By Tatum Courtmanche


IRIS has an ongoing initiative to expand its outreach to involve the community in its underlying mission. Schools are an important part of our outreach efforts and, since 2022, IRIS has offered an organized, student-led approach that directly prioritizes youth involvement. There are currently 60 schools involved in the School Outreach Initiative in some capacity. They range from Nursery School to University level, include public,  private and magnet schools, and are located throughout the state.

Since the start, IRIS has participated in approximately 50 individual school events per year, consisting of  a mix of class presentations, donation drives, and various activities with student-led clubs and organizations. There are several important long-term, student-led relationships with local universities such as Yale, Quinnipiac, and UCONN, as well as many collaborations with high school students across Connecticut.

This past year’s high school collaborations have included donation drives organized by the Hopkins High School IRIS Club, led by students Saidan Thapa and Evan Yan, as well as card-making activities with Avon High School, spearheaded by student leader Saanika Tipnis. Our youngest collaborators included students from Westville Community Nursery School, who hosted IRIS speakers for a multicultural tea party. Other schools that continue to participate include East Haven High School, Choate Rosemary Hall, as well as a few newer ones, such as Pierrepont School in Westport, CT.

Marya Fisher, the Head of High School at the Pierrepont School, was initially introduced to IRIS through the Run for Refugees, having participated herself with a group of  students in the past. This past school year, the student leadership group at her school decided they wanted to engage with IRIS on a larger scale as a community service project. Soon after, the School made arrangements for Hossna Samadi, IRIS’ Outreach Coordinator, and Tabitha Sookdeo, the previous Director of Community Engagement, to speak at an assembly program in January.

The presentation was attended by about 100 students from grades 6-12 and was a powerful experience for both students and adults. Hossna and Tabitha shared their personal stories, explained the work of IRIS, and fielded questions from the audience. Marya later noted that “the younger students were especially engaged, asking most of the questions and finding the session particularly productive.” For many young students, this was their first time learning about others who have been forced to flee their homes and hearing people speak about their personal experiences.

Marya stated, “This initial speaking engagement was incredibly positive and eye-opening, offering clear ways for students to help and raising awareness about the refugee crisis close to their community.”  The head of the school also attended, immediately wanted to find ways to get engaged and a student-led IRIS club was started.  Aman, one of the students who had participated in the Run for Refugees, led the school in organizing a school supply drive in the spring.. As Marya pointed out, this partnership was driven by genuine interest and engagement from the students, with no service hours required.

One of IRIS’ other long-standing relationships is with Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.  Over the years, IRIS has had interns from Quinnipiac along and has participated in a few different community collaborations. This past year, political science student Jannat Butt took the partnership to another level, by interning as a liaison between Quinnipiac University and IRIS.  Jannat is currently in her second year in this role.

During the initial ten month period, Jannat coordinated seven different events throughout the school year, including: an immigration panel featuring Hossna Samadi, two attorneys from IRIS, and a Quinnipiac professor of international business; an IRIS Kahoot night; a tabling event on the Quinnipiac quad during the Students for Environmental Action Fair;  as well as a school-wide drive for kitchenware and personal care products. She also raised several hundred dollars by creating a Quinnipiac University team for the 20234 Run for Refugees.

Jannat has noted that “by engaging with IRIS, students not only become educated on important issues but also take concrete steps to support and uplift both the local community and those who are giving back to it.” This involvement fosters a sense of responsibility and empowerment among students, ensuring the continuity of community service and support for IRIS. Jannat believes “it is crucial to establish and maintain a strong relationship with IRIS within the university setting to ensure that the connection does not fade over time.” This  sustainable continuity is central to the School Outreach strategy.

Providing a different perspective, Amy Christman, the Assistant Principal of ACES Educational Center for Arts in New Haven, also cultivated a relationship with IRIS this past year.  Amy had known about IRIS for a long time through events such as the “Run for Refugees” and she was always looking for meaningful ways for her students to get involved in the community.  Amy emphasized “because ECA is a magnet school representing 27 school districts, this was especially exciting because it immersed students from outside New Haven into the community.”

