Movies about Refugees

For this post, I – Jordan – will be reviewing films about refugees.  Just as a little bit of background: I am a senior in high school and a volunteer here at Catholic Charities in Portland.

The representation of refugees in the media is often skewed and misleading.  There are, however, some good and accurate representations of the plight of refugees that are easily accessible.  The following are reviews of just a few of the films and short films available concerning the plight of refugees around the world.  Additionally, a comprehensive list of quality books and movies available concerning immigration and refugees can be found here.

Asylum (from: Gini Reticker)

Can be watched here

A short introduction to the struggles of a woman from Ghana, Asylum briefly (in twenty minutes) outlines Baaba’s life story.  Compelling and concise, it also addresses the issue of female genital mutilation in Africa, and describes Baaba’s journey for asylum once she reached the US.  This short film is an excellent telling of one woman’s heartbreaking search for stability.

Being Hmong Means Being Free (Wisconsin Public Television)

Can be watched here

Being Hmong Means Being Free provides a valuable insight into the background of the Hmong people who currently live in the United States.  A large portion of the United States’ Hmong population came to the United States during the Vietnam War that forced them to flee Laos, however, the current Hmong population remains deeply committed to traditional culture.  This film provides excellent background on this small segment of the population and the adversities the younger Hmong population (mostly the children and grandchildren of refugees) faces in America today.  The struggles described in the last half hour of this hour-long film very well represent the issues that many immigrant communities face in this country.

I am Lobsang (Global Action Project)

Can be watched here

The story of a young Tibetan immigrant, I am Lobsang chronicles the everyday struggles of immigrants in the United States.  While on the whole, it felt – in ways – contrived and scripted, this ten-minute film does provide a helpful insight into the feelings and common experiences of many minority groups in this country and could be a useful movie for those contemplating working with youth of unfamiliar cultures.

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars

Can be found on Instant Netflix

The documentary Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars follows the lives of a group of musicians from war-torn Sierra Leone.  While not set in the United States, nor about asylum seekers, these musicians are refugees and the film focuses on their attitudes, struggles, and triumphs.  An inspiration for other refugees and even non-displaced people, these musicians travel through war-torn regions, putting smiles on the faces of other refugees.

Rain in a Dry Land

Can be found in the Multnomah County Library System

Rain in a Dry Land chronicles the resettlement of two Somali Bantu families in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Heart-warming and revealing, this documentary brings to light many of the everyday issues that refugees in the United States face.  Particularly, the film addresses the issue of identity (children debate in school about who is truly African), culture shock, and the reconciliation of the new, exciting American culture with their traditional values.  An important film in the comprehension of refugees in the United States, Rain in a Dry Land is a helpful watch for anyone working with or simply seeking to understand the plight of refugees in this country.

Job-Hunting & How Volunteers Can Help

Employment is a major concern for nearly every on of our refugee clients. Refugees who are able to work are automatically referred to IRCO (the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization) where they are enrolled in job training & English classes and are assigned a Job Coach. But repeatedly we have been told by our refugee clients that they would appreciate more help seeking employment. Several volunteers have also asked us how to better help the refugees they are tutoring to find a job. Employment is a major concern that is not easy for a volunteer to address but here are some ideas for what you as a volunteer can do to help refugees with their job search. The emphasis is on empowering the individual so that he or she has the tools to find a job--rather than finding a position for them.

A good place to start is with basic job applications. Make a lesson of filling out a job application. Use different examples to show your student how applications might ask about availability or past work experience in different ways. There are a variety of printable job applications available online (e.g., for plaid pantry, subway, barnes & noble, craft warehouse--click on the name for a link to the pdf). Bring a few of these to your refugee student's home and have them practice filling them out neatly and completely. If applications ask for a resume have your student get a copy of their resume from their job coach. If the resume needs work or if they do not have one then show them how to make one on the computer and print out multiple copies for future use. (It is important to emphasize keeping the resume copies neat and unfolded so that they are ready to be handed out whenever a job opportunity presents itself--giving them a cardboard folder to store copies might be a good idea.)

