Project Description
The following quotes are from a story aired by WGN-TV in its cover story “North Side Refugees” by Micah Materre. To read the full text of the WGN-TV story, please see North Side Refugees.
Each refugee family arrives here with many needs. The families need people to be their friends and family, especially since they have often left the majority of their friends and family behind. I am proposing that North Park students be given the opportunity to become the friends of a refugee family. Each student can offer their compassion, personality and skills in order to make this family feel more “at home.”
The options are endless. Students would be paired with a refugee family based on the distance the student can travel to visit their family, how often they could visit the family, and the students’ specific skills and personality. Students are encouraged to bring all of their gifts, abilities and interests to the table. Some potential difficulties of this project are language and cultural barriers. In addition, certain families may not prefer to have visitors in their home, but might not be able to express this due to their limited English skills (this seems rare, however, especially in families with children). Another potential problem would be students who enter the program, but do not follow through with visiting their family at least once a week for the first month and twice a month following that (aside from breaks). Another possible difficulty is that some of the children might feel abandoned during long breaks, such as summer and winter. “Friends” of the refugees would be encouraged to explain the reason for their absence and send letters/ postcards.
Additional Components
The “Meet Your Family Dinner” would provide the opportunity for refugee families and students of North Park to come together and socialize, listen to music, and eat. A variety of dishes could be prepared with the help of refugee women/youth who have been here for a longer period of time. ( I have some connections here ). As far as the allowance goes, this money would be divided between the “friends.” The friends would be expected to account for how they spend the money. They could use it for bus tickets in order to teach a refugee the bus system, to buy a box of pencils at the dollar store, to put towards going to a museum/bowling alley, or perhaps a “welcome to America” fruit basket. The gift will come from the student’s heart for his/her new “family.”
Timeline
Starting in the spring semester, students will be invited to the refugee family dinner, which will take place in January. Students will be paired with a family and will be expected to visit their family at least once a week for the first month, and at least every two weeks after that. The time is completely up to the “friend” and his/her family. This project would be expected to continue the following school year, breaking only for university vacations.
Why This Is Important
I personally have been blessed by meeting many refugee families since coming to North Park in January 2006. I value my relationships with them and I have learned a lot from knowing them. Their life experiences, values and culture have enriched my life in many ways. I believe that refugee families struggle a lot in their transition to Chicago for many reasons. Their burden becomes lighter and the road becomes easier as people come alongside them to support them.
I am very passionate about the plight of refugees and I wish to offer North Park students the opportunity to enrich their lives by knowing these wonderful people. And, it’s FUN! Here are some things I have done with refugee families here in Chicago: go to the library, go to the park, ride bikes, buy ice cream, bake cakes, read books, do homework, sit and talk, sing songs, clean the house, babysit (change diapers, etc.), go to the beach, the zoo, botanical gardens, museums, go camping, go to church, teach in the schools, cook an African meal for a mother in the hospital, go trick or treating, buy Halloween costumes, play games, answer questions, show them how to use appliances, involvement in dance, arts and crafts, go to church with the family (although a majority of the refugees at this point are Muslim), exchange stories/language, enjoy a meal.
Desired Outcome
My hope for the refugee families who will be paired with North Park students is that the families will feel supported and cared for. I hope that they will be able to use the student as a friend, helper and resource. For me and the North Park students, I hope to further develop compassion and understanding. I also hope that this will enrich students’ lives in a very real way. And like I mentioned earlier, it’s FUN!
Measure of Success
If students at North Park are challenged to consider the plight of others and are motivated to use their gifts and talents to help these people, this is another sign that the program has succeeded. If students at North Park learn to appreciate and seek to understand another culture, sometimes with completely different customs, points of view and beliefs, this is another good sign that the program has succeeded.
If refugee families feel welcomed to Chicago and are able to benefit from the creative endeavors of North Park students, the program has succeeded. If refugee families are able to better appreciate Chicago and all this city has to offer due to the efforts of a North Park student, the program has succeeded. If refugee families benefit from a joyful and dedicated friend in their new lives, the program has succeeded.
If students at North Park benefit from knowing these refugee families in their personal and spiritual walks, this will be a sign that the program has succeeded.
