Hear briefly what others across PHX are doing as it relates to our Afghan friends/neighbors, learn from Andrew McGavin at Bridges USA.
About Bridges USA: Bridges USA equips, encourages and networks Americans to lovingly welcome Afghans into their communities; they now have registrants in 42 states representing over 200 community organizations and churches. (See the short intro video at www.bridgesusa.us for a sense of its vision and heart). The Bridges team has significant experience working in Afghanistan and with Afghans worldwide. With no cost or obligation, Bridges seeks to be an expert resource and, where helpful, a partner to local welcoming communities throughout the USA. They do this through: informative videos and resources on topics such as Afghan culture/history/religion, the resettlement process, understanding trauma and how welcomers can overcome challenges; in-person or online training and consultation; multiple links to expert sources on a wide variety of topics; and a mutually supportive network of similar welcomers throughout the USA.
About Andrew McGavin: Andrew is a Scotsman who lived for five years as a child in Afghanistan before returning to the country several times as an adult. He met his American wife in Kabul in 2004 and they lived and worked in Central Asian neighborhoods in the UK and Middle East between 2008 and 2022 while teaching Middle and High School History and ESL. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Andrew has advocated for Afghan refugees and sought to raise awareness of their needs and opportunities. He and his wife returned with their two young daughters from the Middle East to Virginia in 2022 and he became the Director of Bridges USA in January of 2024.
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