Another lesson could be focused on conversations around hiring. Teach your student to ask confidently "are you hiring?" and "may I please have an application?" Why not take them to a few businesses to practice asking for the manager and obtaining an application? Keep in mind, however, that many of the bigger retail chains have switched entirely to online applications--for paper applications it is better to go to restaurants and slightly smaller businesses.

Speaking of online applications, that is another area that is worth looking at for a few job-related lessons. As I said before, many big retail chains like Fred Meyer, Safeway, Target, etc. now only use online application services. These can be challenging and time-consuming for English Language Learners. Another significant barrier has been the "personality tests" included in some of these online applications. These tests tend to ask the same questions in several different ways and can be very confusing for non-native English speakers. Be prepared to spend a fair amount of time going through each online application.

 Navigating craigslist is another useful skill for refugee job-seekers. However, make sure to talk to them a bit about online scams before they start applying for jobs from craigslist (click here for more information about avoiding these scams).The "general labor" category is a good place to start for English Language Learners, as is the "retail/food/hospitality" category. Keep in mind cultural and religious limitations when someone is considering applying for a job--e.g., will they be around alcohol or pork?

We will be holding an informal gathering of volunteers and case managers to brainstorm ideas about employment for refugees and how we can better help--keep an eye out for an announcement of the day and time. If you have ideas and would like to be involved then please contact our volunteer coordinator, Jeanne Toal (503-688-2683).

Teaching Survival English Training

Last Thursday we held our first Teaching Survival English training for volunteers. It was very successful thanks to the three ESL teachers who shared strategies and tips for teaching English to refugees.  

Our first volunteer ESL teacher, Danielle, has worked with the Somali Bantu community for more than five years. She spoke about how bewildering but ultimately rewarding volunteering with a family can be. She went on to suggest some great resources for beginning teachers including conversation-starters like Where Children Sleep by James Mollison--a great collection of pictures of children and the places they call home (you can see a few of those pictures here. Danielle also advised new teachers to be flexible and to go with what the student asks for—even if that means changing tactics or topics from week to week.

Our second volunteer ESL teacher, Debbie, offered three “strategies” for structuring lessons and conversations with pre-literate adults. In all of these strategies she advises that volunteers keep in mind the “hierarchy of skills”—i.e., building from simple nouns and adjective identification to making inferences and drawing conclusions. She emphasized not overwhelming the student with written words in the beginning because it will only distract them from the vocabulary. 

This is a good example of a "conversation
-starting" photo from National Geographic

The first strategy, called “postcards from the edge” suggests that teachers bring in postcards or pictures for students to practice identifying colors, numbers, simple objects, etc. For pre-literate students she recommends that teachers bring “yes” and “no” cards for the student to hold up in answer to simple questions (e.g., “is there an animal in your picture?”) in order to start building the association between written and spoken words. Her second strategy uses the concept of family photos and stories to start a conversation. She advises that a teacher brings a family photo (refugee students tend to respond very positively to these) to start teaching about relationships and the concept of a family story.  Her third strategy uses photos and maps from around the world to start conversations about locations, what people eat, how people work, etc. With all of these strategies she urges teachers to use their intuition as to what seems to work and what doesn’t with your students—stay open and flexible!

For those of you who are looking for a place to start, our third volunteer ESL teacher, Jennifer, handed out a great list of Survival English topics from The Oxford Picture Dictionary: Monolingual. Here are just a few of the topics from that list:

·         -Giving personal information

·         -Posing and answering “wh-“ questions

·        - Being able to use a telephone, especially in the case of emergencies

·         -Understanding and using money

·         -Going shopping

·        - Recognizing places in town

Here is another photo from Nat'l Geographic's
online gallery.

·        - Identifying household items

 The Oxford Picture Dictionary is a good source of “conversation starting” pictures. So is National Geographic’s “picture of the day” galleries (available here). The BBC News’  “in pictures” section is also a good resource—particularly the “your pictures” section which gives themes like “cooking” or “spring” to contestants who enter their best photos. When you are looking for photos try to find diverse groups of people that your students might be better-able to relate to.

Thanks again to everybody who came to our training. We are planning to hold another one of these training sessions, which will be mandatory for new volunteers, so we will let you know when and where it will be.