Last summer, Amy met with the IRIS Community Engagement team and put together a plan. The initiative kicked off with a presentation by Hossna which was designed to raise general awareness. This presentation was followed by a coffee house fundraiser to collect backpacks and school supplies and was soon followed by the launch of  ACES’ involvement in the IRIS  after-school program, where groups of ACES students visited the IRIS Education Center once a month to share their skills and have fun with IRIS youth through the arts. Amy explained that, “Over five months, these workshops built strong relationships between a core group of students and faculty from each department”,  noting that not only was this a great opportunity for IRIS, but also an opportunity for her students to gain the privilege of service and giving back.

Amy emphasized that she believes in the power of connecting through the arts to overcome language barriers and using dance, movement, and visual arts to foster deeper communication without words. She stated, “The power of allowing students to take initiative and create these relationships and bonds with IRIS gives them a sense of empowerment as well and fosters such a positive partnership between students and IRIS as an organization.”. This collaboration with ACES is also in its second year.

As IRIS continues to deepen and expand its reach in Connecticut communities, the organization’s commitment to involving educational institutions remains a cornerstone of its strategy. The strategic emphasis on youth involvement and community engagement has allowed IRIS to not only raise awareness about refugee resettlement but also to inspire tangible actions and support from students and educators alike.The positive experiences and strong relationships built through these initiatives ensure that IRIS’s mission will continue to thrive, supported by a new generation of engaged and informed advocates.

On September 28th, IRIS held a workshop event at Southern Connecticut State University that convened community sponsorship group leaders from across the country who share in IRIS’s mission to assist refugees and other displaced people as they reestablish their lives in our communities.

In attendance were sponsor group leaders from WelcomeCorps, a new national resettlement program that launched in 2023.  These leaders came from Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Nevada.  They were joined by community co-sponsor group leaders located in Connecticut who helped inspire the national program..

“These are Americans who do what our team does: secure housing, help register kids in school, connect adults to employment and to English classes – they sometimes even teach English themselves!  Even more important, they welcome newcomers into their communities,” said IRIS’ Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem.

During the workshop, community group leaders shared their experiences on how to best support refugees and other displaced people. Contributing to the conversation were our keynote speakers Anna Greene,Resettlement Officer at UNHCR, and Basma Alawee,Deputy Executive Director of the Community Sponsorship Hub, who were able to share their experiences in the refugee community and the resettlement process as a whole. Community Sponsorship Hub’s master storyteller Sarah Hunaidi led a session on how expanding outreach and awareness through communications connects audiences to the importance and impact of refugee resettlement.

During the workshop, IRIS also highlighted and celebrated the work and dedication of the CT Co-sponsor group, Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR), a partnership of six New Haven-area synagogues, as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. As an IRIS co-sponsor, JCARR has helped  nine families – comprising over 40 individuals – resettle in our local communities. Over the past 9 years, JCARR has supported families from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Angola, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

IRIS awarded leader, Jean Silk, and JCARR with the inaugural Golden Door Leadership award. This year’s award consisted of a hand-painted calligraphy of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” by a local community artist Alibaba Awrang. Alibaba is a former refugee from Afghanistan who was resettled by a local community sponsor group in Washington, Connecticut. The selection of Emma Lazarus’ poem is  a depiction of the poem written on the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of the American heritage and tradition of welcoming refugees, displaced people, and those fleeing persecution from around the world.

Jean Silk, in response to receiving the award stated that “I am pleased to accept this award on behalf of JCARR.  This award truly goes to all the volunteers who do the work for JCARR.”

In presenting the first Golden Door Leadership Award to JCARR,  IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services), told JCARR that they were the first group to form a coalition (in response to the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015),  they were the first group to receive a family as a co-sponsor of IRIS, JCARR has strong leadership, and has worked hard in full partnership with IRIS, through many crises over the last 9 years.  JCARR has always taken the approach of asking, “How can we help?” 

Jean concluded her remarks with, “JCARR leaders are looking forward to welcoming our TENTH family in our TENTH Year – 2025!”