REAL Event – Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL)

By MaryAnn Chiu

Peer Reviewed by REAL Members

The DMV Regional Convening for Refugee Students in Higher Education was a one day convening hosted by The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) Refugee Resettlement Initiative (RRI) and the George Washington University’s Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL). Gathering researchers, practitioners and students from the DMV area, the convening aimed to discuss opportunities and challenges students with refugee backgrounds face when accessing and navigating higher education, come up with best practices to support them, and build a community of practice for further collaboration and action.

The Refugee Educational Advancement Lab organizing team

Reflections

Centering the Voices of Refugees

A common theme I noticed throughout the convening was the importance of centering the voices of refugees. Olufikayo Abiola Akintola, an alumnus of the International Education Program (IEP) at the George Washington University (GW) highlighted centering refugees’ voices as a key principle in conducting refugee-related research. This principle was also reflected in GW’s IEP faculty, Dr. Jihae Cha’s use of storytelling and participatory approaches in understanding Afghan boys’ sense of belonging in school. Instead of sticking to preconceived research agendas, participant-driven research first and foremost listens to refugees’ voices, providing a space for their thoughts to be heard. The assistant director of the First-Gen+ Center at George Mason University (GMU), Rommel Aguilar Cardenas further corroborated this point by calling for a narrative shift from a deficit-viewpoint to an asset-based approach, focusing on what refugees can do instead of what they cannot. It is essential for the higher education community to view refugees as human beings with agency and a voice of their own.

The Significance of Student Initiatives in Higher Education

The student leader panel was living proof that students with refugee backgrounds are far from voiceless. Dudi Miabok is a graduate student with a refugee background who co-founded Elimisha Kakuma, a global initiative supporting youth in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya to access higher education. As someone who has first-hand experience transitioning from a refugee camp to a US higher education institution, he affirmed that “If a door is open for me, I will make sure it’s open for everyone.”

Similarly, student leaders like Ayman Habib and Sosan Barakzai viewed their refugee backgrounds as assets that enabled them to understand, connect, and support refugee students in a personal and profound way. Seeing all these student leaders come together to share their work in advancing refugee access to higher education was incredibly inspiring. As a student leader myself, I felt a strong sense of solidarity that there are so many students out there who care about refugee education, and are taking action to make a change. Ayman stated encouragingly that mobilizing students is not as daunting as one thinks. “All it takes is finding students who care.”

Time and time again, students have shown that they can make an impact, and that their voices matter. Amina Iman, the Director of government relations at GW’s No Lost Generation stressed that faculty and institutions should view students as stakeholders in the field. Students provide a wealth of knowledge in the sphere of refugee higher education, and their contributions are not to be underestimated. “Take advantage of the youthful inexperience we have”, Dudi said, emphasizing that an invaluable asset of students is that they are not afraid to dream big. Ayman aptly summarized the significance of working with students by asserting that “students are the voices of higher education.”

The Nitty-gritty of Welcome Corps on Campus (WCC)

The afternoon commenced with two breakout sessions involving current Welcome Corps on Campus sponsors and prospective sponsors, respectively. The Welcome Corps on Campus is an initiative where Universities sponsor students with refugee backgrounds for a 12-month period, providing logistical, financial, and academic support to help them in their higher education journey. I was fortunate to attend the current WCC sponsors session led by Laura Wagner, the Director of Refugee Student Initiatives at the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. During the discussions, I had the opportunity to have a glimpse of the nitty-gritty of running the Welcome Corps on Campus. Hearing all the hard work involved in making the Welcome Corps on Campus happen made me appreciate the sponsors even more, and reminded me once again that this is a group effort and cannot be achieved on one’s own.

Another essential component of Welcome Corps on Campus is the pre-college preparation. One of the co-founders of Elimisha Kakuma mentioned what a big leap it is to transition from a camp-based highschool education in Kenya to higher education in the US. She goes on to say that despite this leap, “our students at Elimisha are prepared.” Prior to entering the US campus, sponsored students are provided with thorough training on how to use a laptop, navigate online platforms, send emails, and write essays. These are skills that may be unfamiliar to refugee students, and yet are often expected of them prior to entering college. Thus, it is important to remember that students do not just need support when they are in college, but that preparations should happen long before they step into the campus.

It truly takes more than a village to sponsor a student, but this convening assured me that it can be done.

Emerging Questions

As with most convenings like this, as answers are provided, new questions emerge. One question that really came to mind was when Dudi brought up the importance of recognizing refugees as people instead of some far away statistic or data. I absolutely agree that the quantification of refugees in the media and in research can be extremely dehumanizing. On the other hand, I also think presenting data on refugees can play a role in raising awareness and increasing understanding of the issue at large. With that in mind, how can we present data about refugees while still centering their humanity?

And perhaps another pressing question for me, and I trust, for the numerous attendees who have been greatly inspired by the event: how can we keep the momentum going in our everyday work and life?

For me personally, maintaining connections from the convening is a great way to keep the fire burning. This not only paves the way for future collaboration but allows the conversation to continue. Although I do not have all the answers, joining the Refugee Educational Advancement Lab has inspired me to view the convening as a starting point for change, and to continue to participate in initiatives that support students with refugee backgrounds. For although convenings are important, it is what we choose to do after, that really makes a difference.

Concluding Remarks

It was a joy to attend the convening and be a part of the organizing team. I still recall the day in early September, when the convening was still a concept written on paper. To see this idea come to fruition and people from different age groups and backgrounds coming together because of a kindred care for refugees, made me hopeful that together, we can do so much more.

