What is Iskashitaa?
Iskashitaa (pronounced: Isk-ah-shee-tah) is a non-profit organization established to harvest hope and empower the dreams of refugees living in Tucson.

Who is a Refugee?
A refugee is a person who leaves his or her country because of a fear of persecution. Refugees come from many backgrounds and countries. Refugees must have lived in another country or a refugee camp before their resettlement and must go through a complex process in order to be relocated. All refugees who resettle in the United States are invited by the United States government. Refugees are not immigrants who arrive for job or economic opportunities.

At Iskashitaa, refugees find cross cultural exchanges, sustainability, connections, collaboration, education, community engagement, services, opportunities, arts, traditions, environmental consciousness, new experiences, identity, local foods, diversity, and much more.

To see Tucson refugees visiting Tohono Chul Park, watch this short video from from Arizona Public Media.

Who does Iskashitaa serve?
Nearly 33 million people have been uprooted from their homes by persecution and armed conflict. Their losses are incalculable: they may lose their home, livelihood, safety, belonging, or family. Currently, less than one percent of these refugees are resettled to a permanent home. Upon arrival, the success of these lucky families depends on the welcome they receive from their new community.

You can learn more by attending a Refugee 101 Information Night on Thursday, Sept. 13, from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, at St. Francis in the Foothills, Rooms 30-31:

• Who is a United Nations Refugee?
• Where do they come from?
• What is their journey like?
• What does Iskashitaa do in Tucson?

To RSVP, call Lizbeth Gonzalez at 331-6585 or Barbara Eiswerth at 440-0100, or by email to: volunteer@iskashitaa.org.

Iskashitaa programs include: 

• Harvesting and Preparing Food
• Sewing and Crafts Circle
• Marketing and Fundraising, ESL, Advocacy
• Volunteer Your Time
• Donate Food to their Harvest Program
• Give Handmade Gifts From Their Catalog

Support Local Farms Who Donate to Iskashitaa:
Please support the local farmers, and save natural resources, who donate to Iskashitaa:

• Brown’s Orchard 
• Buckelew Farm
• Forever Yong Farms
• Native Seeds
• RichCrest Farms
• Tucson Community Supported Agriculture
• UA Arizona Cooperative Extension

Find Iskashitaa goods at stores across Tucson:

• Iskashitaa office at 1406 E. Grant, Tucson
• First Christian Church at 740 E. Speedway, Tucson
• Patchouli Blue at Historic Old Town Artisans, 186 N. Meyer, Tucson
• St. Francis in the Foothills at 4625 E. River Rd., Tucson
• CRIZMAC Art and Culture Education at 1642 N. Alvernon, Tucson
• Dirty Dawgs Self-Service Dog Wash at 3055 N. Campbell Ave. #133, Tucson
• Creative Juice at La Plaza Shops, 6530 E. Tanque Verde, Suite 160, Tucson
• Deco: Art for Living at 2612 E. Broadway, Tucson
• BorderLinks at 620 S. 6^th Avenue, Tucson
• Mi Casa Mexican Extravaganza at 3248 E. Grant, Tucson
• Desert Vintage & Costume at 636 N. 4^th Avenue, Tucson

Rick Small, president of the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit trade association of businesses, organizations, students and individuals interested in sustainability in Southern Arizona, has put out the 2012 call for volunteers who care about the health of our dear Mother Earth. SAGCC will participate in three events focused on green-practices in April:

• Greenfest on April 7^th at Tucson Village Farm, 4210 N. Campbell
• U of A Earth Day on April 20^th  at Main Gate Square on University Blvd
• Tucson Earth Day Celebration at Reid Park on April 21st

You are needed!

Please email sagccpresident@gmail.com or call 520-777-7138 if you are interested in helping with these or any other events the SAGCC will be holding in the near future.

I’ve been compiling a list of non-profit organizations in Southern Arizona and was impressed by the Tucson YWCA’s mission: To eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Have you given any thought to racism and how much it hurts the minds and hearts of those different from yourself, or about being a woman without the skills necessary to succeed in the world? I recently heard back from Janet Marcotte, Executive Director of the Tucson YWCA, who does think about these issues—probably every day.

Janet Marcotte, Executive Director, Tucson YWCA

“Each year, the YWCA YWorks Employment Education and Training Program gets amazing results for hundreds of women with serious barriers to employment—-even in this difficult job market,” she said. I learned more than 600 women participate in YWorks program components (job training, employment skills, career guidance, computer classes, internships and scholarships) each year—and the YWCA boasts a 97% success rate. “Economic self-sufficiency is key to ending homelessness,” Janet said. Helping homeless women, many with children? That’s about the best cause I can think of. For more information about the YWorks program, email Liz Rabago at lrabago@ywcatucson.org.

“The YWCA Lider de mi Vida: Hispanic Women’s Leadership Initiative program was recently selected as one of five transformative programs in the state by ASU Center for Arizona’s Future,” Janet added. I’ve always believed that if women led the way, war would cease to exist, all people would have roofs over their heads and access to food, water, education and health care. There would be no grandstanding or sound bites by politicians–basic needs would simply be met and human beings would be groomed and trained for success. We can dream, can’t we?

Women and Money conference 3.5.2011

The YWCA Tucson was established in 1917 and provides services and programs to 25,000 individuals each year. Their programs include:

• Financial education for women of all ages, income levels and stages in life;
• Free tax preparation for low to moderate income families and individuals;
• Women’s counseling to low-income women at no charge;
• Community education programs such as Understanding Racism and It’s Time to Talk forum on race.
  

  At a partnership meeting of the Girl Scouts, the TuScon YWCA and Emerge, which helps abused women.

If you would like to learn more about the YWCA’s programs or are interested in volunteering (go forth and make a difference!), please see their web page at http://www.ywcatucson.org or call 520-884-7810. The YWCA is located at 525 N. Bonita Avenue in Tucson. You can view their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/YWCA-Tucson/172507209090.