Today's Smoothie

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup mango nectar
1 cup Dannon vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup Season's Choice tropical blend frozen fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberry)
1/2 cup ice

This one is quite good. The color is light yellow-orange, the texture rich and creamy, with a mellow tropical flavor very nicely balanced between sweet and tart.  :D

Comments

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>You usually have good reference materials and are able to make connections across wide and diverse sets of data, as well as recognizing patterns that are not always obvious to the rest of us.<<

Thank you.

>> And your conclusions (even the occasional ones I do not agree with) make good well supported points and have practical advice or solutions.<<

No one is going to agree with everything, and that's okay. In fact it's vital in this situation. You will need to collect a variety of resources to offer, because some will work for one person but different things will work for another. Warn folks that no one solution will work for everyone, and that's okay. They should try to minimize arguing over other people's choices that differ from their own, and focus on common ground.

Gather what you can based on what you currently believe is needed. Offer those to your clients. Then ask for feedback. Which of these things are most useful? What would you like more of? What is less useful? (Anything that is widely unpopular can be dropped to save you effort.) Is anything missing that you would like to have covered in future batches? Most people can tell you what they want or need. That will help you figure out how to help the ones who can't articulate theirs.

>> I suspect you will have at least some information, or a suggestion of where to find it (if you are willing to be consulted.) <<

I'm happy to help. While I don't have everything you'll need, I know a lot of it, and I can tell you how to find or make most of the rest of it.

>> I do volunteer work with immigrants/refugees. (Burma, various Middle Eastern countries, Haiti, Africa, South America, Ukraine...) <<

As much as possible, try to find matching resources or support people across the cultures. People from Burma may relate to Japanese or Chinese sources if they are Buddhist, but Middle Eastern sources if they are Muslim. Haiti, Africa, and South America all have lots of people here from long since. Ukraine, use resources from other European immigrants, but especially check historic waves of immigration because several of those included central European folks so that may be very helpful.

>>Some peole have been here for years and have a very good grasp of the local culture/language. We have some people who had only been here about a month before the current situation devolved. <<

The newer they are, the more help they'll need.

Also, be aware that constantly changing rules can be extremely traumatic for refugees. Most will have traveled through multiple countries and agencies, with often hostile strangers in control of them. All refugees need safety and stability, but some will be more sensitive than others.

It often splits the same as with sexual assault: some people become hyperprotective of their boundaries, others just stop acting like boundaries even exist because nobody respects theirs. The latter will likely fare much better with the current insanity than the former. If you can't protect everyone, let the less-bothered ones do the going out; it will probably do less extra damage.

>> I know that racism and sexism and expected behavior vary widely across cultures. I know America doesn't have great track records with prejudice in our own culture.<<

These things are all true, but they can be studied and learned. When you know many examples of how humans behave, you are better equipped to make choices about your own life. In this regard, anything you can get on multicultural resources will help. People can then choose which to explore on their own.

http://www.nea.org/tools/resources-addressing-multicultural-diversity-issues-in-your-classroom.htm

http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/multicultural-education-resources.aspx

https://mep.berkeley.edu/tools-education/classroom-tools

https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/education-teaching-degree/multicultural-students/

https://www.tolerance.org/about

https://www.multiculturalfamilies.org/resources/

https://mfrsedmonton.org/

https://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/parenthood/culture.htm


>> I know that culture clashes and laguage glitches can be maddening at the best of times when you have an ongoing relationship and know the person is nice / would never say that / whatever.<<

Yes. The most you can do about this is encourage people to learn and practice so it happens less often, and make sure they have coping skills to handle the problems in the meantime. Almost all refugees would benefit from more coping skills -- only the luckiest will have a complete enough set already.

It is important to test the skills and see what works for you, because people can have very different responses to the same thing. Unfortunately a lot of counselors just hand clients a list and say "do the things" whether it works or not. Encourage people to use the categories as a goal. Do you have coping skills for distraction, problem-solving, relaxation, and so on? If not, focus first on filling the blanks.

https://www.verywellmind.com/forty-healthy-coping-skills-4586742

https://www.thepathway2success.com/100-coping-strategies-for-anger-anxiety-and-more/

https://www.know-stress-zone.com/images/5-senses-relaxation.png

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/9d/d1/409dd1525eb82d5b385ee5b0abe51aef.png

https://maritalintimacyinst.com/wp-content/uploads/Coping-skills-flyer.jpg

https://care.uci.edu/services/Coping%20Skills%20Worksheet.pdf

https://positivepsychology.com/coping-skills-worksheets/

http://www.indigodaya.com/resources/

>> I know what happened to the Jews in Europe after about 1349 and what happened to the gay community in America in the 1980's. <<

And don't forget the ongoing genocide against Native Americans, and frankly, the current surge of cops murdering black people counts too.

Do reach out to the Jews, though; they seem inclined to help refugees now more than most other groups, because they remember their own past. They have various charities for this purpose.

Do you have any QUILTBAG refugees who are out about it? If so, tip them to local queer resources because many countries have little or nothing in that regard. Queerfolk may be supportive of queer refugees even if they are indifferent to straight refugees.

>> I (and the few other people in the group I've talked to) seemed to be uncertain about if we should talk to people about this, or what we should say.<<

Always give people an opportunity to talk, never force them. Understand that all countries have some awful history; that's just human nature. It is up to us to examine the mistakes of the past, recognize how they shape the present, and do our best to avoid repeating them.

Don't forget the kids. They may need to talk too. Art is another excellent option for kids and other people who can't articulate things well. Very little has been written specifically for this context as yet. (Do you have any writers or artists among your clients? If so, encourage them to tell their own stories. It will help their fellow refugees.) However, quite a lot has been written about ugly history of similar types, for all age levels. Books for children may be easier on English learners. Sometimes it is easier to talk about other people's problems than your own, but the parallels will still be helpful. Call your local library, describe your situation, and ask what books they would recommend. (Introduce these after you cover coping skills.)

https://www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/childrens-books

https://imaginationsoup.net/childrens-books-holocaust-wwii/

https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10365

https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/slavery/

https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/