by ARYSE National on May 28, 2013
Every weekend, I visit Blaise, a 15-year-old refugee newly emigrated from Guinea, and hold a tutoring session. Usually, we work on homework – sometimes a grammar worksheet, other times a math problem set. Recently, however, Blaise brought a prompt to me for a scholarship program he hoped to take part in. It asked for the applicant to explain why he or she would be a good candidate for the program. Blaise was puzzled – not by the language, but by the idea of writing an essay espousing his strengths. It wasn’t something that had been asked of him. I was shocked – I had been conditioned my whole life to talking about myself, from my time in prep school to my college applications. We sat down on his computer, and I thought of a way to approach the prompt. I didn’t want to lead him to the answers. I felt confident that I could write a convincing argument for him, but I wanted him to arrive at those conclusions himself. But how does one teach such a method of writing, when the person in question has never been asked: what are your strengths? I asked him just that question. He toyed with it for a while – it felt like for ages. Finally, he answered – “Math. Math and Soccer.” We compiled lists - why did he like them? What made him good at them? The answers I received weren’t as I expected. I almost anticipated heart-wrenching stories about playing soccer in his own country as a child, or how math is a universal language and is a comfort to him in a foreign country. On that front, I was surprised – but not disappointed. Blaise’s final essay was coherent and beautiful, and it was all his. I realized two things about us that day. I learned that I am privileged to have been educated by a system that promotes self-love and understanding, and I wish it were something each student could realize – that each student has something wonderful and unique to offer. But I also realized that such conditioning could be untrue to our perceptions of ourselves and the diverse people that populate our lives. It was a joy to see Blaise realize that he had so many strengths, and to think of himself in a way he had never thought before. I believe that he will always be mindful of the conclusions he came to that day. And as he faces college applications, perhaps that mindfulness will become second nature – but I hope he won’t lose himself in that thinking.
- Evan Strouss, BRYTE tutor
by ARYSE National on May 14, 2013
The Creating Connections ’13 Conference bolstered our sense of purpose while deepening our understanding of the systemic short-falls that compromise refugee youths’ ability to thrive.
Presenting her thesis research on refugee parental engagement in Providence, RI, panelist Sidney Scott reported that there is a 14.5% achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students in Providence Public Schools. This achievement gap is more significant than any other category – larger than racial and socioeconomic disparities. Despite this fact, Sidney found that the the needs of newcomer ELL students were not discussed at the district level. No language or cultural competency trainings were given to teachers, who then struggled to support newcomer refugee and immigrant youth. These are only some of the barriers refugee students face in Providence, and across the country.
In his keynote address, ORR Director Eskinder Negash presented conference participants with a numerical and narrative history of refugee resettlement in the United States. The numbers are pretty stark. Three million refugees have been resettled in the United States since 1980. But in 2011 alone there were 35.5 million displaced people in the world. While the United States resettles more refugees than any other nation, only 1/2 of 1% of displaced people are granted asylum and resettled in a third country (that is different from their home country, and the country in which the refugee camp they have lived in is located) each year. Mr. Negash illustrated what this means saying that many refugees, like those from Burundi, spend as many as twenty-seven years in camps. When he visited Shimelba Camp (Ethiopia) in 2006, there were 17,000 people living in the camp; only 50 resettlement permits were issued each month. Clearly, there is a need that is not being met.
The official history of U.S. refugee resettlement began in 1980 with the passing of the Refugee Act. According to Mr. Negash, this timeline is misleading. “The history of the United States is a history of people, ordinary people, refugees and immigrants who came to this country in search of freedom and did extraordinary things,” he remarked. Government support for these people came after more than one-hundred years of grassroots organizing. The IRC, one of the largest and most well-known organizations supporting refugees, was founded in 1836. “ARYSE is part of this tradition,” Mr. Negash told us. He thanked student participants for being tutors, mentors, and role models for refugee youth, reminding them that “nobody needs a hand-out, but people need a hands-up.” This notion is a foundational principle of ARYSE.
Our Creating Connections Conference was a powerful event that lit the spark; it launched a network we are excited and honored to maintain, deepen, and grow. The potential was summed up by one conference participant who reflected, “ARYSE marks an immensely exciting next step for organizations working with refugees … I simply cannot wait to be involved in this incredible alliance.”
- Tara
