This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Over the past several decades, thousands of refugees have been welcomed by local communities as they've resettled here in Utah. The humanitarian good will and spirit of volunteerism have been tremendous, clearly a tribute to the citizens in our state. Despite this hospitality at the local level, there are more than 20 million refugees and more than 30 million internally displaced people in the world today — the greatest number ever recorded. Our nation has responded and has committed to increasing the resettlement of refugees from 70,000 to 85,000 people this year, with a goal of 100,000 in 2017. In comparison, after the Vietnam War the U.S. resettled more than 200,000 refugees a year. Utah continues to welcome refugees, and it is only fitting that we do our fair share to embrace life-saving efforts and enable a smooth transition for these people.

In the face of this growing global crisis, we have an incredible opportunity to come together as a community to provide a compassionate and focused response. The recent announcements by the LDS Church regarding serving refugees sent a strong and well-received message that refugees are welcome in Utah and communities around the world. 

This message resonates closely with Cotopaxi and our partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which is an international humanitarian aid organization that helps to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. The IRC has been providing services to more than 10,000 refugees in Salt Lake City since 1994. Through our work together, we have learned valuable ways to be efficient and effective in working with the refugee community, and we'd like to share a few meaningful and impactful ways each of us can be more involved.

The primary goal for communities receiving newly arrived refugees is to provide an ecosystem that helps them become self-sufficient, to establish a livelihood for themselves and their families and to provide the support that allows their skills and rich cultures to flourish as they adjust and build additional assets in the community. As you seek out volunteer opportunities, we encourage you to think about what skill you can contribute to helping refugees on their paths to creating new lives in the United States. The impact of skills transfer is deep and long lasting, and we seek strategies that provide sustainable pathways that enable these individuals to chart their own courses, rather than create an ecosystem of dependence.

This year, Cotopaxi and the Utah Refugee Services Office have come together to launch a skills-based volunteer program focused on building computer science capacity here in Utah. The Refugee Coding Project is powered by Code.org curriculum and taught by talented volunteers from Cotopaxi, Adobe, Goldman Sachs and V School. The program serves six refugee communities in Salt Lake, including Sudan, South Sudan, Burma, Congo, Bhutan and Burundi. With computing jobs in Utah currently at three times the state average demand rate, teaching computer science is something Cotopaxi and the Utah Refugee Services Office see as a natural fit, as it addresses one of the fundamental needs of a community of more than 60,000 refugees in Utah. This is an example how strategic partnerships can make a difference.   

In addition to welcoming refugees into our local communities and providing an ecosystem of opportunities, there are other ways you can make a positive impact. Here are a few:

International Rescue Community

• Make a monetary donation to the IRC to assist refugees with programs that provide critical support to newly arrived refugees through health, employment services, education, small business development, establishing matched savings accounts, and so much more. 

• Consider becoming a volunteer in one of the IRC's programs as a family mentor, youth tutor, health advocate, financial literacy counselor or other economic empowerment activities. The IRC takes great pride in ensuring volunteers have a quality experience that is mutually beneficial to the refugees and the volunteers who give their time.

Refugee Coding Project

• Donate! 100 percent of funds go directly to the program.

• Host a hardware drive. We are in need of working keyboards, mice, monitors, and other computer accessories. Our partner, Utah Open Source, is restoring computers and providing one full system for each refugee youth who completes our program. 

• Replicate this initiative in your own community. We are happy to share the model and teach you how! 

• Host an Hour of Code at your office or school to share the value of computer science.

Lindsey Kneuven is chief impact officer for Cotopaxi, an outdoor products maker headquartered in Cottonwood Heights.