KASA held a community forum last quarter with a single goal: to listen. Not to present programs, not to ask for donations, not to explain the organization’s strategy — but to create space for community members to say what they need, what they wish existed, and what KASA should do differently.

The responses were candid, which is what we hoped for. Several participants said they wished KASA had a stronger presence in their city — that the organization was visible in Nashville and online but not as tangible elsewhere. Others asked about mental health resources, noting that the Kurdish American community carries significant trauma from displacement and from conditions in countries of origin, and that this dimension of community health is underserved. Several parents raised the language program and asked for more frequent class offerings.

KASA’s leadership is reviewing all of the feedback and will share a public response in the coming months. Listening is only the first step. The second step is demonstrating that we heard — through changes in how we allocate resources, what programs we build, and where we show up. We are committed to that second step.