Students help families make transition

There are about 12 million refugees in the world today, who come from a variety of backgrounds and travel to a multitude of locales. Greeley is no exception, as the past few years have seen an influx of refugee and immigrant families to the area.

As part of an outreach program designed to help these families, UNC's Realizing Our Community organization began mentoring refugees in July to help them better integrate into the community at large.

According to the ROC website, www.unco.edu/roc/index.html, the mission of the project is to help women refugees and immigrants better understand the culture and community by giving them the knowledge and resources to provide for their family.
Maria Sanchez, the director of ROC and creator of the Women of the ROC project (WOTR), described the goal of the house.

"By empowering women, you empower their families, and that's why we are trying to make them self-sufficient," she said.

To make this possible, ROC employs a variety of programs to teach skills like how to use a calendar, speak English and understanding the importance of appointments. Basic concepts such as the days of the week and counting from one to 30, in English, are also included.

Recently, the ROC opened up a tea and family room on 801 Eighth St., Suite 104, for these women to gather and communicate with each other and community members. The room hosts more than 35 Burmese women, 10 immigrant families and at least six Somalian women every Monday. There, they can engage in the kinds of open discussion ROC hopes to foster.

Part of the time is dedicated to making crafts and selling them. Sanchez said it is necessary to both teach these women about commerce and to help them keep a part of their native culture alive.

However, these women are not the only ones to learn. The ROC volunteers have learned much, as well.

"Our newcomers are eager to learn about America, and in turn, we learn from them," Sanchez said. "Because many of our newcomers are Muslim, we needed to learn more about Ramadan, (which is) something that many of us didn't really know much about."

She also said these mutual learning experiences are crucial to maintaining the program's success and keeping a relaxed atmosphere.

The volunteers have plenty to say about the program and their reasons for joining it.
Linda S. Allen, a communication professor, and one of the chief volunteers, talked about her reasons for joining WOTR.

"My grandma used to tell me stories from her home in Russia," Allen said. "Her stories were of fond memories, and I knew it must have been hard for her to leave a comfortable life, but she felt she had to for her family's sake. It was these stories that inspired me."

Allen said through these stories she found common understanding of what the refugees were experiencing.

"They see the foreignness of their own life. And because of this, the community needs to work to make their lives bearable," she said. "It's the creation of a new dream, instead of stepping from a nightmare."

Allen has worked with young women to introduce them to the university, so that they can realize options and opportunities out there. She also included her classes by creating group projects to help the WOTR effort.

Chance Horiuchi, a UNC alumnus and ROC member, said he appreciates both Maria Sanchez and the work at the ROC.

"What Maria does is so amazing that you can't help but want to be a part of it," Horiuchi said. "I've really been able to get to know the community more, and in the process, I think I fell in love with the people."

Her work with WOTR has been small-scale, but she said the program is a great way for women to get to know each other.

Earlier this summer, Sanchez hosted a makeup and product party.

"It was a simple party designed to teach these women about things like UV protection and skin care, but it was really fun to see these women have fun together and understand each other," she said.

Christine Gylling, a senior biology major, described her reasons for wanting to be a part of WOTR. Gylling is a native of Burma and speaks Burmese fluently. She came to the United States about a year ago.

"I just feel compassionate toward these women because I understand their culture shock and how hard the language barrier can be to overcome," she said.

Even though she started volunteering a month ago, Gylling, along with her mom, has taken on three women to mentor. She said she hopes, by concentrating on small chunks of the population at a time, they can teach more effectively.

As with most volunteer programs offered to UNC students, new volunteers are always welcome.  To contact the WOTR, call Maria Sanchez at 970-397-3648.