“What began as a small gesture became a binational celebration of solidarity, ensuring that every child, regardless of circumstance, walked into the classroom with dignity, hope, and joy.” A SAMU First Response project brought in 750+ items for kids samufirstresponse.org/education/ba...

Until 2025, for people seeking protection in the U.S. it took years, even decades. And this was for a tiny % of refugees. Yet it was possible, via the Refugee Admissions Program or applying for asylum at the border. Both processes have largely been shut down. There's no line to immigrate to U.S.

When people say they're not against immigration, but people must come to the U.S. legally, they're thinking of a long-outdated concept. There were legal pathways to seek protection in the U.S., but those have largely been closed. They took years to complete - but they were legal.

Here's video of the Sept. 13 @rooseveltinstitute.org Four Freedoms Awards. What superb, inspiring recipients, and great remarks! As a FDR Presidential Library trustee, I had the honor to help present the "Freedom from Fear" award to the Center for Victims of Torture, @cvt.org.

It was a great honor to share a stage with Javier Garcia, CEO of World Central Kitchen and other laureates at the @rooseveltinstitute.org’s 2025 Freedom Awards. WCK, @CVT.org @teenvogue.com and all the award winners show that a better world is possible.

This weekend, at the 2025 Four Freedom Awards, we honored five people & organizations advancing democracy, dignity & justice: @teenvogue.com, @revdrjacquilewis.bsky.social, @middlechurch.bsky.social, @wck.org, @cvt.org. ICYMI: 📽️ Watch the ceremony & learn more ⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ-S...

“Torture is meant to silence. To erase identity. To instill fear so deep that it permeates across generations. But we stand in defiance of that fear,” said @simonadams.bsky.social in his acceptance speech for the Freedom from Fear Award from @rooseveltinstitute.org www.cvt.org/articles/sta...

CVT is honored to receive the Freedom from Fear Award from the @rooseveltinstitute.org - we are grateful to be among the esteemed recipients of the Four Freedoms Awards.

At a time of increased global conflict, with 123 million people displaced, services for refugees are being cut back and closed down. Wherever we are in the world, @cvt.org stands with the world’s most vulnerable people.🇰🇪

CVT Nairobi participated in medical camps organized by @refugepoint.bsky.social offering free care for refugees. The need was huge: >1,400 people showed up. CVT worked with partners to provide physiotherapy & counseling as part of comprehensive services. www.cvt.org/articles/med...

This weekend I will represent @cvt.org and accept the 2025 Freedom From Fear Award from @rooseveltinstitute.org. We are humbled to be among these amazing recipients (including World Central Kitchen) who refuse to be cowed by creeping authoritarianism and are standing up for human rights!

On World Suicide Prevention Day, the counselors at CVT remind us that the way we speak about suicide is important: suicide can result from underlying mental health problems. We can work together to encourage each other and help people move forward during difficult times.

Check out a new resource on important considerations for telling your story safely - from our partners at @refugeeadvocacylab.bsky.social & @refugeecongress.bsky.social

Refugees are in the United States legally, after undergoing rigorous vetting processes by multiple agencies. Refugees are among the most documented people on earth. And less than 1% of all refugees are ever resettled to the U.S.

The Trump admin has once again run to the Supreme Court in its ongoing effort not to spend BILLIONS in foreign aid appropriated by Congress. It's effectively asking the Court to approve its attempt to unlawfully accumulate power.

It is hard to overstate the positive impact the "wounded healers" of @cvt.org #Ethiopia had on survivors who had faced the very worst cruelties imaginable. The program is another casualty of the Trump funding cuts.

There are several ways that people begin a pathway to becoming a U.S. citizen – these are legal methods for gaining citizenship. Asylum seekers live in the U.S. while their case is pending, and refugees are in a process seeking permanent residency.

NEW: “The order emphatically rejects the Trump Administration’s argument that following appropriations laws is optional,” said Lauren Bateman with @publiccitizen.bsky.social on preliminary injunction granted by fed district court on US foreign aid suit. www.citizen.org/news/new-pre...

The news is moving fast, and the need for advocacy is moving even faster. AVAC is providing updates on its fight against the US foreign aid freeze, documenting the impacts of cuts on STI prevention, and sharing opportunities and resources for education and advocacy in HIV prevention.

“The efforts of the CVT Ethiopia team were unquestionably heroic,” said CVT’s Simon Adams. For 13 years CVT extended care in Ethiopia to survivors of torture & violent conflict. When the U.S. government pulled funding in January, clients were left without care. www.cvt.org/articles/cvt...

Minnesotans! Don’t miss this event 9/18: Solitary Confinement Symposium - Seeking Justice & Reforming Carceral Punitive Practices. CVT's Alison Beckman will speak on a panel about the impacts of solitary confinement. 12:15 pm at @umnlawschool.bsky.social Register: law.umn.edu/events/solit...

🇲🇽 Weaving threads of resistance in #Mexico In 2024, survivors of torture and family members came together for the first National Meeting of Victims of Torture, led by local organisations like CEPAD, Fundar, and the Red Nacional de Peritos, with OMCT’s support. 🧵

Everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution and torture, a right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Seeking this protection in the United States is legal.

A client at CVT Jordan asked for help with her son, who had nightmares after his father was disappeared by the Syrian military. “They don’t even let me mourn for my husband or honor him,” she said. Enforced disappearance is used not only to punish the person but to control communities.

