This year, the IRC in Missoula was honored to work with three students at the University of Montana School of Social Work and offer experiential learning opportunities through Social Work Practicums. Practicum students work alongside our team of caseworkers to provide direct service to new Americans assisting with many aspects of daily life, from transportation and grocery shopping, to ensuring equitable access to health care and mental health services. 


Beginning last August, Whitney Pratt and Virginia Harris began their MSW Practicum with our Specialized Case Management Team. This Spring, Renna Al-Haj, a double Social Work and Photojournalism major, began her Bachelor's practicum experience working with our Reception & Placement (R&P) Casework team! 

 


At the end of their experience, Renna and Whitney took a moment to reflect on all they'd learned from their experience at the IRC. Read their reflections below: 

Renna Al-Haj | Spring BSW Practicum

Yemeni music filled the van as we rolled across the Russell Bridge with the windows down. The drums and whistling provided the perfect opportunity for a dance party, with no need to understand the lyrics.  

Throughout the months I’ve worked at the International Rescue Committee, I’ve learned language is not the key to forming bonds and trust. A smile can communicate more gratitude and happiness than a shared language. Laughter can ease the stress of learning to live in a new community and driving on Reserve Street during rush hour in Missoula, Montana more than an explanation could.

Although I haven’t spent hours talking to the families at the IRC, outside of the official translation for

services, I’ve spent hours in their company: watching over the children during appointments and seeing them move from crawling to walking, knowing their favorite toys and the face they make before they cry; in the grocery stores, learning their favorite snacks and what food reminds them of their home country; listening to music from parts of the world I haven’t visited but now feel so closely tied to. 

When there is the opportunity for shared words, I’ve seen how a few simple words can be powerful when exchanged. I learned the word for hello, thank you and mountains in Dari, Arabic and Swahili. They laughed as I fumbled my pronunciation but the smiles still shined because of the joy shared with the few words.  

I felt lucky to be at the airport when families arrived in Missoula and watched as they took in the town they would lay their roots in again. It was only the start of their journey in their new community and such a profound moment to witness. 

After three short months working with families at the IRC,  I didn’t know how I could leave. If it wasn’t for the international flight I booked months earlier, I don’t think I would have. I cried as I wrote thank you notes in each family's language but struggled to find the words to explain my gratitude to each of them, in any language.

Casework is not a glorified profession. It is hard work navigating services and working within policies, budgets and timelines.  But the in-between moments that are often overlooked are what truly make casework one of the most beautiful professions. 

Each grocery run, social security office wait, van drive, bus ride, social service appointment and English lesson where they would come back to the van excitedly sharing new phrases, made everyday something to look forward to.

It was such an honor to spend time with people in the quiet moments of their life, whether we could speak the same language or not.

 

Whitney Pratt | 2023-2024 MSW Practicum

When I think of working with clients at the IRC, I think of resiliency and of a culture of giving. As a Master of Social Work Student at the University of Montana, I had the privilege of completing my practicum with the IRC in Missoula. I was a part of the Supplemental Case Management and Health teams and was able to work on systems, resource development, and inter-team communication. One of my treasured roles was visiting clients in their homes to complete assessments. On one such visit, I ended up in the hallway of the hotel with one parent and her toddler while my colleagues were with the other parent.

We didn’t have interpretation services and neither of us spoke more than a word or two of the other’s language, and yet we were easily able to connect over the joy and silliness of a young child. We looked at the mountains, we practiced high fives, and we tried to get the toddler to run down the hallway.

Later, when we conducted the assessment, this parent and I shared laughter about something that related to our time in the hallway. We didn’t need to speak the same language to know that we were both laughing at the same thing. For me, this is such a beautiful example of the power of shared humanity. 

While language is one way that we communicate, it is far from the only one. I will always be grateful to the IRC, its staff, and clients for allowing me to be a part of such a generous community.