Problem Statement
Refugee and immigrant teens face difficulties finding community in Kansas City because there are no services directed toward welcoming and connecting with them.
Design Questions
What do refugees need and how do we help them adapt?
What are the demographics of refugees coming to Kansas City?
What resources and organizations that assist refugees already exist?
Refugee and immigrant teens face difficulties finding community in Kansas City because there are no services directed toward welcoming and connecting with them.
Design Questions
What do refugees need and how do we help them adapt?
What are the demographics of refugees coming to Kansas City?
What resources and organizations that assist refugees already exist?
Solution Statement
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Pt. 1
To combat our problem statement we are forming a teen alliance in partnership with Della Lamb. This alliance will be made up of teens from Kansas and Missouri and refugee and immigrant teens. It will serve as a welcoming body of peers and a support network. Activities in Della’s Teen Alliance will include:
Meetings with our community partners Cori Wallace and Kamryn Rivera at Della Lamb and Alliance meetings will occur monthly, after school, for 1-2 hours. Due to the uncertainty surrounding incoming Afghan asylees, this alliance helps local organizations have activities for eager teens to complete. |
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Pt. 2
Another part of our solution is partnering with Sion’s new Deep Dive program, which provides students with classes in preparation for the real world. We have partnered with 3 faculty members to create and teach a class titled: “Portrait of a Refugee."
Agenda:
Day 1: Introduction and service at Della Lamb
Day 2: Research the countries refugees in KC are native to
Day 3: Present, discuss, and reflect on research
Day 4: Converse with refugees in Catholic Charities ESL class and assemble gift baskets for Afgan asylees
Meet Our Team!
We are passionate about creating a difference in the lives of Refugee Teens in the US
Learn more about us below!
Learn more about us below!
Clara StriblingHi, I’m Clara Stribling. I am currently a Senior at Notre Dame de Sion high school. This year I am enrolled in Designing Real World Impacts, which is a program that focuses on strengthening skills that are needed for a professional career. In this class, I have the opportunity to connect with the Kansas City community in order to help with a current issue. I always had an interest in helping others and this program encourages me to help people in the Kansas City community. For this project I was on the fence between ways to decrease the impact of climate change in Kansas City and support for Afghan refugees coming to Kansas City. My team decided to research what the refugees need and find resources to help with housing, food, education, and employment.
My interest in this topic was inspired by my mom. My mom worked in the Kansas City School district as a preschool teacher for 8 years. Whenever I had days off school and my mom was working, I would go with her to school to help her in the classroom. During these times, I met many children and parents who came from a different country and would use the Head Start program to look over their kids so they can work. Right now, the Kansas City School District is preparing for the enrollment of the children who will be arriving. We are looking into ways to assist the refugees to find housing and jobs so they may support their families, as well as settle into this new culture and place. Being in a new area is difficult and even more so for refugees. We are looking into the immediate needs for refugees in and heading to Kansas City and ways we can help them. I want to help as many people as I can so they may have opportunities and stability after their traumatic experience. |
Kat RiggsHello! I'm Kat Riggs, a senior at Notre Dame de Sion. One of my greatest challenges and one of my greatest gifts is my empathy. At a young age I found myself overwhelmed feeling what others felt or how I expected them to feel. Often misidentifying this empathy as sadness, I felt lost not knowing what to do with this intense feeling. Now I do. Participating in this class helped me identify both my strengths and my passions and where they can intertwine. One of those places is with the newly settled Afghan refugees in Kansas City. I have been given the opportunity to utilize my communication skills from years of debate and my passion for social justice to design a project that will actually have an impact. While research projects and slide presentations allow us to explore our interests and share them with our classes, they lack the impact of action that produces change.
Welcoming and supporting refugees is important to me not only because of my empathy towards their situation, but also because Catholic Social Teaching calls us to support the life and dignity of the human person and stand in solidarity with our one human family. Everyone has a right to dignity and currently that has been taken from refugees as a result of tragedy. I believe it is our responsibility to stand in solidarity with them and ensure they receive the support they deserve. My previous volunteer experiences with KC for Refugees and Jewish Vocational Services was humbling and introduced me to refugees, their needs, and the community of people who work with them. Hours I originally scheduled to fulfill a graduation requirement made me feel a part of my larger community for the very first time, and ever since that moment I have been looking for an opportunity to feel that again. I am beyond thankful and excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to connect with community partners! |
