SALaMA WEBINAR SERIES

The objective of the SALaMA Webinar Series is to disseminate our research findings while engaging with educators, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers on a variety of topics related to the well-being of newcomer adolescents from the Middle East and North African region. We hope to reach an audience that is dedicated to implementing innovative, community-based approaches in support of Arabic-speaking newcomers and other multilingual immigrant populations across the U.S. Webinars are held every other month on the Brown School’s Open Classroom platform. Each webinar session convenes a different expert panel to discuss the most resonant topics emerging from SALaMA, including mental health, language learning, and teacher education. Please see recordings of previous webinar sessions, as well as registration links for our future sessions below.

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Webinar 4: Supporting Arabic-speaking Students in the Greater St. Louis Region

The fourth session of the SALaMA Webinar Series is entitled “Supporting Arabic-speaking Students in the Greater St. Louis Region.” Bringing together a panel of local practitioners, this session will highlight educator strategies, community-building opportunities, and language programming available for Arabic-speaking refugee and immigrant students living in the St. Louis region.

Panelists:

  • Moderator:  Dr. Trish Kohl, Professor at the Brown School, Research Director of the Hermann Center for Child and Family Development in the Division for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Washington University Medical School
  • Sarah Rangwala, 5-12 Social Studies and Arabic Teacher at St. Louis Public Schools
  • Michael David Ramsey, BA, MDiv, Executive Director at the Revival School
  • Robert Greenhaw, MELL Instructional Consultant at Education Plus
  • Shatha Alshati, Director of Resettlement at International Institute of St. Louis

Webinar 3: Supporting Newcomer Student Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing

The third session of the SALaMA Webinar Series is entitled “Supporting Newcomer Student Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing.” This moderated roundtable discussion will engage mental health practitioners and researchers on how to best promote the wellbeing of students from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. Panelists will discuss newcomers’ unique challenges and strengths, cultural responsiveness in psychosocial interventions, family and community engagement, and therapeutic modalities in both US and global contexts. This discussion is open to all, but may be especially insightful for therapists and clinicians, researchers, school counselors, social workers, and school administrators who support newcomer mental health in their roles.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Dr. Mitra Naseh, Assistant Professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
  • Dr. Kenneth E. Miller, Edith Lando Professor of Counseling for Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Families at the University of British Columbia
  • Dr. Najat Qushua, Research Data Analyst at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
  • Ana Arias, LPC, EdS, Licensed Professional Counselor for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Mental Health Counselor for Harrisonburg City Public Schools
  • Patricia Landínez González, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Education Consultant; Education and ADAP, Programme Division at UNICEF Headquarters

Webinar 2: Impactful Interventions to Support Newcomer Adolescents

The second session of the SALaMA Webinar Series is entitled “Impactful Interventions to Support Newcomer Adolescents.” Co-hosted together with Refugee Education UK (REUK), this moderated roundtable discussion will review promising and evidence-based programs, including two SALaMA interventions: FORWARD with Peers, a 10-session program to bolster leadership and social emotional learning skills, and EMPOWER, a 7-session PhotoVoice program to center newcomer student experiences and priorities. This session is designed for an audience of social workers, teachers, administrators, and other service providers, as we hope that the conversation will highlight programmatic approaches to strengthening newcomer adolescent resilience and fostering supportive peer relationships in school and community settings.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Amy Ashlee, MA, Research Manager at Refugee Education UK
  • Dr. Andrea Belgrade, Office of the President and Method4Change, University of California,
    SALaMA Research Consultant and Program Developer and Facilitator 
  • Ali Ali, MS, MSW, University of Michigan Dearborn Lions, SALaMA Research Consultant and Program Developer and Facilitator
  • Yusef Sanei, MA, Senior Educational Wellbeing Support Worker at Refugee Education UK
  • Mariia Donets, MSc, Education Welcome Project Officer at Refugee Education UK

Webinar 1: Strategies to Support Multilingual Learning in U.S. Schools

The first webinar in the SALaMA Webinar Series is entitled “Strategies to Support Multilingual Learning in U.S. Schools.” This session is a moderated roundtable panel discussion intended for an audience of school-based staff including teachers, administrators, and social workers, as well as relevant researchers. The conversation highlights practitioners’ current strategies to support multilingual students and researchers’ emerging evidence-based practices.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Dr. Carine Allaf, Senior Programs Advisor, Qatar Foundation International
  • Dr. Cindy Brantmeier, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Cyril Bennouna, PhD Candidate in Political Science at Brown University and SALaMA Consultant  
  • Katie Aslan, Director of Outreach and Public Programs, MENA Studies Center at the University of Texas at Austin
  • Dr. Jeremy Aldrich, Director of Teaching and Learning, Harrisonburg City Public Schools