Every Campus a Refuge: Difference between revisions
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[[File:ECAR at Guilford.jpg|thumb|A group of professors and volunteers gather at Guilford College to make signs supporting ECAR.]] |
[[File:ECAR at Guilford.jpg|thumb|A group of professors and volunteers gather at Guilford College to make signs supporting ECAR.]] |
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'''Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR)''' was founded by [[Diya Abdo]], who is the Lincoln Financial Professor of English at [[Guilford College]], in September 2015. ECAR was inspired by [[Pope Francis]]' call on every parish to take in [[Refugee|refugees]] and animated by Guilford's history and [[Quakers|Quaker]] testimonies. Every Campus A Refuge is based on the idea that university and college campuses have everything necessary to host refugees, from housing to food, care, and required skills to support them as they begin their lives in their new homes. Like the Pope's call on every parish to host one refugee family, ECAR calls on every college and university in the world to house refugees on campus grounds and assist them in resettlement. Since its inception, 10 campuses have joined with 7 actively hosting refugees on their campuses. The active campuses include: Guilford College (the flagship campus), Lafayette College, Siena College, Old Dominion University, Russell Sage College, Wake Forest University, and Agnes Scott College. Inactive chapters include Denison University, Northampton Community College, and Rollins College. There are many other institutions who are in various stages of mobilizing to become ECAR chapters. ECAR also works with a number of resettlement campuses- universities which partner with local refugee resettlement agencies to host refugees on campus grounds and support their successful integration. Collectively, ECAR chapters have hosted dozens of refugee families from around the world, with the flagship Guilford College chapter hosting more than 80 as of spring 2022. |
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'''Every Campus a Refuge''' ('''ECAR''') was founded by [[Diya Abdo]], who is an Associate Professor of English at [[Guilford College]], in September 2015.<ref>Redden, Elizabeth. [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/02/15/pennsylvania-community-college-plans-sponsor-refugee-family-are-hold "'Every Campus a Refuge,' but Can Refugees Come?"] ''Inside Higher Ed'', 15 Feb. 2017.</ref><ref>Stasio, Frank, and Katy Barron. [http://wunc.org/post/making-every-campus-refuge#stream/0 "Making Every Campus a Refuge."] ''The State of Things''. WUNC, 13 December 2016.</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/2015/11/26/457517662/in-bid-to-welcome-refugees-campaign-hopes-to-make-every-campus-a-refuge "In Bid To Welcome Refugees, Campaign Hopes To Make 'Every Campus a Refuge'"] ''All Things Considered''. NPR, 26 Nov. 2015.</ref><ref>Itkowitz, Colby. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/11/20/a-professors-mission-to-house-a-syrian-refugee-family-on-every-u-s-college-campus/ "What if every U.S. college campus offered to house a Syrian refugee family?"] ''The Washington Post'', 20 November 2015.</ref> The program is housed in Guilford College's Center for Principled Problem Solving.<ref name="arabamerica.com">Abdo, Diya. [https://www.arabamerica.com/every-campus-refuge-turning-colleges-homes-syrian-refugees/ "Every Campus a Refuge: Turning Colleges Into Homes for Syrian Refugees"] Arab America. May 3, 2017</ref> ECAR was inspired by [[Pope Francis]]' call on every parish to take in [[refugee]]s and animated by Guilford's history and [[Quakers|Quaker]] testimonies.<ref name="Our Opinion: The Quaker way.">[http://www.greensboro.com/opinion/n_and_r_editorials/our-opinion-the-quaker-way/article_6d4639e1-3f25-5325-bd17-f49df74bd9e4.html "Our Opinion: The Quaker way."] News & Record, 22 Oct. 2015.</ref><ref name="wbal.com">[http://www.wbal.com/podcasts/channel/c4-podcast "Should You Be Arrested For Cursing. Professor Diya Abdo Wants Syrian Refugees To Stay On College Campuses. Councilman Carl Stokes. BPD Case Files."] The C4 Show. WBAL, 24 Nov. 2015.</ref><ref>[https://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2017/02/20/diya-abdo-guilford-college-discusses-initiative-every-campus-refuge-initiative-get-college-university-campuses-host-refugee-families/ Henkel, Clayton. "Diya Abdo of Guilford College discusses the initiative 'Every Campus a Refuge' – an initiative to get college and university campuses to host refugee families."] NC Policy Watch. N.p., 30 June 2017. |
