Chicago's Agents of Hope Training & Information Center works to connect refugees with jobs
Every day, refugees arrive in the U.S. looking for a better life and opportunities, but one of the biggest challenges can be finding work.
The Chicago nonprofit Agents of Hope Training & Information Center is working to make the job search a bit easier for refugees through career training programs and workforce development.
Chief executive officer Nana Ahmed founded Agents of Hope in 2010.
"We are a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping refugees exit the welfare system successfully through employment and entrepreneurship," Ahmed said. "We have a lot of programs such as mental health — community mental health programs — education, employment, HIV prevention, cancer prevention, and much more."
Nedal Hsson, a refugee from Syria, said he benefited tremendously from the programs offered by Agents of Hope.
"The program really helped me a lot to establish employment, and at the same time, be independent on my own also," Hsson said, "and here I am today. I'm here and working as a pharmacy technician, and helping Agents of Hope to mentor other refugees, and help the community, and give back."
Hsson said he was helped in particular by the Refugee Exit Plan offered by Agents of Hope, which helped him find employment and independence.
"The Refugee Exit Plan initiative was the flagship program for Agents of Hope, because we wanted to help refugees exit the welfare system successfully, but we did not want to build this program without having the refugees themselves on the table," Ahmed said. "We wanted to know, what are the things they need to be successful?"
The Refugee Exit Plan helps refugees transition from welfare to employment by first providing 90 days of pre-arrival workforce development training at refugee camps before the refugees are resettled.
The goal, Ahmed said, is "ensuring that these people are prepared to come here, and they know the system in the United States, so that when they come, they come prepared. They're not coming just to wander around and think about like, 'What can I do next?'"
The second phase of the Refugee Exit Program involves providing support such as job training, language classes, housing and legal assistance, and employment placement support after the refugees arrive in their new home country.
"It's basically helping refugees and the government in the United States tracking the refugees' financial contributions, because the reason why we're doing this is we want to showcase the refugees are not aid recipients alone, but they are really contributing to our economies," said Ahmed.
Ahmed noted that the nations of Malaysia and Zambia have endorsed the program, along with the Chicago Public Schools, and elected officials such as Illinois state Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Chicago).
Agents of Hope is set to hold a gala from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at the historic Macy's flagship store building, at 111 N. State St.
"This is a chance for Chicago to invest in something that's really tangible," Ahmed said. "It's helping the economy. It's helping the community."
Agents of Hope is headquartered at 2046 W. Devon Ave.
