Friendship Building Activities

• Go to the park
• Ask them to teach you how to prepare a dish from their culture or teach you some other skill they have
• Find out what they like to do and do it with them! (Bike riding, hiking, sewing, dancing, etc.)
• Invite them to a cultural event (family birthday party, wedding, cultural celebration)
• Find out about international events in the area (International Festival in Raleigh, etc.)

Community Orientation

• Take a ride together on public transportation. Help newcomers locate the nearest bus stop and travel to important locations via public transport (grocery store, hospital, public assistance office, library, etc.)
• Go grocery shopping at an American grocery store and/or an ethnic store. Look at pricing, pounds, sizes, products, and coupons. Teach newcomers how to shop on a budget.
• Take a tour of a local government office, i.e. post office, fire station, or police station (usually offered for free if arranged in advance).
• Visit a restaurant where the food is familiar for the newcomer.
• Enjoy parks, holiday festivities, and sporting events with your refugee partners.
• Give your refugee partners a wall map of the city, state, or country.
• Some refugees may enjoy hearing the history of the area and city they are living in now.

Cultural Adaptation

• Discuss public safety and how to call 911 – when to call, when not to call, what to say.
• Review the home for maintenance problems. Practice with the newcomer explaining them to the landlord.
• Teach newcomers simple English phrases and words important to everyday life. Learn the same phrases in their language.
•  Review a map of the community. Ride the bus or drive around town to learn street names.
• Visit the local post office and show them how to buy stamps and mail a letter.
• Visit the local library, show them how to use the Internet, apply for a library card, and check out books.
• Practice making and receiving telephone calls. Practice polite greetings and phone etiquette.
• Discuss money. Practice making change, tipping, etc.
• Practice telling time with a clock. Explain the importance of being on time in this culture.
• Take a trip to the laundromat. Discuss temperatures, color separation, amount of detergent, coin machines, etc.
• Go to a second-hand store or garage sale together and buy something for yourself. Some newcomers may think there is a stigma to buying used items. If you buy some for yourself that will help them see that it is okay.