![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/McGarity-3-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>“Do yourself a favor and do others a favor by being your best self,\u201d said Edlyn McGarit<\/em><\/strong>y<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Edlyn McGarity, a \u201cMindfulness Coach,\u201d Ted Talk speaker, author, actress, and employee at Akron\u2019s International Welcome Center. Photo courtesy of Edlyn McGarity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A world traveler and Indian immigrant, McGarity is currently employed as the Community Coordinator for Akron\u2019s International Welcome Center, or IWC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only that, but she\u2019s also a published author of a #1 bestselling Amazon book titled \u201cRedefine Your Success Metrics.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n She once gave a TedTalk speech called \u201cTaking Charge of Your Destiny,\u201d and on top of everything else, she\u2019s also a certified mindfulness coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With her varying skill sets, McGarity works with the IWC to aid foreigners in the resettlement process by building trusting relationships on an individual level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe take them to doctors\u2019 appointments, we take them shopping,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As another example, one of her McGarity\u2019s recent clients, a Chinese immigrant, was able to receive funding for his education thanks to a collaboration between Kent State Stark and his job at Case Farms Chickens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe [the Chinese immigrant] has to complete one year of education at Case Farms at that place he\u2019s working now, and that company is going to pay\u2026Kent State Stark is also going to help,\u201d McGarity said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She added, \u201cWith all that, he can actually accomplish his dreams of going to college.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since starting her position just months ago, McGarity has been helping Akron\u2019s refugees -or clients, as she calls them- with making life adjustments in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to blend in, but you integrate,\u201d she said, referring to refugees and immigrants. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to totally change yourself. You can be yourself, but adapt.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n This adjustment period includes the more typical aspects of resettlement, such as getting a job, learning how to navigate the grocery store, speaking English daily, and finding decent housing, to name a few. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For refugees, their first three months in the United States are paid for and taken care of by the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn our experience, 90 days is not enough for a person to adjust and settle.\u201d <\/p>Edlyn mcgarity<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Thus, the IWC includes a more friendship-based relationship, where members of the organization might introduce foreign-born citizens to American brownies, for example, to help with integration into the typical culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once, when McGarity was getting in contact with the head leader at Case Farms, she asked whether to bring paperwork when attending their first meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Case Farms, for context, is a common place of employment for Akron\u2019s refugee population. Their goal is to raise cage-free chickens in the most humane way possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, to McGarity\u2019s surprise, the leader of the farm corporation asked her to come in and get to know the employees. The focus was not about business, but about genuine connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey were so happy to see us they had a whole meal, like the whole table full of different dishes they had made. And we took brownies. We introduced them to American brownies, oh, and they liked it.\u201d <\/p>edlyn mcgarity<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n McGarity added, \u201cThis is what I mean by how IWC stands apart. We like to make it more friendship.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n For McGarity and her clients, it\u2019s all about creating a trusting relationship with one another that expands past superficial professionalism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do it to help them adjust,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is our goal, at least, is to go into a friendship level.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, for McGarity, the resettlement process also involves a unique aspect of adaptation: the idea of mindfulness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Further defined, mindfulness is the idea of being physically present and listening to one\u2019s body. It might involve exercises or techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and making gratitude lists. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Headshot of Ted Talk speaker, author, and IWC employee Edlyn McGarity. Photo courtesy of Edlyn McGarity. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n For McGarity, mindfulness largely involves helping others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to do a certain orientation that will cover different areas,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to create a program that all of them [different aspects of adjustment] will cover\u2026and mindset will be one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In McGarity\u2019s work life, she hopes to provide a space for her clients to explore their mental health through expansive mindfulness techniques and practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a \u201cCertified Master Mindset Lifecoach [via email]\u201d -someone who teaches mindfulness techniques to clients- makes her all the more qualified to turn this vision into a reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although McGarity is a fairly recent employee at the IWC, she already has big plans to incorporate the mindfulness lifestyle as part of her clients\u2019 everyday encounters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat I want them to understand is they have come from a different country and they are here. I don\u2019t just want them to focus on surviving\u2026I want them to think beyond.\u201d<\/p>Edlyn McGarity<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n When refugees first enter the United States from countries like Afghanistan or Nepal, they are typically covered by government assistance for the first 90 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Akron area, this accommodation service is provided by the International Institute of Akron, and it allows refugees to receive assistance in finding housing, education, and other basic needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With her help and the help of the IWC, refugees are given more time to adjust, which usually includes getting rides to various places throughout the Akron area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It might also involve taking refugees to the grocery store and teaching them how to find the best deals, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One way McGarity\u2019s team provides more personalized support is by creating an orientation program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Referring to her clients, she said, \u201cLet\u2019s tell you some do\u2019s and don\u2019ts,\u201d which might include something as simple as \u201cLittle things, like you don\u2019t put a fork in the microwave\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n McGarity explains that while this is common knowledge for those who grew up in the United States, not everyone has had the same experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, she also wants to help refugees who might want to further their education in the U.S. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She wants to make it so that \u201cThey\u2019re [immigrants and refugees] capable of pursuing their own jobs based on their skill level, their passions, and their education.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With mindfulness, then, it\u2019s McGarity\u2019s goal for these individuals to thrive after a year of living in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She said, \u201cIf you have a refugee mindset, it\u2019s more like a victim mindset,\u201d encouraging her clients to create a more positive way of looking at their situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the next 3-6 months, McGarity hopes to initiate a mindfulness training program for her clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLearn what you\u2019ve got, take time for healing if need be, but one step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Morgan McGrath “Do yourself a favor and do others a favor by being your best self,\u201d said Edlyn McGarity Edlyn McGarity, a \u201cMindfulness Coach,\u201d Ted Talk speaker, author, actress, and employee at Akron\u2019s International Welcome Center. Photo courtesy of Edlyn McGarity. A world traveler and Indian immigrant, McGarity is currently employed as the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[70,9,45,55,15,11,10],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","tag-case-farms","tag-employment","tag-international-welcome-center","tag-iwc","tag-north-hill","tag-women","tag-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theresettlementproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/McGarity-1-794x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>