International Affairs Council to host the 53rd Annual Frank Church Symposium

This year's symposium offers a chance for community members to interact with representatives from various local organizations, including the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center, Idaho Office for Refugees, BRIDGES, and Empowering Immigrant Women in Pocatello. They will be sharing valuable local resources and information with all attendees.

On March 7 we will have Panel 1: “The Making of a Refugee”, Panel 2: “Local Actions, Resources, and Obstacles”, and the Joseph and Priscilla Hearst Memorial Lecture by Liyah Babayan on the topic of “Women in Leadership”. On March 8 we will continue with Panel 3: “Diverse Refugee Experiences” and Panel 4: “Family, Gender, and Survival” and the Richard H. Foster Lecture by Anselme Sadiki on the topic.  All will be held in the Rendezvous ABC Suites.

The keynote speech called “Looking Back So We Can Move Forward” by Dr. Carina Hoang, Special Representative of Australia for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be held in the Bistline Theatre in the Stephens Performing Arts Center on March 7 at 6 PM.

Dr. Hoang was 16 when she fled Vietnam on a wooden boat with her two younger siblings and 370 other people. She first arrived in a refugee camp in the United States and then got accepted for resettlement in Australia. Since moving to Australia in 2007 she had made an immense impact in raising awareness of refugee issues.

Hoang is a historian, public speaker, ambassador for Australia for UNHCR, former refugee, and an award-winning actor, author, and publisher. Some of her awards include the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame, Independent Book Publishers Award, the City of Belmont Volunteer of the Year Award, Karl Farrell Inspiration Award and Soulful World Server Award.

Free parking for those attending, from the community or students, will be available at Reed’s Gym and the Student Union Building, as well as at the Holt Arena where you can either walk or utilize the free on-campus bus.

The International Affairs Council was started in 1970 in memory of the late Senator Frank Church and has since then organized the Frank Church Symposium every spring on the Pocatello campus of Idaho State University, this international symposium is a rare forum in the United States because it is fully student-led and student-funded.

More information is available at isu.edu/frankchurchsymposium.