Thursday, April 29, 2010
Essex STAR’s Joan describes her volunteering with refugees
Essex STAR has done some great work over the last year promoting refugees in both Essex and London. Joan Hodges, President of Essex STAR, talks about her own experiences of volunteering.
Joan Hodges, Essex STAR President
Had you volunteered with refugees before joining STAR?
I worked with refugees and asylum seekers for five years before I decided to pursue postgraduate studies.
I worked as a development assistant at a torture survivor treatment centre and taught English as a Second Language (ESL) mornings and at night.
How did you get involved with STAR?
I was involved with literacy tutoring in my junior and senior year of undergrad and I decided to volunteer for two years after university. I worked for an organisation similar to VSO called the US Peace Corps; this involved me moving to Kyrgyzstan to work as a village school teacher.
I had terrible culture shock when I returned and became interested working with immigrants and helping them with their adjustment.
What is your STAR group up to at the moment?
On Monday 29th March we had our big Spring trip. My friend and course mate Huda Al-Amin is the Executive Director of a non-profit called Mossada. We have regular semester outings with them.
We met up at Brick Lane in London for a group lunch with some ice breaker activities and then we went to the British Museum. The purpose of our outings is to encourage cultural exchanges at both ends. STAR members often tell me they’re interested in working with refugees but they don’t know how to act or what to say.
Read more about Mossada and Essex STAR’s trip to London
Group outings breakdown a lot of the ‘refugee’ stereotypes and help members realize refugees are just ordinary people that have dealt with extraordinary circumstances.
Ice and Fire (http://iceandfire.co.uk/about-us) will be performing at our spring festival. We will also be hosting a film night and showing ‘Outside the Law’, a film about Guantanamo detainees. The director, producer and one of the Guantanamo detainees have confirmed that they will attend. After that there will be a discussion about the film and a Q&A session too.
What do you think is the best thing asylum seekers get from your STAR activities?
In addition to awareness, maybe the best ‘thing’ refugees and asylum seekers gain from our STAR activities is a feeling of respect.
Various media outlets tend to pathologize and pity refugee people. Not only does this create stereotypes but it also doesn’t help anyone to label refugees as victims. Yes, terrible things happened, but that doesn’t mean individuals cannot overcome, even grow from their experiences.
Just citing personal experience, the refugees and asylum seekers I have had the privilege to work with are the most resilient, resourceful people I have ever met. It takes a great deal of courage to be a refugee. Listening to their stories, I often think ‘Would I have been able to survive that? Would I have been able to pick up the pieces and move on?’ The only common denominator among refugees is their loss of home, not trauma. To treat them as victims is to ignore their strengths, skills, and capacities.
It is my hope that, if nothing else, our STAR members end this semester knowing this much and feel equally capable applying this thinking to their continued refugee advocacy and awareness efforts.
What have you enjoyed most about the work you do with STAR?
I would say meeting people who are interested in working with refugees and asylum seekers but they don’t know why.
What has been the highlight of your volunteering so far?
I really enjoy the outings we’ve planned with Mossada. Huda has told me there is always a buzz in the hostel when we begin planning days out.
As much as I enjoy our STAR events, none of them would be possible without our very dedicated team of STAR officers. So maybe working with them has been the highlight of my year with STAR.
Posted by Communications on 29/04/2010 at 08:00 AM
in Group News
You must be logged in to post comments.
