SWITCHBOARD CONFLUENCE 2024
Bridging the Gap between Technology and Resettlement
The FIRST tech & resettlement conference - Confluence was an interactive event hosted with the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning’s Multi-Disciplinary Design department. It brought together refugee service providers and partners to explore how technology can improve resettlement, foster collaboration, and enhance newcomer safety and community. The event was designed to spark conversations, share knowledge, and develop innovative, cross-sector solutions for future-ready resettlement programs.
I was the facilitator for the Tech Playground - where participants were provided with a hands-on learning experience through tech demos, installations, and games.
Exhibits included prototypes and digital products designed using the co-creation method via TTAs, such as new 360° videos, Ai assistants and an immersive game created to support community navigation of a city.
The event’s 100+ participants were primarily ORR-funded service providers, including representatives from every resettlement agency, along with academics from the University of Utah, Arizona State University, UNHCR, and MIT’s Open Documentary Lab Fellowship. Attendees also included technology partners and local service providers with over five years of collaboration in Salt Lake City.
Out-of-town guests—such as Switchboard staff and organizations serving ORR-eligible populations like Lutheran Community Services, Upwardly Global, and UNHCR’s non-profit—joined as well. Humanitarian-focused partners, including Unity, JIWE, and Peace Geeks, were also invited to foster collaboration across the network.