors is through advocacy. Advocacy is the act of supporting a cause or issue in order to achieve a desired result. It is an action directed at changing policies, positions or programs. For some of us, the idea of advocacy conjures up images of rallies or large-scale events, but being an advocate can have many different forms! One of the most effective ways to advocate is by knowing the facts and using your voice to share correct information.
- Make sure you are up to date on information regarding refugee resettlement and Canopy’s work: check out our Refugee FAQs page!
- Attend an Advocacy Training session! We want you to be equipped with all you need to be an impactful voice for refugees. Our next Advocacy Training is February 13th at 5:30 pm. More details to come soon, so mark your calendar!
- Request a representative from Canopy to speak to your community group: from faith groups to community events, leadership councils, and everything in between, we are always happy to speak about our work and how you can get involved! Get in touch with Canopy’s Director of Community Engagement for more information on how you can schedule a Canopy representative to speak with your group today.
Your voice is so important. You can use it to spread kindness, promote awareness, and stand in solidarity with your refugee neighbors and friends, and that can make a tremendous difference.
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