| Empowering Lives: IAOP Event in New York Inspires Global Sourcing Professionals to Support Refugee Hiring | |
Empowering Lives: IAOP Event in New York Inspires Global Sourcing Professionals to Support Refugee Hiring
By: Sandra Frinton, PULSE Editor
IAOP’s On Location Event served as a catalyst for change, inspiring global sourcing professionals to explore a powerful collaboration empowering refugees and underserved youth in New York City through education and employability programs.
On November 7, a panel discussion, CXforGood: Empowering Communities Through Education – A Collaborative Movement in NYC, showcased the innovative approaches and successful outcomes of Foundever.org, Project Rousseau, and the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) in creating positive and tangible social impact.
In a transformative partnership, Foundever.org, the nonprofit operating foundation established by Foundever, a global leader in the customer experience (CX) industry, launched an English-language learning and job readiness skills program for young adults in collaboration with Project Rousseau, an NYC-based organization dedicated to providing mentoring and academic services to immigrants.
Once job-ready, these individuals are connected to the workforce through organizations like Tent, which connects work-authorized refugees to employment opportunities with its over 400 member companies across the Americas and Europe.
Since Foundever.org invested in a teaching specialist position in New York City this summer, 140 young adult immigrants served by Project Rousseau have already been positively impacted. All three organizations stressed the importance of language proficiency skills in gaining employment.
The partnership exemplifies the transformative power of businesses utilizing their resources to uplift communities, offering refugees pathways to workforce integration while equipping young people with essential skills and mentorship to break the cycle of poverty.
The impact sourcing model presents a promising solution to the industry’s talent crisis.
“We’re always talking about the need for talent in the global technology and business services industry,” said IAOP CEO and session moderator Debi Hamill. “This should be at the top of everyone’s mind. There is talent out there – let’s seek it out. To me, we’ve got the solution right here.”
Overcoming Adversity Brings Hope for New Beginnings
The panelists from the three organizations shared inspiring stories about the resiliency of refugees who have triumphed over significant challenges to reach the U.S., underscoring their unwavering dedication and reliability as employees.
In one gripping account, a family of asylum seekers from Afghanistan embarked on a harrowing journey following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. With three young children under the age of three, they set out on foot to Turkey but were ultimately turned back due to the father’s high-risk profession.
Their journey took them through Iran and Brazil, where they managed to obtain a temporary humanitarian visa, yet they continued to face significant safety challenges. Undeterred, the family endured a treacherous trek through Central America, navigating the dangerous Darién Gap jungle corridor before finally reaching the United States three years later.
With the help of Project Rousseau, the father, an engineer with a master’s degree and strong English language skills, found stable employment, allowing the family to transition from a shelter. The children are thriving, adapting rapidly to their new environment, and embracing the opportunities that lie ahead.
“I think a lot about what the children who went on that journey to Turkey and back and then through the jungle,” said Bethany Thorne, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board, Project Rousseau. “What inspires me is that they will graduate high school here in America and think of themselves as Americans. Refugees are probably some of the best employees you’ll ever meet because they have gone through so much to get here. Resilience is just central to their everyday experience.”
Education and Employability Change Lives
Najet Tenoutit, Managing Director of Foundever.org, emphasized the organization’s belief in the transformative power of education and employment opportunities to change lives. Its #CXforGood movement aims to equip refugees with essential skills for diverse jobs beyond the CX industry.
“When you provide someone with an opportunity to become educated, that stays with them, and it starts to change their lives,” said Tenoutit. “At Foundever, we are educators and asked, ‘How do we turn that into something bigger and give back to society?’”
Tenoutit encouraged others to join the movement, create partnerships, and utilize education, training, and mentorship to make a positive impact, beginning with small programs and then expanding.
The speakers emphasized how hiring refugees emerged from their need to find employees rather than philanthropy.
In 2016, Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya founded Tent based on his firsthand experience hiring refugees in upstate New York and Idaho into Chobani’s workforce. Ulukaya discovered that refugees are not only hard workers but also loyal, passionate, and innovative employees.
Scarlet Cronin, Vice President of Global Strategy and the Americas at Tent, emphasized the organization’s pragmatic approach to helping refugees access jobs and integrate into the workforce – a win-win that has a positive impact both on the lives of refugees and on the companies that welcome them.
Today, Tent operates in eleven countries, and its network has grown to over 400 major companies – including Amazon, Accenture, Blackstone, Google, Hilton, L’Oréal, and Marriott International – that are committed to helping refugees access local labor markets by helping them become job-ready and connecting them to work.
To accelerate impact, Tent often encourages member companies to announce forward-looking commitments. For example, at Tent’s first U.S. business summit in 2022, 45 companies came together to collectively pledge to hire over 22,000 refugees over three years. This March, at the halfway point of these commitments, the companies were already over 70 percent of the way toward achieving their collective hiring goal.
Member companies can join Tent at no cost, and the organization offers members a range of services, including helping them set up or scale their refugee hiring programs and guidance and best practices on effectively integrating refugees into their workforce. This includes training on cultural competency, overcoming language barriers in the workplace, and fostering an inclusive workplace environment.
In addition to supporting companies in their efforts to hire refugees and complementing its mission of connecting refugees to work, Tent also offers member companies access to various mentorship initiatives, such as its Refugee Women Mentorship Initiative and Afghan Refugee Mentorship Program. These programs pair employees from participating companies with refugee mentees seeking professional mentorship and help refugees gain practical local job market and workplace know-how, strengthen their professional networks, and restart or advance their careers in their new countries.
While Tent has made remarkable strides in facilitating job opportunities for refugees in the U.S., Mexico is another country where the organization has doubled down. With 75 percent of employers in Mexico struggling to find workers, growing labor shortages are drawing significant interest from companies eager to hire refugees.
In February 2024, the organization launched Tent México, a coalition that’s now more than 60 companies strong – including Chedraui, Coppel, FEMSA, Grupo Bimbo, and HEB – committed to advancing the labor market integration of refugees and migrants in Mexico.
IAOP’s Hamill encouraged others to embrace this movement and consider how their organizations can contribute to community empowerment through education and responsible sourcing. The topic will be discussed at OWS25 in Chicago in May, where Foundever.org will host a hands-on workshop to advance the #CXforGood mission with the industry.