World Relief Center interview/pics

Questions:

In your own words what is the organization’s mission?

The same as the company mission statement focusing on humanitarianism-not focusing on politics but on assistance-service-Church- They are an Evangelical Corporation

How many full time staff and part time staff do you have?

7 Fulltime employees and 2 Parttime employees. They do have volunteers but they work mostly outside of the office.

What are their roles?

The salaried employees job titles are-case management, employment and immigration assistance

Does each person have a workspace?

Each employee has a work space, however small and inadequate. There are only two private offices and he believes they could use one more.

Are there employees who do not require workspace?

just the volunteers

Do you have volunteers?

yes-they mostly help move furniture, teach English, help with office paper work, and driving

Does your staff work in groups or independently?

They work as a team collaborating on projects when needed but they all do have individual tasks

What makes your group work and meeting spaces effective or ineffective?

Having a large enough table to discuss with everyone at once is effective but the space they have isn't a seperate room so they don't have total privacy and there is often alot of noise from the waiting area and the space is small.

Are there offices or spaces that need to be near each other or shared?

Yes the similar departments would idealy be grouped together.

Are there staff members who need their own offices?

The part time resource manager needs an office, right now she shares with co workers and uses their office space when they are not busy.

What is the number of the existing rooms in your facility and their functions?

There are only 5 actual rooms, the spaces are sectioned off with partitions. And there are 2 private offices and one shared office.

What do you think are the best aspects of your facility and what do you think it lacks?

The best aspects are the services they provide. They are lacking space. He would like more clearly defined spaces and a solution to the noise level.

If you were designing a new building what would you include in the new space that you don’t currently have?

A kitchen, more office spaces, a larger conference room, and storage.

Would you like to have spaces for over night stays?

No, we try to encourage self sufficiency and work with a realty companies to provide apartments.

Is community involvement one of your priorities?

yes they rely heavily on churches and civic organizations.

What kind of environments have you found that foster interaction between people?

Any environment the refugees just like to have people to talk to, especially someone who speaks their native language. If not they have interpreters.

What are the absolute necessities for the facility?

What they have now is the bare necessity.

What type of programs do you offer here?

case management, english classes, employment services, and immigration services

What is the buildings number one use?

office

If the building was adequate what new types of programs would you like to house here?

Child care and larger class rooms

Which of those needs do you think is of highest priority?

They are of equal importance.

What sort of furnishings and equipment is needed for all of the activities that go on in the building?

kitchen equipment, computers, and better internet network/connection

What type of environment do you try to provide?

welcoming-peaceful- they try to teach the refugees that here they don't have the same kind of fears. Their lives are not in dangers on a daily basis and they don't have to fear the police. While our society is not perfect and we do have criminals they don't have to worry about nightly raids that include rapes and kidnapping.

How do you feel you have achieved that in this space?

I didn't ask this question but it seems they provide this feeling with their personalities, their budget doesn't seem to allow them much freedom for decorating.

What improvements would you make?

Mark said he would focus on decorating.

In what ways have you developed an environment to welcome visitors from different cultures?

There doesn't seem to be a need for a connection to their country. The refugees know they are coming here and are ready to embrace the American culture.