NEWS & EVENTS
Pioneer-ICIU International Dialogue Series
The third installment in the Pioneer-ICIU International Dialogue Series will take place on Tuesday, July 7 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Greater Des Moines Partnership Arthur Davis Conference Room (700 Locust St., #100, Des Moines, IA 50309) on the theme of “Multiple Russias. ”
Kieran D. Williams, political science lecturer at Drake University, will discuss the notion of “Multiple Russias” to investigate the mainstream media perceptions of Russia and its more subtle internal politics. Before arriving at Drake, Williams had taught at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, the largest in the U.K. for the study of central, eastern and southeastern Europe and Russia.
Dialogue # 4 will be held in August. Be watching for further details.
Each dialogue in this series seeks to engage Des Moines’ public and business professionals in discussion on global issues and Iowa’s personal and organizational connections abroad. Each of these scheduled dialogues will take place on the above dates from noon to 1 p.m. at the Greater Des Moines Partnership Arthur Davis Conference Room and attendees are invited to bring their own lunches. These events are sponsored by the Iowa Council for International Understanding (ICIU), Pioneer Hi-Bred and the Greater Des Moines Partnership. For more information on this series, contact Christina Sibouih at christina.sibouih@iciu.org or 515-282-8269 x 15.
Click on the flyer image above to download the event flyer
Community Connections group needs homestays! |
Broaden your horizons and have an experience to remember by hosting one or more of our visitors from Tajikistan in our Community Connections program! Time and time again, program participants tell us that one of their favorite activities in the U.S. was their homestay with a local resident.
Volunteer details:
Who: Tajikistan visitors, here to learn about veterinary services for livestock
When: July 31–August 7 and August 9–August 19
Duties include:
- Hosting the visitor(s) overnight
- Helping to get them to and from the Quality Inn and Suites in the mornings and evenings
- Providing dinner and breakfast
Hosts may choose to have one or more of the 13 participants. Hosts may accommodate the visitors only for a portion of the program (though a minimum of three nights is preferred). Several fun events will be planned with the group as a whole.
Please contact Deborah Lake if you want to share your home with this dynamic group. Deborah can be reached at deborah.lake@iciu.org or 515-282-8269 ext. 12. |
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ICIU Spring 2009 Diplomat |
The new ICIU diplomat Spring 2009 edition is now available! This quarterly newsletter on international understanding covers ICIU's programs, events and news during the first quarter of 2009, while highlighting the contributions of all those who make it possible for ICIU to connect people and change lives.
The ICIU Diplomat is just one way to learn more about this 71 year old organization promoting cultural respect at home and around the world, one person at a time. Don't forget to check back to our continuously changing website and stay tuned for monthly newsflashes and event reminders when you sign up to be on ICIU's listserv.
Click on the newsletter image to download the Spring 2009 Diplomat! |
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Passport to Prosperity: |
A Celebration of Iowa's Immigrants and Refugees |
ICIU would like to extend its appreciation for the many nominations received for our 2009 Passport to Prosperity awards! Passport to Prosperity has become known far and wide for its internationally famous dinner, its unique entertainment and the stories told by the immigrants and refugees, whose accomplishments the event honors. Honorees’ names for the October 3 gala event will be released in the coming months. Please stay tuned for information on how you can attend this wonderful event.
Questions can be emailed to judith.conlin@iciu.org
Past honorees include:
Sahar Al-Shash
Somphong Baccam
Lucca Berrone
Juliet Cunningham
Swati Dandekar
B.J. Do
Deniz Franke
Penny Furgerson
Joe Gonzalez
Eric Idehen |
Dau-shen Ju
Fasil Kebede
Wangmeng Lee
Doua Lor
Fred Lorber
Vinh Nguyen
Sonia Parras-Konrad
Alba Pérez
See Rodari |
Elizabeth Salinas Newby
Rohey Sallah
Karuna Sayeed
Cladius M. Sillah
Isak Sivi
Mario Soria
Alicia Stessman
Liansuo Xie
Swallow Yan |
ICIU Receives Grant from Pioneer Hi-Bred
Iowa Council for International Understanding (ICIU) is pleased to announce the acquisition of a $10,000 grant from Pioneer Hi-Bred, a Du-Pont business.
