2012 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development: Action and Impact July 8-12, Stockholm, Sweden Interdisciplinary Empowerment Service Model for Migrants/Immigrants/Refugees in Suburban Settings Sister Angela Kim, I.H.M., PhD Stephen C. Burke, PhD

Issue  The small city host communities under study lack adequate service infrastructure and are unable to provide needed education, job training, language acquisition and social services.

Intervention The following Community-Based Participatory Research concepts were utilized to assess need and to initiate service Development Connecting research, action and education Community-driven goals Recognition of Community, Service Providers, and University strengths Sharing of information and expertise among Community and University stakeholders allowing community members to analyze their situation and become empowered to make informed decisions regarding future actions Community and University collaboration at all levels

Latino Community-University Collaborative Example of Empowerment: The Free Clinic Community initiated Free Clinic committee Identified bilingual health providers within the community Identified possible Free clinic site Recognized interdisciplinary health care needs—invited university’s social work, nursing, physician’s assistance, Education faculty Applying for grants.

Lessons Learned At this early juncture, the Study supports collaborative and interdisciplinary roles for Universities as they initiate need assessment and service development activities where service infrastructure is lacking in communities. Supporting emerging refugee and immigrant and migrant populations to focus on growing their capacity-building capabilities is consistent with both a strengths perspective and an empowerment stance.