CLS Alumni Development Fund

By Laura Chen (Alexandria, Egypt '11)

In June of 2011, I was offered the opportunity to attend the Annual Office of Refugee Resettlement Consultation Conference in Washington, DC, under the generous funding and support of the CLS Alumni Development Fund.  The conference, which lasted August 1-2, 2011, preceded a three-day open dialogue to discuss current issues, successes, areas for improvement and best practices. Attendees included policy-makers, agency workers, academics, representatives of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, refugees (selected by their communities to present on the refugee forum), and interested individuals and volunteers.

During the conference, I attended several seminars and workshops focused on different services for refugees. These included: assimilation to the US, linguistic integration, mental health, youth in the community, employment barriers and opportunities, and financial services. The conference was followed by a reception on Monday and a film screening on Tuesday. The reception honored workers in the field and showcased artwork from refugees.

The most inspiring part of the conference was the refugee forum, which allowed 24 refugees to speak about their personal struggles and successes. The forum helped all attendees better understand the common dignity and determination prevalent in all refugees, regardless of factors such as origin, reason for seeking asylum, or one’s personal history.  I was both touched by the refugees’ courage to share their experiences and convinced of the power of personal narrative.

I chose to attend this conference because I have been interested in pursuing work with the refugee and immigrant population from the Middle East after my Arabic education. I have experience working with nonprofit resettlement agencies in Austin and recognize the endless potential and promise in those who have struggled, survived, and are yet still grateful for the opportunity to be in America. My main goals were to gather information about the issues from all perspectives of those working in the field as well as to gather ideas for how to bring what I have learned back to my community.

I feel I have benefited from my experience during the conference mostly from the knowledge I have gained and plan to share. I am currently interning with Citi Community Development and would like to introduce organizations that specifically serve refugee needs into our grant plans for next year. I also plan to discuss my findings with my colleagues and supervisors as they plan for foundation-giving and allocations post my internship.

The conference has affirmed my belief that refugees are one of the most promising, educated, and able, yet underserved sector of the United States. In my professional career-planning, I hope to recall the discussions I shared with others as I look for work in refugee services organizations. I also realize that presentations given through intimate personal narratives are extraordinarily effective and plan to utilize this method in the future while organizing education and outreach events.