The Pioneer Hi-Bred grant funds will be used for the planned Pioneer-ICIU International Dialogue Series. The contribution will aid in developing the series into a valued monthly activity in downtown Des Moines. The dialogue series is dependent upon the generous partnership of Pioneer Hi-Bred and it is thanks to both their sponsorship and the recent $10,000 grant that the series has started with such success. Dialogue #1, “One Iowan’s Unique Trip to Baghdad," featured
Mr. Charles Montgomery's presentation on
his experiences during his recent trip to Baghdad, meeting the Iraqi President, Deputy Prime Minister, U.S. Major General and the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. The event served as a great oppurtunity for one Iowan to share his global experiences with community members and included an active discussion amongst participants.
The grant was received through Pioneer Community Investment, thanks to
Pioneer Hi-Bred's commitment to helping improve the quality of life in the communities where its customers and employees live and work. The Community Investment department develops, implements and provides charitable programs to support quality of life initiatives on behalf of Pioneer and its employees.
Through this department, Pioneer supports non-profit programs that have broad-based funding support and measurable results.
ICIU would like to extend a hearty "thank you" to Pioneer Hi-Bred for its support of ICIU's mission. We couldn't do it without you and look forward to our continued collaboration!
ICIU Receives Grant from Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
Iowa Council for International Understanding (ICIU) has received a $3,000 Organizational Effectiveness Grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.
The Organizational Effectiveness Grant of the Community Foundation was designed by its Grantmaking Committee in response to needs identified by the Greater Des Moines nonprofit sector. Its aim is to assist nonprofits in their efforts to become more effective, strengthen and engage their Board of Directors, streamline operations, and still provide necessary services.
Community Foundation grant funds will be dedicated to web site audit and development. ICIU’s goal is to achieve its potential to act as a clearinghouse for international resources in Iowa. To achieve this, ICIU will develop a new web site that is responsive to the diverse and growing audiences of Iowa through the Iowa Global Connect Project. This will allow current Iowans, new Iowans, and international visitors to the state to access international resources through one source. The site will employ tools to ensure accessibility and interactivity, including a translation tool for multiple languages, interactive question and answer tools, and a searchable database of international resources. The site will also employ accessibility standards for limited English proficiency individuals.
The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines is a donor-driven public foundation whose purpose is to improve the quality of life in Greater Des Moines through philanthropy by providing leadership and resources in partnership with the community. For more information on the foundation, please see their web site at www.desmoinesfoundation.org.
ICIU's Interpretation and Translation Services
ICIU's is Iowa's premier translation and interpretation service in the state of Iowa and has offered its services to businesses, schools, organizations and individuals through a network of more than 100 interpreters and translators specializing in over 42 languages and dialects for over 30 years. ICIU's network of interpreters and translators are thoroughly screened and adhere to signed to codes of conduct and confidentiality. More than this, over 90% of ICIU's interpreters and translators are native speakers, ensuring that interpreters possess the important cultural knowledge and skills to assist in crossing both linguistic and cultural barriers.
ICIU continues to strive to not only meet the increasing demand for interpretive services, but also to improve the quality of the services provided. To achieve this, ICIU has launched a series of programs aimed at the professional development of its network, the education of its clients and the increased accessibility of its services.
ICIU professional development trainings work to improve the quality of services offered to Iowa community members of limited English proficiency. The primary goal of the interpreter/translator professional development training collaborative, the only known collaborative of its kind in Iowa, is to provide interpreters and translators with the training and resources necessary to ensure that they are knowledgeable and well-versed on interpreter/translator ethics and protocol, certification processes and professional development/continuing education opportunities for professional interpreters and translators. The first training workshops were held in August and November of 2008. For more information on professional development workshop, click here.