By: Jacqueline Hatch 03/24/24

Peer Reviewed By REAL Members

“In the wake of devastation and conflict, there is a powerful and enduring spirit, rising from the ashes of despair.” These words not only serve as the opening address in the micro-documentary, Peace Letters to Nineveh, but also capture the resilience of a once war-torn Mosul and its people. It is the students and faculty of The University of Mosul-Iraq who will not allow that resilience to go unnoticed nor forgotten.

Led by Iraqi American peace activist Noor Ghazi from UNC-Chapel Hill, U.S. and Dr. Hijran Ahmed from Mosul University-Iraq, Peace Letters for Nineveh began as an initiative to foster connection amongst students focused in peace studies and bridge their understanding of conflict, trauma and peacebuilding. However, it has become so much more. Through the combined efforts of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Mosul University-Iraq, students organize virtual exchanges. Cohorts send each other letters to share unconditional support, familial accounts of living under the ISIS occupation, their hopes, and even advice for the future as Mosul continues to rebuild. Each letter is more than words between strangers, but exchanged symbols of hope. With the support of President of Mosul University Dr. Kossay Alahmady, these student-led efforts included coordinating projects deadlines, meetings, camera men, voice over footage, establishing drone permits and other logistics.

Peace Letters to Nineveh was a follow up short documentary to the first long documentary Mosul: The Mother of Two Springs, produced by Noor Ghazi in 2022 to shed light on the fall of the city to ISIS in 2014 as well as life under the terrorist organization. The documentary, which follows the destruction of life under the occupation of ISIS, illustrates the reasons behind the fall of the city to ISIS, changes to the education system, women and men’s lives and the battle of the liberation The documentary portrays powerful images of child soldiers, contaminated drinking water, and remnants of what used to be schools, homes, hospitals. We see not only the destruction of history, as historical and archaeological sites dating back to earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia and co-existing places of worship were destroyed, speaking to the devastation caused by the country’s insurgency.

Ghazi admits this work is more than personal. “As a mother tucking her little daughter to bed safely every night, I couldn’t help myself [but] to think about all the parents and children in Mosul who were living the terror every night not knowing if they would make it to the next morning. I decided to pick up my camera, leave my little daughter with my mom, and go to Mosul to film and bring back those stories to the U.S. for people to see the reality of our world.”

The follow up short documentary, Peace Letters to Nineveh, was screened this past November at the George Washington University during International Education Week, exposing students to the once peaceful Mosul. Accounts of its grave destruction serve as motivation for university students to give peace a platform, shedding light on the good work of those supporting its reconstruction. As highlighted in the Peace Letters to Nineveh documentary, throughout post liberation, the young people of Mosul have played a crucial role. And while these efforts do begin with a blueprint and city planning, the young people of Mosul are rebuilding so much more than fallen architecture.

The short documentary also features the significance of Nineveh’s ethnic and religious diversity, as well as its road back to multi-denominational trust. With a backdrop adorned with crosses, icons, and other symbols of Christianity, peace activist Evonne Edward shares that despite the diverse beliefs and backgrounds, the people of Mosul peacefully coexisted before the occupation. The displacement, however, caused a level of distrust that unraveled the tapestry of a peaceful society comprising many religious and ethnic communities. Following liberation operations in 2017, the return home for those displaced by the conflict began paving a path for peace. A collaboration, Edward states, that not only resulted in rebuilding the city, but rebuilding peace through trust and mutual respect, germane to all practicing religions.

Another contribution from the city’s youth is the Mosul Heritage Foundation. Established by those interested in reviving Mosul’s heritage, the foundation aims to serve as a memorial to those who have endured unfathomable hardships as well as to invest in rebuilding Mosul’s economy through tourism. Ayoob Thanoon, one of the founding members, recounts a visit from Pope Francis in 2021. “[His visit] resulted in providing visas for foreigners from more than 34 countries, allowing them visa on arrival.”

The young people of Mosul are in constant acknowledgement of the true hope of tomorrow, the younger people, the children. The Art Pioneers Academy serves as a place for children to hone creativity and to use these expressions as a path towards healing. Raid Qasim, the academy’s Principal, affirms that the academy serves as a safe place to “allow children to erase their [painful] memories artistically.” in reference to the dark era under ISIS where creative art was eliminated from school curricula. Additional community art festivals feature exhibitions that include theater, visual art, paintings, music and crafts.

Mosul proves it is not only a place that values art, but STEM programming. The highschool of the Gifted Students-Nineveh calls action to advancing technology and artificial intelligence programming, creating scientific workshops, showcasing the dedication of Mosul’s youth. International accolades such as recipient of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, Codeavour programming competitions and other American AI competitions display the work ethic and dedication the youth hold for their beloved city.

Through the peace letters and exchange of letters between students from different parts of the world, the project has amassed so much more. “The day I entered the city of Mosul after the liberation in 2018, I was in a shock seeing the state of destruction the city endured. As the car was leaving the city, I closed my eyes and prayed for the city to recover soon. Seeing the recovery and the healing of Mosul today led by the resilience of its own people, brings tears of happiness to my eyes.” (Noor Ghazi).

Tag: REAL Event

Reflections on the DMV Regional Convening for Refugee Students in Higher Education

Mosul: Rising from the Ashes of Conflict: Peace Letters to Nineveh