Refugees: A Unifying Force

Refugees: A Unifying Force

It is very important for local communities to have organizations that help with the refugee crisis. While my community has a few organizations that do just this, the one I am closest to is StAR. This is a high school club where students advocate for refugees, their mission is to raise awareness for refugees in the world and help local refugees to the best of their ability. To find out more, I decided to ask a few questions to each leader of the club, treasurer, publicist, president and vice president. I focused on the task of crafting these questions in a way that would help dig deeper, and uncover the inner workings of the club, as well as personal motives of the members. The responses I received were amazing! I was very intrigued as well as impressed with their answers which revealed that not only is the StAR club a great example of how a local community can demonstrate their American Creed but also it illustrated the ability of students to come together for a common, selfless goal. Thank you for reading all, or at least some of my interviews. I hope that you have gained insight into how important the refugee crisis is.

Following are the interviews from the respective leaders of StAR.

Tillie L: President of StAR club and Co-Founder of StAR. She works with the Vice President Devon M to come up with plans for meetings and projects, as well as inform other officers of broad plans.

Q:What made you decide to join StAR and help with the refugee crisis?

A: Freshman year, Canopy NWA came to FHS during our migration unit to present about the refugee crisis and how it impacts us locally. Their talk really stuck with Devon and I. We contacted Canopy to learn more about their mission and how we could be involved. After learning more about refugees, specifically in our own community, we decided StAR was something we were all genuinely interested and excited to start and so it was born!

Q: What is the mission of the StAR club?

A: StAR aims to advocate for refugees, especially those resettled in the Northwest Arkansas area. By educating students about the refugee crisis and de-mystifying the concept of resettlement, we hope to bring modern refugee issues to people’s attention. We also aim to directly aid NWA’s refugees in any way we can.

Q:What has been the most rewarding part of StAR for you?

A: The most rewarding part of StAR has been being able to reach so many different people. The refugee crisis does not feel urgent to the everyday citizen, but through StAR we’ve made some amount of difference in awareness in our community.

Q:Describe a moment helping with the refugee crisis that has meant the most to you.

A: Myself and the other volunteers helped some of the children from resettled families practice English over the summer in order to prepare them to use it everyday at school. A moment that stood out from this experience was simply playing Connect Four with some of the kids there. It was super fun for both the kids and for me. We all became friends through playing that game; it hit home how closely affected we all are by the refugee crisis, even if we’re unaware of it.

Devon M: Vice President and Co-Founder of StAR. She helps organize and conduct meetings and the main source of communication between StAR and Canopy, a local refugee resettlement organization.

Q: What made you decide to join StAR, and help with the refugee crisis?

A: I made the decision to start StAR with some friends. We decided that we really did want to do something about the refugee crisis. Seeing news stories about the millions of refugees in need around the world and also how they are treated by our current administration and our society made me want to get involved. I don’t want to stand idly by while people need help. StAR is a good start for educating and helping in my community right now and will hopefully give me, and others, the ability to continue doing more in the future.

Q: How does the mission of StAR club align with your ideals?

A: I personally believe that every person deserves to feel safe and happy and that educating people is the best way to move forward as a society. This club will hopefully allow students to start helping others and educating themselves and the people around them.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of StAR for you?

A: Being able to see the amount of love and support cosponsors put forth as well as the amount of joy, culture, and community that refugees have brought to the places around them has been absolutely enlightening to see and be a part of. In addition to this, being able to talk to people about refugees and make an impact on people’s perceptions of refugees has also been wonderful. Seeing that I’m adding something to people’s lives means the world to me.

Q: Describe a moment helping with the refugee crisis that has meant the most to you.

A: One of the things that has had the biggest impact on me while helping Canopy was setting up temporary and then permanent housing for an incoming family. I had met the cosponsors while setting up for temporary housing and helping with paperwork. The family arrived later that night. When I met with the cosponsors again a few days later to help with permanent housing, they told me that when the family first arrived at the temporary housing location the mother cried when she realized she had pots and pans of her own. This made me realize just how much the things that I take for granted can mean to someone. I spent that afternoon setting up the permanent housing for that family. We set up mattresses and tables, organized kitchen utilities dining sets, stocked the bathrooms, and tried to make a place feel a little more like a home. Knowing that what I was doing was enough to help a woman and her family feel safe and happy and at home meant the world to me and it’s something I won’t forget.

Lilly R: Treasurer and Co Founder of StAR club. She is responsible for the collection and use of funds.

Q: What made you decide to join StAR, and help with the refugee crisis

A: I decided to join StAR through my work with Canopy. I have been concerned about the refugee crisis and wanted to help and learn more about it. Ideas of starting the club had been running through me and my friend’s minds but our work at Canopy was the greatest factor towards it’s development.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of StAR club for you?

A: The most rewarding part of StAR for me has been seeing how our work has impacted our local community and realizing that as small as my efforts may seem, they do have a large impact.

Q: Describe a moment helping with the refugee crisis that has meant the most to you.

A: On our first meeting, a teacher in the school brought her advisory (comprised mostly of refugees) to the club meeting. It was so cool to see the people we were trying to help and their reaction to what we were doing. It was so exciting to see them participate in the club as well to help other refugees around them.

Olivia S: Publicist for StAR club. She is responsible for interacting with members via social media, as well as informing members when upcoming meetings are, current refugee events, and other important updates regarding the club.

Q: What made you decide to join StAR, and help with the refugee crisis?

A: Helping with the refugee crisis is one of the only things that I’ve had a true passion for. Most people are unaware of the conditions that it takes to be established as a refugee, but all of the people who are living in refugee camps waiting to be resettled were allowed to leave their home country because their conditions were unfit for living and for their safety.

Q: What is the mission of the StAR club? How does this mission align with your personal beliefs/ideals?

A: StAR’s mission is to both spread the information about the refugee crisis to our peers and to help the refugees in our community feel more welcome. This mission aligns with my personal beliefs very well. It is unfortunate that so many people turn a blind eye to refugees because they are unaware of what a refugee truly is. Many people have the belief that refugees are dangerous people, but this could not be further from the truth. Refugees are statistically more likely to be women which usually ends with a single mom in a foreign place with her children. This shows the strength of the women and children who go through the refugee process. It is StAR’s goal and my personal goal to make more people aware of this.

Q: Describe a moment helping with the refugee crisis that has meant the most to you.

A: One moment that has meant a lot to me was on World Refugee Day (June 30th) when we did a small march. We held signs and interacted with many of the members of our community. Later that day, we delivered welcome baskets to new families who were resettled by Canopy. All of the families welcomed us into their homes and engaged in conversation with us. It was an eye opening experience that allowed for me and the other volunteers to realize how fortunate we are. This fueled my passion for helping refugees and for spreading the information about the crisis to my classmates.

L, Tillie. typed response to interview questions. 27 October 2019.

M, Devon. typed response to interview questions. 27 October 2019.

R, Lilly. typed response to interview questions. 26 October 2019.

S, Olivia. typed response to interview questions. 29 October 2019.