Fall 2021/Winter 2022 Update
Hello everyone!

Happy New Year!

No matter what one’s religious beliefs, all faiths celebrate a time of hope and renewal. After a very long, and continuing pandemic, we need hope and renewal more than ever.

Civic hopes that the upcoming year will bring our visitors back to Amherst. There are signs that Civic is making a comeback!
Although the COVID situation can alter things at any minute we do hope to have our Argentinean group back this summer. We have worked on this program since 2008 and very much hope to see it continue.

There is also hope (although no decisions made) that all our Pakistan Student programs will make an in-person visit to Amherst in 2022 as well as our Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) for Student Leaders on Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. We have several new initiatives being reviewed and we are optimistic about our future.

Civic Initiative Academic Director, Arbab Kasi, spent a month in Texas working with Afghan Refugees. He worked with the International Refugee Commission and his efforts very much reflect the Civic Mission. Read more about Arbab below.

Donahue Institute Marketing Communications Manager Ken LeBlond, is developing a Civic Podcast that centers on the exchange experience for both visitors and U.S. hosts. After almost two years of being apart, it is time to remember how important human connections are.

Civic is looking for your stories as well! If you have a picture or story to tell about the values of community and democracy in the time of Covid please send it along and we will share it with our network!
Lastly, we are finally on Instagram! We're just starting out and you'll see some nostalgia on there for now since we're still not having our in-person programs.


If you haven't already joined us on Facebook or Twitter, we've been there for years! We would especially appreciate more Twitter followers.
Stay safe and have a wonderful New Year!

Sincerely,
Dr. Mike Hannahan
Director, Civic Initiative
"Shared Narratives" is our new program for Pakistani journalists in 2021-22
We are engaged in a very exciting project with Dr. Razvan Sibii and the UMass School of Journalism to work with young Pakistani Journalists to discuss their profession and digital media. So far, we have had sessions on journalistic basics; bias in journalism; storytelling and soon about photography. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the program!"
On the front lines of the Afghan refugee crisis

Civic alum and current Entrepreneurship as Economic Development Academic Director, Arbab Kasi, recently returned from working with Afghan refugees at Fort Bliss, near El Paso Texas.
 
During his one-month stay, Arbab learned a lot about the status of refugees in the U.S. and the challenges facing many Afghans. Arbab provided interpretation services to the refugees while they were assessed for health services and immigration.

"We need to serve humanity regardless of color, religion, race, caste, gender, geography, or demographics. It’s the best way which gives hope to those who need it because we all are born to serve humanity," Kasi said.

"Anyone approaching you with tears and pain needs your empathy. You are the one who can replace their tears and pain with happiness and peace of mind by showing your love and care."
Combatting Stereotypes From The Media: First-Person experiences in Pakistan and the U.S.

Pakistan and US media often negatively portray the opposite side. The media’s propagation of negative imagery that two friends (one American and one Pakistani) both consumed in their early lives did not prevent them from being curious
and open-minded about each other’s countries.

UMass Donahue Institute's Marketing Communications Manager Ken LeBlond wrote about these stereotypes with UMass Amherst political science Visiting Fellow Rizwan Ali Shinwari.
We are happy to share that their article was published in Ab-Original: The Journal of Indigenous Studies and First Nations and First Peoples’ Cultures! The journal is edited by the University of Sydney and published by Penn State University.

Ken and Rizwan met through the Civic Initiative during Rizwan's three-year stay in Amherst.