“We have seen a huge increase in mental health symptoms, and many of the people who had shown great progress in their recovery have regressed within an extremely short period of time.” Jill Davidson, CVT social services lead, speaks to Ampers about policy impacts. exchange.prx.org/pieces/58610...

Connections with others make a difference for our mental health and wellbeing. But healing from some trauma takes professional help. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Connect with a counselor who specializes in trauma-informed care.

“In my heart I still love CVT. Everyone here left a mark engraved in my heart with light and love,” a former client said about the team at CVT Jordan. Join us in celebrating this extraordinary team who reached thousands of refugee survivors of torture each year. www.cvt.org/articles/cvt...

What does self-care look like? It helps to know that self-care is not “one-size fits all.” Find out what works best for you and make a self-care plan. Healing is possible after trauma.

An important message from @refugeeadvocacylab.bsky.social - let's work together to create a clear path for refugees to come to the U.S. and begin to rebuild their lives in safety. Check out #WeWillWelcome

What can I do for self-care? An important question to ask to get started is: What are you feeling psychologically? Fear, worry, nervousness, feeling numb or self-critical, and many other feelings are common responses to traumatic experiences. #selfcare

How a @cvt.org capacity development program helped thousands of torture survivors to heal. www.cvt.org/articles/hel...

CVT's "HSH program enabled tens of thousands to get the kind of care they deserved after the trauma they had been put through,” said CVT’s Emily Hutchinson. Until U.S. foreign aid was cut, HSH & partners expanded survivors’ access to quality, evidence-informed care. www.cvt.org/articles/hel...

On #WorldHumanitarianDay we share a word from our president & CEO, @simonadams.bsky.social

Today is #WorldHumanitarianDay. But in far too many places around the world our colleagues and the populations we serve are being killed. Funding is being stripped away. Humanitarian workers need protection.🌍

Our bodies will tell us when we’re reacting to a traumatic experience. If you have physical symptoms, be sure to take care of your body and physical health right away. #selfcare

NEW: John Rash quotes @simonadams.bsky.social - repressive regimes make “a consistent attempt to say that you do not matter, the world does not care what happens to you, and that there will be nothing but a profound silence that surrounds your suffering.” www.startribune.com/us-foreign-p...

"We were forced to abandon our clients, many of whom were in the midst of processing their most horrific experiences of torture," said Neal Porter, CVT director of int'l service, during this listening session on US funding cuts hosted by @mccollum.house.gov www.youtube.com/live/HV1qeDu...

The D.C. Court of Appeals reversed a decision directing the Trump Admin to stop its freeze on foreign assistance funding. This decision is a major setback for the rule of law. Countless people will suffer because of the Administration's decision to withhold life-saving aid.

CVT celebrates Nancy Pearson, training mgr with @newtactics.bsky.social, as she retires after 25 years. Nancy brought a sense of purpose, integrity & hope to her work training activists on the most effective tactics to help them make real change in the world. Thank you for all you’ve done, Nancy!

One of the first steps for good self-care is to reflect on how you are responding to a difficult experience. Make a note: What are you feeling in your body? What are you feeling psychologically?

After a traumatic experience, you may notice physical reactions like body aches or insomnia. Pay attention – this can be our body’s way of telling us it is reacting to a serious situation. This is the time to start your self-care and be mindful of your physical health.

At @cvt.org, we are honored to receive the 2025 Freedom From Fear Award from the Roosevelt Institute. We are humbled to be among this group of recipients, incl World Central Kitchen, and others who refuse to be cowed by creeping authoritarianism and who stand up for human rights. See you in Sept!

Trump’s “Deportation Industrial Complex” wants to find, chase, detain, and deport 1 million immigrants per year. This includes people who haven’t committed any crime and many who are lawfully in the US. Cost: $170 billion… and America’s soul.

Congress should demand that the Trump admin provide the most basic of info about the conditions to which it is consigning human beings transferred from U.S. shores. @scott-roehm.bsky.social and @becingber.bsky.social on new legislation in the Senate: www.justsecurity.org/118670/congr...

“This kind of “nothing to see here” approach to gross human rights violations, from the United States, is how the global human rights architecture could begin to crumble.” -Scott Roehm, director of policy & advocacy Click: www.cvt.org/statements/c...

We are honored to receive the @rooseveltinstitute.org's 2025 Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech and Expression, and to be among a stellar class of laureates including @wck.org, @cvt.org, and more. Details: tnvge.co/ZMIUg7v

Our bodies react to trauma in ways we don’t always expect. Trauma is a complex process in our nervous system, and normal reactions can feel confusing. Even if you feel fine after an experience, there may signs that your system is reacting to trauma. If so, it’s time for good self-care.

CVT is participating in this listening session hosted by Congresswoman Betty McCollum on the impacts of federal funding cuts. We look forward to joining other Minnesota nonprofit leaders and public media providers Aug. 7. mccollum.house.gov/media/press-...

Trauma is complex, and it’s important to pay attention to how your mind and body respond to your experiences. Practicing self-care is important for people who have survived traumatic situations – and for everyone.

Charities usually like to talk to the public about their good works. In the wake of the Trump aid cuts, there's a new approach: "anticipatory silence." It's controversial.