- Afghan Advantage was grateful to partner with Their Story is Our Story’s StoryShield program and No One Left Behind to offer a series of preparedness workshops in Dari and Pashto for Afghan families across the greater Seattle area. Hannah from TSOS explains it like this, “We support Afghan families that are facing increased risk of detention and deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. StoryShield workshops teach immigrant families to create personal, phone-based video stories that highlight their community contributions and ties. If they are detained or deported, their story can be used to raise public awareness and rally community support.”
- Together, AA+, TSOS, and No One Left Behind hosted three StoryShield workshops in Tukwila, Kent, and Federal Way, including one held during our Pods Literacy Spring Graduation. TSOS is also helping document our community’s oral histories, preserving Afghan women’s stories, leadership, and lived experience for the wider community.
- Before the in-person workshops, our Compass Connection program hosted two online “Know Your Rights” sessions. Students learned how to find and remember important personal information, including their USCIS number, and how to help their families prepare in case of an emergency.
- Our students asked for this information because they wanted to know how to protect themselves and their families if a crisis ever came. We were thrilled to partner with StoryShield to help them do exactly that.
- At the workshops, AA+ students brought their spouses, children, and extended family members to learn alongside them. That is what community leadership looks like.
- Afghan women are an untapped resource for community advocacy, preparedness, and leadership. Through Pods Literacy and Compass Connection, AA+ students are building the skills to increase safety, self-reliance, and confidence—not only for themselves, but for their families and neighborhoods.
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