Refugees: An evening of learning

Melissa delivered another community presentation on refugees: Who they are, why they are here, what the resettlement process looks like, what the political challenges are, and how we can help.

I know that it can be hard to hear through the noise sometimes. There is so much in the news about refugees, and this news can make us feel a lot of powerful emotions. We might be angry, confused, or fearful. When there are tens of millions of displaced people, we might feel called to help from the comfort of our own homes - to at least do something to make a small difference. The question of course is what - and how? Or, we might feel that the problem is simply too big and overwhelming. We might want to keep it far away from us. The question here would then be why? Why should we do anything at all?

This presentation is designed to be a starting place for these important, valid questions. Most of us aren’t experts on global affairs or on immigration and refugee policy. And most of us don’t have an intuitive sense for how to bridge cultural divides and foster relationships with people who are different from us. The key is to come together and begin learning, asking questions, and reflecting. To begin understanding and reframing how we can understand our place in the global community - as citizens, as neighbors, and as human beings.

And my goal is to help you begin.