Because this is the first, this entry will simply be an introduction. It is your introduction to me, the important work that Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program does, and the general way in which this blog will operate. So, we will start off with a quick introduction to me:
My name is Jordan Pahl, and I am a senior at St. Mary’s Academy in downtown Portland, Oregon. Until this summer, I had never had any connection with a refugee. I was awarded a fellowship by the State Department to participate in an exchange program hosted at George Mason University, with ten high school students from the United States, and thirty-five from South and Central Asia. During the program two of us learned that one of the Pakistani students wanted to - needed to - seek asylum in the U.S. His mother called him, telling him that it was unsafe to return to Pakistan, and he needed to do whatever it took to remain in the United States. Joyce, the other US student, and I spent hours and hours on the phone, emailing, researching, and simply doing anything we could possibly think of to help him. It was maddening to be told to call back in a month, when his visa expired in a fifteen days. Our friend was lucky, he had two fiercely determined, though completely inexperienced, American students working the phones and navigating the system for him. Currently, he is working through the asylum process, staying with the host family that he met through our summer program, and attending high school in Virginia.
This experience is why, after returning to Portland, it was important for me to get involved and help those in similar situations, but who don’t have Joyce and me on their team to make the phone calls and send the emails for them. Just knowing that Joyce and I were able to get him to this point is such an empowering experience. That is why I am volunteering here at Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement.
Other tidbits about me: I am starting an internship at the Oregon Historical Society this fall, am captain of the mock trial team at St. Mary’s Academy, have attended Catholic school since the second grade, am in Model United Nations, and am the president of the SMA Politics without Borders Club.
Now that you are a little bit more familiar with me, we can move on to a little introduction of the program.
For those not familiar with the Refugee Resettlement branch of Catholic Charities, it is the program of Catholic Charities that helps refugees resettle to their new home here in America. Many of these refugees come to this country with little to no money, few possessions, and even fewer resources, as well as working to reconcile their culture with American culture. Refugee Resettlement program does what they can to help these refugees. For more information on the Oregon division, visit this link: http://www.catholiccharitiesoregon.org/services_refugee_resettlement.asp.
This blog is for CCRR volunteers and anyone else who would like to get to know this program better. We will be interviewing refugee families, other volunteers, and caseworkers, as well as Catholic Charities staff. This blog is also a great place to stay updated on things like workshops, free children’s events, etc. I will be working closely with Jeanne Toal, Assistant Program Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for the Refugee Program. Possible blog topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
- A family’s first week experience,
- Caseworker anecdotes,
- Tips from veteran volunteers,
- Worst case scenarios,
- Unexpected challenges,
- Any more you can think of!
If you have any stories or topics you feel should be included, please feel free to contact us.
A quick word about how the blog will function:
- This blog will be updated with a new entry approximately every two weeks.
- We are always looking for new stories to include. If you have anything that you would like to see on the blog, please pass along any information you have.
- Our email is ccrrvolunteer@gmail.com
I am excited for the opportunity to write this blog, and to spread awareness about an issue that has become so near and dear to my heart.
That is all for this introductory entry. Please check back soon for our first real entry!
