This past Tuesday, September 25th, I spent an hour doing service with other International Affairs scholars during the CRIS Tree of Hope Project on the first floor of Smith-Steeb Hall. I was very touched by the sentiment of the activity and also by the thought of the impact we are going to be able to have on the lives of the kids at Columbus Global Academy. I am so glad to be a light for those kids in need, and I am especially glad to aid in their adjusting to life in the United States. This activity didn’t necessarily change my beliefs or biases, but it did open my eyes a little bit more to better understand the lives and the struggles of refugee children. In most of my thinking and hearing about refugees, the main point of focus is on that of the lives of refugees as a community or on the struggle of refugee families as a whole and not necessarily the individuals, in this case the children, that make up this refugee population.
This event relates to the topic of International Affairs in that, through this activity, we were able to indirectly connect with other cultures and international backgrounds in a constructive, welcoming, and understanding way. Personally, I gained a lot from this experience. It was a great thing and a great feeling to help make these students feel welcome, especially in today’s political climate. It was upsetting to hear about their situation and treatment as they have come here to Columbus from all across the world escaping violence and hardships only to be made to feel unwelcome and unloved. To hear this was very hard, but to then be able to help the kids and to make them understand that they are welcome and that they are loved was very rewarding at the same time.
This event has yet to relate to any coursework I have had here at Ohio State, but it does relate to some service I did through a refugee-oriented organization back in Louisville. Through this organization called S.C.O.R.E., (Soccer, Commitment, OutReach, and Enrichment), my friends and I would meet at an ESL, (English as a Second Language), school and play soccer with the refugee children. By meeting up with them on a weekly basis and providing snacks and a fun, loving atmosphere, the goal was to help better integrate the children into our society and to make them feel and understand that they are welcome here. In the same way, we were indirectly able to have the same effect on the refugee and migrant children of the Columbus Global Academy. Both of these experiences were great ways to help these kids adapt to the new, harrowing environment that is the United States.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the CRIS Tree of Hope Project, and it was a very rewarding experience to be able to help the students at Columbus Global Academy in their transition to the United States.