The U.S. is a land that has become a haven for thousands of refugees over the years, and how the needs of refugees are supported is very important. On August 6 th , 2021 the first provincial capital fell to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Many fled the country and more than 76,000 Afghan refugees have been brought to the United States; around 5,000 have been resettled in Virginia. In addition, the war-torn country of the Ukraine is bringing in another 100,000 refugees to the country by September, 2022. With this rapidly growing number of refugees, resettlement agencies and schools across the country have expressed a need to address challenges to the social integration of refugees into the communities they are settled in.

In 2021 and 2022, Hardwired received support from Virginia Humanities to support the social integration of refugees in host communities. Hardwired partnered with the Virginia Office of New Americans (ONA) and 5 different resettlement agency partners throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide 9 workshops for refugee and American students. Through these workshops, Hardwired provided a model for cultivating respect, trust and empathy among refugee and non-refugee youth that also helped host communities recognize the needs of refugees. Through Hardwired’s programming, participants were able to explore complex and sensitive issues like respect for diverse backgrounds and perspectives that exist in a pluralistic community, and refugees were able to learn about the rights they have and how to live in a country that values the rule of law and the dignity of all people.

Iraq, otherwise known as the “cradle of civilization,” has a rich history and has been home to some of the world’s oldest and most diverse religious communities. Unfortunately, from 2014 – 2017 communities across northern Iraq were overrun by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria known locally as Da’esh. Now, as families return to their homes, children need to feel safe learning alongside of those with diverse ideologies and beliefs, with respect for one another’s freedom and dignity. Also, teachers need to feel supported as they help students navigate these differences and overcome ideas of intolerance and fear of one another.

Recently, Hardwired has been working in partnership with the Directorate of Education in Mosul and Nineveh Plains and Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO) to provide training to teachers throughout the region in developing lessons that promote pluralism and respect for the freedoms of one another for the children in their classrooms. The Teacher- Training program is helping communities re-build their lives and learn how to live together in peace through human rights educational programming in the schools of this region. We are working with our local partners to establish an educational training model in 40 Schools in the region that will promote Iraq’s rich pluralistic heritage and the rights and freedoms of all Iraqis that can be replicated both nationally and internationally.

Students in the United States are facing enormous pressure to conform to constantly changing social and cultural ideas about how they should act, what they should believe and even the issues they should care about. Many educators, parents and community leaders are concerned about challenges that young people are facing and desire to help them navigate the marketplace of ideas and learn how to engage in civil dialogue about differences of opinions and beliefs. Building on Hardwired’s work with youth globally, we have recently established training programs for educators in the United States to incorporate respect for human rights and freedom of conscience into their curriculum to build a culture of respect for these freedoms in the classroom. Through professional development courses, curriculum development, and resources, Hardwired provides a variety of ways for educators and others to address the needs of their community and build empathy, respect, and understanding within the culture of the classroom. Hardwired offers this support with a variety of options including the following:

Professional Development Courses:

Video: Hardwired has developed a 45-minute video introducing pluralism and how to navigate challenges to diversity in the classroom.

In-Person: Hardwired has developed a 3-hour long in-service teacher-training program to provide educators with hands-on methods and best practices to navigate diversity and pluralism in the classroom.

Online Teacher Training Program: Hardwired offers a 6-week professional development course on Pluralism, identifying the root causes of intolerance, and understanding and implementing conceptual change pedagogy.

Resources:

Play: Growing Together: Hardwired has produced a theatrical play for use in grades K-8 which comes with a full script and provides an opportunity for students to learn about the values of pluralism and respect for diversity.

Children’s Books: Hardwired has developed a children’s books series that leads children to see the value in each person, regardless of their differences of belief, culture, ethnicity, or other characteristics.

Simulation: Hardwired offers a simulation called Fruitopia that guides students through the process of recognizing diversity in their community, identifying challenges to inclusion and addressing the “root causes” of these challenges.