Using Technology to Help Refugees
Derek Smith
Monday, 02 Apr 2018 at 8:00 pm – Sun Room, Memorial Union
Derek Smith is a caseworker at the International Rescue Committee in Dallas, Texas, who developed a multilingual, community-sourced app for helping refugees once they have arrived in the United States. The app helps refugees connect with hospitals, schools, ethnic stores, banking and more in their native languages, and is currently available in English, Arabic, Farsi, Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili. Smith will talk about his experience working with refugees in Dallas, why he does this kind of work, and discuss his app, the Collective for Refugees and Immigrants, and the process of creating it.Photo credit: David Woo (Staff Photographer, Dallas Morning News)
Cosponsored By:
- Arab Students Association
- International Student Council
- International Studies
- Political Science
- World Languages & Culture
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.