Hello Neighbor Network Fellowship Applications Open for 2022 Cohort
2020 and 2021 were years of change and upheaval; our ongoing international refugee crisis is no exception to this trend. By the numbers, there are more displaced populations than ever before, and American organizations are more involved than ever in guiding refugees and immigrants into new places, spaces, and lives where they can thrive.
Community-based organizations are a continual resource for refugees in the United States, and provide services long after the 30–90 day federal resettlement period ends. These small and hardworking entities ensure that refugee families start their new lives on the right foot. Refugee resettlement services are vital, but demanding, and can have the unintended effect of making organizations feel isolated and spread thin. Additional resources, funding, and support can make all the difference for a community based organization’s refugee clientele.
The Hello Neighbor Network, powered by Hello Neighbor, is a coalition of grassroots organizations working in post-refugee and immigrant resettlement in the U.S. who come together to grow and inspire change. Our mission is to provide refugee-focused nonprofits with a supportive peer network, education, skills, and the resources they need to better fulfill their own missions and to elevate grassroots voices in the ongoing conversation around refugees in the U.S. We envision a country that understands, deeply values, and supports refugees and the community-based organizations that guide their transition from surviving to thriving. We work to manifest this vision through employing a refugee-first mindset, collaboration, dignified storytelling, advocacy, programming, and funding for our members.
“The Hello Neighbor Network truly has been instrumental in grounding our organization, Elmahaba Center, in our practice and in our theory. It’s a lonely road supporting immigrants and refugees holistically in the United States, and having companions to join you on the road to practice care of our neighbors and to prioritize their voices and not ours is powerful, grounding, humbling. The Network has offered me that perspective, that resource really, of knowing that we’re not alone, that others have trodden on this path before us, and that we’re stronger together. As Audre Lorde said, ‘Without community, there is no liberation.’” -Lydia Yousief, Elmahaba Center (Nashville, TN)
Applications for the next cohort of Network Fellows are currently open for 2022!
After a 10-month fellowship, fellows are eligible to be an ongoing part of the Network and join a tight-knit and growing group of organizations spread across the country. Andrea Kramer, Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor in South Bend, IN, finds daily value in membership with the Network:
“I am excited to collaborate with others doing this highly rewarding, highly personal work. As a small organization, it can often feel lonely, so having a collective of sharp, like-minded folks feels like a much needed bolstering.”
In their first year in the Network, members saw benefits in the following areas:
- Camaraderie, validation and support: Our network coffee hours and events help create a sense of community for all fellows and members.
- Resources and templates so they didn’t have to start from scratch. Our resource library is shared amongst all fellows and members, and members are thrilled to answer questions and provide additional support.
- Funding: The Hello Neighbor Network runs a robust regranting program that in the 2021 fiscal year has provided over $100,000 USD in funding for members and fellows.
- Professional development: Our monthly workshops and seminars are directly based on expressed requests of our members.
Check out our 2022 Fellowship Calendar of Events.
Additional resources include:
- Our annual Hello Neighbor Network Convening, bringing together the best and brightest minds in refugee resettlement and immigrant issues for three days of networking, education, and inspiration
- Coaching and technical assistance
- Fellowship media coverage amplifying your work
- A responsive communications channel for troubleshooting
Current Hello Neighbor Network Fellows and Members have this to say of their experience:
“I’m excited to connect with and to learn from other nonprofit leaders serving in the refugee resettlement sector to help grow our organization and continue to meet the most pressing and evolving refugee emotional wellness needs.” -Dr. Suzy Ismail, Cornerstone Marriage and Family Intervention
Applications are open until Friday, October 8th. For more information and to apply or attend an information session, please visit neighbornetwork.io!
Learn more about the Hello Neighbor Network. The Network is actively accepting applications for the 2022 Fellowship.
