Dear Activist,

Refugees live a life of eternal vulnerability and uncertainty. Although their journeys provide hope for an abundant future, their lives will encompass danger, discrimination, and fear. Refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and migrants are all forced to flee their homes due to conflicts; however, before I get into the bulk of the article, let’s first establish what categorizes these groups of people.

The United Nations defines a refugee as someone who flees his or her country due to violence, war, or persecution. A refugee has an incessant fear of persecution for “reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.”

Asylum seekers are people who flee their homes with the hope of seeking sanctuary in another country and applying for asylum. Asylum, according to the UNHCR, is the right to receive legal protection and assistance by being a refugee. These people must convey that their fear of persecution is valid and poses a threat to themselves. Asylum seekers need the protection of another country to stay safe.

An internally displaced person, or IDP, is someone who has fled their home but has not entered another country. IDPs search for security in schools, towns, camps, and fields relative to their locations; they are constantly struggling to find safety and shelter. Because IDPs do not leave their country, governments and laws cannot protect them.

As stated by the UN Migration Agency, a migrant is someone who crosses an international border or moves away from their initial home. This is regardless of the person’s legal status, whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary, the cause for the movement, or the length of the stay.

The Refugee Crisis

Refugees and displaced persons leave their countries’ conflicts only to fall susceptible to others. When entering a new country, refugees risk being exploited, detained, and enduring daily accounts of racism, discrimination, and xenophobia. Additionally, some encounter feelings of isolation as they face the burden of starting their lives from scratch.

The number of refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers, and migrants today have broken previous records. According to Global Citizen, the world’s refugee population is greater than that of Spain, Canada, or South Korea; however, there are twice as many internally displaced persons than refugees around the world.

In 2018, 70.8 million people were displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. Of that 70.8 million, 25.9 million were refugees, 41.3 million were internally displaced people, and 3.5 million were asylum seekers. This correlates to approximately 37,000 people who had to flee their homes everyday.

Children are among the largest group of people to be displaced, making up half of the refugee population. Several organizations are tackling this issue and working with children to ensure they receive a proper education. Their efforts, however, do not guarantee those children an education, since they may take up household chores instead.

Spotlighting the Refugee Empowerment Project

The Refugee Empowerment Project, also referred to as REP, is a student-led organization that serves refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. The organization was founded by Sienna Nazarian and Lily Sind on June 20, 2020. REP takes a holistic approach towards serving these populations and provides refugees with the resources they need to prosper. By teaching refugees English, giving them free trauma support, and guiding them through the resettlement process, REP takes a hands-on approach to this issue. In a Dear Activist interview with Nazarian and Sind, the creators spoke about REP’s development and their progress thus far.

The Origins of REP

When Sienna Nazarian was in fifth grade, she heard about a local refugee support group through her temple. Initially drawn to this cause because her family members had to flee the countries they grew up in, Nazarian urges others to help refugees adjust to their new lives.

Derived from her passion for piano, Nazarian collected instruments for the Syrian refugees suffering in camps across Greece. Due to the positive outcome of her efforts, Nazarian made it her mission to serve and speak on behalf of refugees everywhere.

Sind became aware of the refugee crisis after attending a design-thinking course called Refugees and Resettlement with Nazarian. “I realized that my school community and teens in general aren’t really aware of everything that’s going on. When Sienna and I learned that half of the refugees are children, we knew we wanted to do something to help.”

After realizing that the ways teenagers can help refugees are limited, Nazarian and Sind brought Refugees and Resettlement to their school. They decided to create REP as a way to expand their impact beyond their community; Nazarian and Sind also established programs within their organization: an English Mentorship Program, Mental Health Initiative, Fundraisers and Drives, and Community Orientations.

The Future of the Refugee Empowerment Project

The organization has several far-reaching goals for the future. Nazarian and Sind aspire to grow REP’s four main programs and collaborate with other organizations who promote similar messages. Sind hopes to expand each program by getting more students to join in REP, spreading awareness about the mission, and finalizing their mental. health initiative.

The Refugee Empowerment Project has reached refugee families, asylum seekers, immigrants, and will help unaccompanied minors in the future. By creating opportunities for teenagers to help in this area of work, REP will continue to make a global impact. Stay up to date on all things REP by subscribing to their newsletter, following @refugeeempowermentprogect on instagram, donating to their Go Fund Me page, and checking out their website.

Activate Change

It is unjust for refugees to live with a recurring fear of violence that they did not ask for. We must actively promote the rights of others and push for new laws and policies. You can activate change wherever you are, regardless of what you do or do not have. We are all capable of helping others and using our voices. Here are a couple ways to do so:

• Join Amnesty’s I Welcome campaign, which calls on governments to welcome some of the people who are seeking safety.
• Donate. Make a donation to the IRC, the Refugee Empowerment Project, or another organization who prioritizes the lives of refugees and displaced persons. REP is currently having a drive, which ends on October 18, 2020.
• Volunteer at an IRC refugee resettlement office and research other ways to help internationally and locally.
• Start a fundraiser to help refugees prosper and adjust to their new lifestyle.
• Employ refugees! Encourage businesses to hire refugees and make an impact on their lives.
• Join campaigns and advocate for refugees. Sign the Lift the Ban petition, which seeks to grant refugees in the United Kingdom the right to work.

Refugees, in the midst of escaping conflicts and violence, will face discrimination, fear, and uncertainty. These people did not ask to be in the middle of these disputes. They aspire to live simple lives and get away from unwanted commotion. It is our responsibility to speak for those who cannot support themselves. We are the voice of the silenced, and that is never an easy task; however, we must appreciate the conditions we live in and guide others to achieve a state of normality. This issue will take the force of the world to resolve, and we have the power to initiate the change.

Cordially,

Nika Tarkian