Ibrahim and his family, refugees from Sudan, recently moved into their first apartment in Madrid, Spain. After a year spent in a reception center, the family is adjusting to living independently. © (unhcr.org-M.J.Vega)
With the exceptions of Native Americans and slaves, from its initial phases, back when colonists were first coming to rebuild their lives in the Western Hemisphere, America has been a place of immigrants and refugees. Many of us can trace our lineages to people who sought asylum here. At the same time, there have periodically in our national history been times when immigrants and refugees have been treated with disdain. The twin themes, apparently contradictory, have been interwoven through American history, and they remain very much so today. The need is great, with millions of people displaced or under threat of human trafficking, kidnapping, violence, or death, but so is a reaction to limit an influx of even legitimate asylum seeking into our nation.
Oddly enough, at a time when the political rhetoric is heightened about the threats of those who would cross our borders, there has been a significant drop in adults available to work in the United States, enough so that certain industries are finding it difficult to locate enough employees as net U.S. immigration is down. Clearly we could benefit from a wide-ranging update of our immigration and refugee laws and policies. Instead, our two major parties appear almost daily to get farther apart, more into the "satisfying" yet risky game of blaming one another for everything, while achieving little if any progress on a way out of the dilemma. Traditionally, a healthy mix of immigrant or refugee peoples among the overall population has helped fuel vibrant growth, so that our gross domestic product increases significantly faster than, say, in Japan, where immigration and assistance to refugees have been far more restricted. The winds of change are certainly blowing, however, and it is hard to see how all this will play out.
Looking only at the bigger canvas, we may have divergent views on what is right and of value or potentially harmful and diluting to our treasured ways of life. Finding solutions to such larger questions is beyond my pay grade. For me, it seems that too often simple answers are given for complex issues, and a kicking the can down the road approach also does little to benefit any cause.
Meanwhile, on a personal level we do not have to look far to see that there are plenty of deserving families in distress, folks who are doing their best to fit in and offer their contributions to our culture and economy. Why not give them a helping hand?
I wondered if there are non-profit opportunities for service to families that could use extra support in the transition from asylum seeking to full-fledged members in good standing of our society. Maybe I can find a way to support this aim. Here are a few results found here in the Austin area. Chances are there are similar venues where each of us lives.
Ibrahim and his family, refugees from Sudan, recently moved into their first apartment in Madrid, Spain. After a year spent in a reception center, the family is adjusting to living independently. © (unhcr.org-M.J.Vega) |
1. Habitat for Humanity - Provides community-based support for new homes at low cost as well as maintenance, preventative precautions, and rebuilding after disasters strike. Volunteers contribute to a global effort to assist families in great need. As in the song, "If I had a hammer..."
2. School Volunteers - Abundant service opportunities are available in our secondary schools which, in turn, do enormous amounts of good with immigrant and refugee communities and families. Be a math or reading mentor, a hall or lunchroom monitor, a library assistant, an activities or field trip aide or driver, a chess or yoga or IT club coordinator, a coach for an athletic team, etc.
3. Salvation Army - As one might imagine, they have ongoing needs for volunteers in several areas. For instance, as of this writing in Austin there is a need for parking attendants in connection with hard hat area construction of a women's and children's shelter.
4. Food Pantries - Volunteer workers are needed for picking up and delivering donated supplies of extra food from restaurants, groceries, and other sources, for unpacking and repackaging supplies for individual pantry gifts for recipients, for preparing meals and aid packages, for serving, clean-up, etc.
5. Help for Families of Children with Special Needs - Fun days and play times are provided morning afternoon, and evenings that give parents a break and welcome alternatives to routine for kids. Volunteers can assist with child care and play, organizing or facilitating activities, transportation, etc.
6. Divine Canines, and Other Pet Companion Programs - Be a handler of lower energy, well-behaved animals in visits to children's centers or pediatric hospital settings, where their attentions and receptivity to petting can be most welcome and comforting among the kids.
7. Tax Preparation Assistance - Each year, refugee families who have begun to earn incomes can benefit greatly from help with their initial acquaintance with tax return challenges. In Austin, there are non-profits that train helpers to assist them with this particular hurdle.
8. Austin Public Library's Talk Time Facilitators - Volunteers assist people coming to Austin without much skill in speaking English by simply talking to them. They help people who wish to learn the main language here by encouraging them to speak in a safe, non-threatening environment.
9. Hospital Aide or Make a Wish Volunteers - Refugees have medical needs like everyone else, and for both parents and their kids, dealing with a health care crisis can be stressful, especially so for people in a new country. Volunteers in general medical settings, pediatric units, and special venues for parties can do wonders for lifting the spirits during particularly scary times.
10. Appointments Helpers - Volunteers are needed for assisting refugee parents and/or their children getting to or from and making lawyer or court appointments as well as with social worker, doctor, potential employer, school, etc., meetings. Once the appointments have been kept, volunteers can also help parents and children alike understand what is transpiring there.
Above are but a few quickly apparent ways in which we might be involved in volunteer efforts to aid refugee parents and children undergoing difficult or traumatic circumstances. When the headlines are upsetting, we need not simply wonder how we might help make things better.