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</ref><ref name="greensboro.com">Newsom, John. [http://www.greensboro.com/z-no-digital/q-a-with-diya-abdo-founder-of-every-campus-a/article_c7850058-7ed8-5a64-ab99-68a6e0107b63.html "Q&A with Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge at Guilford College."] News & Record, 22 May 2016.</ref><ref name="twcnews.com">Husband, Katie. "[http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triad/news/2015/10/15/guilford-college-ready-to-help-syrian-refugees.html Guilford College Ready to Help Syrian Refugees."] Spectrum News. N.p., 15 Oct. 2015.</ref> Every Campus a Refuge is based on the idea that university and college campuses have everything necessary to host refugees like housing, food, care, and skills to support them as they begin their lives in their new homes.<ref name="Our Opinion: The Quaker way."/><ref name="dailytarheel.com">MCDONALD , KENT. [http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/10/qa-with-professor-diya-abdo-about-syrian-refugee-crisis "Q&A with professor Diya Abdo about Syrian refugee crisis."] The Daily Tar Heel, 4 Oct. 2015.</ref><ref name="Making Every Campus a Refuge.">Stasio, Frank, and Katy Barron. [http://wunc.org/post/making-every-campus-refuge#stream/0 "Making Every Campus a Refuge."] The State of Things. WUNC, 13 Dec. 2016.</ref> Like the Pope's call on every parish to host one refugee family, ECAR calls on every college and university in the world to partner with their local refugee resettlement agencies to house refugees on campus grounds and assist them in resettlement.<ref name="Our Opinion: The Quaker way."/><ref name="wbal.com"/><ref>Redden, Elizabeth. [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/09/25/syrian-refugee-crisis-and-higher-education "The Refugee Crisis and Higher Ed."] Inside Higher Ed, 25 Sept. 2015. |
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== Mission & Vision == |
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</ref> ECAR also shares its best practices with campuses interested in joining the initiative.<ref name="arabamerica.com"/> Through ECAR, Guilford College has partnered with the Greensboro office of [[Church World Service]] (CWS) – a refugee resettlement agency – in 2015.<ref name="twcnews.com"/> |
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'''ECAR Mission''' |
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Mobilize colleges and universities to host refugees on campus grounds and support them in their resettlement. |
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'''ECAR Vision''' |
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Transform the landscape of refugee resettlement and higher education by creating thousands of sustainable resettlement campus ecosystems. |
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== Present activities == |
== Present activities == |
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Since January 2016, Guilford has hosted 53 refugees (clients of CWS) in campus houses and apartments; 26 of them have been children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years.<ref name="Making Every Campus a Refuge."/> The already-hosted refugees include two Syrian families that have successfully settled in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro.]]<ref name="issuu.com">Sayed, Deonna. [https://issuu.com/yesweekly/docs/yes__weekly_-_february_1__2017/16 "Refugee Resettlement: Greensboro as the Global Gate City ."] Yes! Weekly 1 Feb. 2017: 16-19. Print.</ref> Additionally, the campus has hosted refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. <ref>Beroset, Frances. [http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/02/hosting-refugees-visiting-professor-gives-talk-on-how-universities-can-help-families-resettle "Hosting refugees: Visiting professor gives talk on how universities can help families resettle"] The Chronicle 2017. Duke Student Publishing Company |
Since January 2016, Guilford has hosted 53 refugees (clients of CWS) in campus houses and apartments; 26 of them have been children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years.<ref name="Making Every Campus a Refuge.">Stasio, Frank, and Katy Barron. [http://wunc.org/post/making-every-campus-refuge#stream/0 "Making Every Campus a Refuge."] The State of Things. WUNC, 13 Dec. 2016.</ref> The already-hosted refugees include two Syrian families that have successfully settled in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro.]]<ref name="issuu.com">Sayed, Deonna. [https://issuu.com/yesweekly/docs/yes__weekly_-_february_1__2017/16 "Refugee Resettlement: Greensboro as the Global Gate City ."] Yes! Weekly 1 Feb. 2017: 16-19. Print.</ref> Additionally, the campus has hosted refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. <ref>Beroset, Frances. [http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/02/hosting-refugees-visiting-professor-gives-talk-on-how-universities-can-help-families-resettle "Hosting refugees: Visiting professor gives talk on how universities can help families resettle"] The Chronicle 2017. Duke Student Publishing Company |
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</ref><ref name="issuu.com"/> In fall 2017, the ECAR 16 credit minor pilots at Guilford College.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17">Redden, Elizabeth. [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/02/15/pennsylvania-community-college-plans-sponsor-refugee-family-are-hold "'Every Campus a Refuge,' but Can Refugees Come?"] Inside Higher Ed, 15 Feb. 2017.</ref><ref name="guilfordian.com">Williamson, Finn. [http://www.guilfordian.com/features/2017/04/16/campus-refugee-program-spreads-adds-minor/ "Campus refugee program spreads, adds a minor."] The Guilfordian, 16 Apr. 2017.</ref> The ECAR minor will include two mandatory classes, which are two credits each.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> These courses will allow students to receive training from refugee resettlement agencies and volunteer for 40 hours with recently resettled families.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> Also, students participate in 10–15 hours of [[Skype]] conversations with [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrian refugees]] and study topics related to forced displacement and immigration.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> Along with the two required classes, students will also choose one course on causes of forced displacement, one on voices and perspectives of immigrants and refugees, and one on community organizing and advocacy.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> |
