Cultivating Compassion

By
May 2024 View more

A refugee experience simulation promotes understanding

Simulation modules, clockwise from top left: As they prepare to leave home, families must quickly decide what 10 items to bring and what they must leave behind. Jody May of Exodus World Service describes the perils refugees face when fleeing by sea—hypothermia, dehydration, drowning are all real risks (and precious possessions are often lost to waves and pirates). Participants try to complete forms in an unfamiliar language as they attempt to get through border security. A tent gives families a glimpse of living in a refugee camp where they often stay for years.
Simulation modules, clockwise from top left: As they prepare to leave home, families must quickly decide what 10 items to bring and what they must leave behind. Jody May of Exodus World Service describes the perils refugees face when fleeing by sea—hypothermia, dehydration, drowning are all real risks (and precious possessions are often lost to waves and pirates). Participants try to complete forms in an unfamiliar language as they attempt to get through border security. A tent gives families a glimpse of living in a refugee camp where they often stay for years.

Imagine being in fear for your life. Danger is so imminent that you and your family have no choice but to flee your homeland. Along the way you encounter smugglers, corrupt guards, and harrowing physical conditions. You’re forced to make hard choices no one should have to make. If you manage to survive and make it to a refugee camp, you’ll be under the protection of the United Nations and begin a two-year vetting process. Only once you are vetted will you be invited by a country to resettle and begin your new life.

In an effort to better educate the community what this ordeal feels like, the Refugee Support Group at St. Margaret Mary Parish recently hosted “Fleeing for Your Life: A Refugee Journey Simulation.” Run by Exodus World Service, the program is an immersive experience designed to engage groups physically and emotionally. “We want to help people understand something that is complex on a really grand scale by bringing it down into simpler terms that help them personalize and internalize what a refugee might go through,” explains Jody May, director of programs and education for Exodus.

Participants are given identities as refugees and grouped into families. They then have to decide which few items to bring with them on the journey. Next they must travel through several modules encountering boat harbor guards, smugglers, border security, and foreign documents.

The simulation hit close to home for St. Margaret Mary’s pastor, Max Behna. “My great-grandparents emigrated from Syria to Egypt because of famine. Then, my grandparents and father emigrated from Egypt to the United States due to religious persecution,” he explains. “I was really edified by this experience. It was a great way to help us deepen our awareness, understanding, and compassion.”

Carrie Tilton and her family also participated. “It really did make me feel helpless,” Tilton says. “We felt the despair, the distrust, the frustration, and the second guessing. It put me in a place that I couldn’t imagine.”

The program aims to help people more fully understand the refugee experience. “It’s important to realize that behind all the terms and misconceptions, these are real people—people with hopes and dreams for their future,” May says. “At Exodus we mobilize the community to welcome and befriend refugees.”

To learn more or to find an upcoming Refugee Journey Simulation and other events, visit exodusworldservice.org.

Did You Know?

Refugee Facts

• There are more than 35.3 million refugees around the world today. More than half are children.

• The average stay in a refugee camp is 17 years.

• Fewer than 1 percent of all refugees each year are resettled in a new country.

• Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted individuals entering the United States and enter the country legally.

• Refugees pay taxes and most are employed within six months of arrival.

• Refugees pay for their own travel to the United States through a revolving loan fund

Source: Exodus World Service

 

Photos: Julie Duffin