July 18, 2024
There’s often a lot of confusion about who we serve. Lots of assumptions. Lots of misinformation. It seems timely to ensure that our broader community has a more thorough understanding of who we are generally working with day in and day out. Below is a graphic that helps explain the journey of a “typical” refugee we are working with.
Here’s what usually transpires: Something terrible happens in another country (or, as with a lot of refugees, years and years of terrible things have been happening and they finally were able to escape). Many times, people are then dwelling in refugee camps in a bordering country for years. Sometimes they are able to live in a bordering country. Every refugee that has come to us, applies through the UNHCR. From there they are waiting – lots of paperwork, lots of vetting, lots of processes. Eventually, maybe, they will be resettled in a resettlement country (like America). In 2023 there were 37.6 MILLION refugees hoping to be resettled… and only 158,700 were resettled around the world. 😮
You can specifically look into where folks in Missouri have come from by clicking through the data presented on the Missouri Office of Refugee Administration’s website. When global situations with an urgent response come about (i.e. Afghanistan & Ukraine), the procedures change slightly, but there is still a thorough vetting process. Instead of a legal status of “Refugee”, those folks may have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or Humanitarian Parole, or something different entirely. In fact, if you’ve really got some time on your hands, you can read all about what the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires for each humanitarian program that exists. In rare cases we work with those who have claimed asylum, like our friend from Russia who was seeking to escape being drafted into a war.
When we use the term “refugee” at City of Refuge, we aren’t necessarily only talking about those who have “Refugee status” in the eyes of the government. We use it to refer to people who have been forced to flee their home country. Sometimes we work with college students who escaped because they got a scholarship to a local university and it was their only way out. We don’t determine who, why, how, when… but we always look for how we can help.
Our mission is to serve and and empower refugees through relational care, education, and development. And we are working on systems to increase our reach as we scale to meet the needs. Sustainability and scalability.
One of those efforts is our newly established citizenship class – providing assistance that many of those we serve have waited a long, long time for. Read below to see how this course was developed and how it meets the needs:
On February 16th, City of Refuge initiated a new class designed to prepare green card holders for United States citizenship. This class spans 16 weeks and encompasses subjects such as United States history, government, geography, and civics. It also offers practice sessions for the citizenship exam and interview. We plan to continue offering this course, free of charge, to those we work with.
Sandy Echols, our Family Support Coordinator, along with three dedicated volunteers, cordially welcomed class participants every Friday afternoon. Lynne Coudron, Donna Haley, and Pat Gerke, volunteers from the Sacred Heart Church Language Program, were trained through the USCIS and initiated classes at Sacred Heart in 2018.
The curriculum ensures that citizenship applicants are adequately prepared to successfully pass the exam and interview on their first attempt. It is crucial to acknowledge that most of these students did not receive their education in the United States, and English is not their native language. Applicants must complete a 16-page online application and be prepared to answer 100 questions derived from the curriculum, in addition to various questions from the application form. The interview must be taken in English.
For those who enjoy watching Netflix, there is an insightful documentary titled “Out of Many – One” that offers a glimpse into the content taught in our classes. This video chronicles a group of citizenship applicants in New York City as they navigate a curriculum similar to ours. It presents a compelling portrayal of the immigrant experience and the pursuit of American citizenship.
We hope this helps clarify a little more about WHO we serve and a significant way we are able to assist.
There are so many opportunities for you to get plugged in to what we are doing each day. I’d encourage you to check out how you can be part of our upcoming Back to School Bash! Last year we had over 300 kiddos that our community was able to bless. More to come on that later…
Debbie Beal
Executive Director
On August 12, we will be hosting our annual Back-to-School Bash. We are expecting 300+ kids! Each child will have the opportunity to pick out a brand new outfit and pick up school supplies they’ll need to start the year out right. In addition to the typical supplies, we’d really like to focus on getting kids a top-to-bottom outfit that they can feel confident and comfortable in as they head to school – some, for the very first time! To support our event please consider donating items from our Amazon Wishlist or being a volunteer at the event!
New volunteer position!
We’re looking for organized decision-makers with customer service skills to join the management team of City Boutique! This role is excellent for anyone looking to build their resume, or contribute in a lasting way to our mission.
Check out the role description on our volunteer page linked below! And share this with anyone that comes to mind!
