The Guides

I really like how the ACC’s guide toward working with refugees highlighted the reliable and hard-working nature of the refugees. I think this is particularly useful because employers may be hesitant to hire refugees based on prejudices or ignorant assumptions that members of other cultures are dangerous or unhelpful. By highlighting the working nature of refugees rather than the cultural or ethnic divisions of refugees, the ACC can instill a sense of trust in the employer community. In the Congolese Backgrounder, I thought the information about the leadership style and gender roles of the Congolese people were relevant because those two concepts will be directly manifested in day-to-day work activities. It noted that the Congolese typically lead with a small council, sharing responsibilities amongst many members. This information would be helpful in the workplace because employers would know that the Congolese work with in groups and like to share tasks and responsibilities. The gender roles are also important to note because the Congolese make up a traditional culture (one in which the men do laborious activities and females do the domestic work).  These gender distinctions are important because they can serve as clues to the work experience of a refugee and the nature of work the refugee is accustomed to doing.

The least relevant aspect of the Congolese Backgrounder was the information about caretaker or child raising norms in the Congo. Child rearing is a more personal decision that may influence the refugee’s process of social assimilation rather than their integration into the workplace. I hope to replicate the level of detail present in the Congolese Backgrounder’s overview of the conflict in the Congo. It was a good balance between describing where the refugees would be coming from while not going too in depth about the complexities of the problem. The level of detail would be especially useful for employers because they can gain some cultural background and conflict sensitivity, but they will not have to devote a long period of time to learning all details about a very complex issue.