Somali Culture and the Refugee Resettlement Experience

This session will explore Somali Culture and the Refugee Resettlement Experience. Participants will learn about aspects of Somali culture, including Somalia, family and relationships, language, religion, and Somali refugees from the personal lens of the Director of Refugee Services from Lutheran Social Service of MN, who came to Minnesota as a refugee resettled to Pelican Rapids. Mr. Abdi will offer participants opportunities to reflect on their own understandings and will highlight some of the common norms and experiences for many Somalis now residing in Minnesota. Participants will also learn about the global context of refugee resettlement, and its impact on refugees as they experience the formal process of refugee resettlement into the United States. This will include a brief overview of the global refugee crisis, then look more closely at the experience of resettlement itself, including the Triple Trauma Paradigm, the emotional phases of resettlement, and services available for those with refugee status.