Every Campus A Refuge

This week’s spotlight features Noor Ghazi, a COIL SUNY Ambassador and educator whose work centers on peace, conflict studies, language, and cross-cultural collaboration. Through her teaching, research, and documentary work, Noor continues to create spaces for dialogue, storytelling, and global learning that connect communities across borders. We are honored to highlight leaders whose work reflects the power of education and international collaboration.

We are honored to see Every Campus A Refuge featured in a national conversation on workforce development and the future of opportunity for immigrant and refugee learners with our founder and director, Diya Abdo, as a co-author. The article highlights ECAR as a model for how colleges, community organizations, and employers can work together to provide the support systems that help newcomers thrive. As Workforce Pell expands access to short-term credential programs, we are proud to be part of the conversation on building pathways that strengthen both communities and the workforce.

Read more here: https://www.niskanencenter.org/building-workforce-pell-for-the-real-economy-requires-leveraging-all-available-talent/

One of the things people talk about most after The Gathering is the sense of connection they leave with. Through small group conversations, shared meals, strategy sessions, and time spent learning from one another, The Gathering creates space for every campus and every person to feel part of something bigger. We are excited to continue building that community together in Tulsa this October.

Register today: gathering.everycampusarefuge.org

ECAR was proud to join leaders, advocates, educators, and community organizations from across the country at the Aspen Institute’s Trust in Practice Summit. The conference created space for meaningful conversations on leadership, civic engagement, and how trust, collaboration, and community-rooted work can drive lasting impact.

A couple of weeks ago, ECAR was honored to serve as a co-organizer of the NC Pathways Conference alongside educators, healthcare professionals, advocates, and community leaders from across North Carolina. Throughout the day, attendees engaged in conversations on refugee resettlement, language access, mental health, and community-based support systems. ECAR also led a foundations track focused on how campuses and local communities can work together to build systems of belonging and long-term support for refugee and immigrant families. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside so many people committed to this work.

What makes The Gathering special is getting to be in the same room with people who understand this work. From swapping ideas with other chapters to hearing how campuses across the country are creating community in different ways, these conversations always leave people feeling inspired, supported, and reenergized. Thank you Savannah for sharing your experience and for all the work Lafayette continues to do.

Join us on June 3 for a live conversation with Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge and Ashoka Fellow, alongside Maria Merola of Ashoka’s Hello World initiative.

From building welcoming campuses to rethinking what community and belonging can look like, this conversation will explore the power of higher education, storytelling, and collective action in supporting refugees and displaced communities. The session will run about 30 minutes, and there will be time for questions at the end.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1016080504079/WN_Q7caA-TFQg-EfRSKzEdk8w #/registration

Dr. Diya Abdo delivered the keynote address at the Humanities at Work Spring Showcase, sharing a powerful message centered on radical hospitality, accountability, and hope. Drawing from her work with Every Campus A Refuge and her own personal experiences, she spoke about the responsibility institutions hold in creating spaces of belonging and support for refugee communities. Her words reflected the heart of community-engaged work and left a lasting impact on students, mentors, and community partners in attendance.

Community has always been at the heart of ECAR, and The Gathering is where that comes to life. From shared meals and late-night conversations to learning from students, faculty, and community partners across the country, this space reminds us what becomes possible when people come together with a shared purpose.

Join us in Tulsa this October for connection, collaboration, and the kind of conversations that stay with you long after the sessions end.

Register today at gathering.everycampusarefuge.org