- Client Education Workshops
ICIU hosted its first client education workshop, “Getting the Most from Translation and Interpretation Services” on March 27, 2009 for Des Moines businesses, organizations, and social service providers who either currently use or could potentially use interpretation and translation services for their clientele. The workshop reached its maximum capacity of twenty-five participants ranging from all types of organizations within the Des Moines area such as Iowa Legal Aid, Child Serve, Broadlawns, Iowa Courts and Drake Head-Start, among many others. The workshop covered a variety of topics relating to language access issues such as the need for an interpreter, language access requirements and best practices, benefits of translation and interpretation services, as well as the legal requirements of institutions and organizations to provide interpretation and translation services for their clientele. The workshop was provided free of charge to local businesses and providers thanks to generous grants and donations from Prairie Meadows, Principal Financial Group and DMACC. More information.
- Broadlawns Medical Terminology Course
As a part of ICIU’s promise to provide the Des Moines community with the best-trained interpreters, ICIU is partnering with Broadlawns and Kaplan University to provide an 8-week medical terminology training course for its professional interpreters. This course focuses on increasing understanding of a range of medical terminology used in the healthcare profession and will help interpreters to better perform in the wide variety of medical settings within which their services are needed. The 8-week course consists of a 2 hour class each week, beginning on March 4 and ending on April 22. Ten ICIU interpreters, representing nine different languages are enrolled in this Medical Terminology Course
- Tour Guide Training Sessions
It is not often that the great state of Iowa is thought of as an international tourist location, however, recent development within ICIU’s interpretation and translation department may create more opportunities for Iowans to show off our Capitol City to the world. ICIU is partnering with the Des Moines Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to host Des Moines’ premiere Tour Guide Training Workshop which will provide professional interpreters with touristic insights and details of Des Moines. Local interpreters who attend this workshop will learn how to become step-on tour guides for non-English and/or limited-English speaking tourists.
This free workshop will consist of two training sessions on April 18, with a follow-up training session taking place on May 2. ICIU is continually looking for ways to improve and expand their interpretation services to local and international community members; this workshop is just another part of the process to create the most skilled and all-encompassing interpretation and translation services in Iowa.
From interpretation and translation services to educational workshops and forums, ICIU continually strives to be the leader of language access services within the greater Des Moines area.
For more information on ICIU's interpretation and translation services, contact Cammeo Medici at cammeo.medici@iciu.org or 515-282-8269 x 16.
Translations of Iowa Voter Registration Forms
ICIU is pleased to provide the Iowa voter registration forms in multiple languages, such as, Vietnamese, Spanish, Laotian, and Bosnian. Please continue to check our website as we may have voter registration forms translated in other languages.
Click Here to Access Forms
Disclaimer:
These are not official voter registration forms. You must complete the English version of the voter registration form or by calling the Iowa Secretary of State's Office at 515-281-8849 or 888-SOS-VOTE (888-767-8683) to be registered to vote in Iowa.
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Make a difference!
Support 71 years of building cultural respect in Iowa and around the world!
Serve Your Community!
Become a Volunteer Emergency Interpreter!
ICIU's offers free emergency interpretation services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to law enforcement, health and social service providers faced with life and death situations in which language is a barrier to providing appropriate services.
This service assists Iowans of limited English proficiency in attaining access to basic services, while assisting service professionals in providing effective services to those in need.
Download a Volunteer Emergency Interpreter Application
Interpreters & Translators Needed!
We are currently accepting applications for interpeters and translators for any and all languages.
If you or someone you know has an interest in interpreting or translating, download an an application to become part of the ICIU network of interpreters and translators.
Download Application
Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai, Swahili, Spanish, Malay, Kurundi and Burmese interpeters/translators are strongly encouraged to apply.
This is a great opportunity to work with Iowa's premier interpreter/translation service!
For more information, please contact Cammeo Medici at cammeo.medici@iciu.org or 515-282-8269 x16.
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