</ref><ref name="issuu.com"/> In fall 2017, the ECAR 16 credit minor pilots at Guilford College.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17">Redden, Elizabeth. [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/02/15/pennsylvania-community-college-plans-sponsor-refugee-family-are-hold "'Every Campus a Refuge,' but Can Refugees Come?"] Inside Higher Ed, 15 Feb. 2017.</ref><ref name="guilfordian.com">Williamson, Finn. [http://www.guilfordian.com/features/2017/04/16/campus-refugee-program-spreads-adds-minor/ "Campus refugee program spreads, adds a minor."] The Guilfordian, 16 Apr. 2017.</ref> The ECAR minor will include two mandatory classes, which are two credits each.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> These courses will allow students to receive training from refugee resettlement agencies and volunteer for 40 hours with recently resettled families.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> Also, students participate in 10–15 hours of [[Skype]] conversations with [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrian refugees]] and study topics related to forced displacement and immigration.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> Along with the two required classes, students will also choose one course on causes of forced displacement, one on voices and perspectives of immigrants and refugees, and one on community organizing and advocacy.<ref name="InsideHiEd-15feb17"/> |
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Guilford College has dedicated a campus house to ECAR; the program will host a refugee family, which arrive through CWS, every semester.<ref name="dailytarheel.com"/><ref name="greensboro.com"/> |
Guilford College has dedicated a campus house to ECAR; the program will host a refugee family, which arrive through CWS, every semester.<ref name="dailytarheel.com">MCDONALD , KENT. [http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/10/qa-with-professor-diya-abdo-about-syrian-refugee-crisis "Q&A with professor Diya Abdo about Syrian refugee crisis."] The Daily Tar Heel, 4 Oct. 2015.</ref><ref name="greensboro.com">Newsom, John. [http://www.greensboro.com/z-no-digital/q-a-with-diya-abdo-founder-of-every-campus-a/article_c7850058-7ed8-5a64-ab99-68a6e0107b63.html "Q&A with Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge at Guilford College."] News & Record, 22 May 2016.</ref> |
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=== Program === |
=== Program === |
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Under this program, each refugee family is temporarily housed on campus grounds until they can resettle successfully |
Under this program, each refugee family is temporarily housed on campus grounds until they can resettle successfully. They are provided with free housing, utilities, Wi-Fi, use of college facilities and resources, and a large community of support in the form of the college campus and its friends. The daily work of hosting and assisting in resettlement is done by trained community volunteers: students, alumni, faculty, administrators and staff; their spouses; faculty, students, and staff from nearby colleges and universities; local faith communities; and the college’s friends and neighbors. |
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</ref> They are provided with free housing, utilities, Wi-Fi, use of college facilities and resources, and a large community of support in the form of the college campus and its friends.<ref>Henkel, Clayton. [https://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2017/02/20/diya-abdo-guilford-college-discusses-initiative-every-campus-refuge-initiative-get-college-university-campuses-host-refugee-families/ "Diya Abdo of Guilford College discusses the initiative 'Every Campus a Refuge' – an initiative to get college and university campuses to host refugee families."] NC Policy Watch . N.p., 30 June 2017. |
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</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">Itkowitz, Colby. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/11/20/a-professors-mission-to-house-a-syrian-refugee-family-on-every-u-s-college-campus/ "What if every U.S. college campus offered to house a Syrian refugee family?"] The Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2015.</ref> The daily work of hosting and assisting in resettlement is assigned by CWS, managed and overseen by the CWS case manager, and the ECAR program coordinator, and carried out by over 100 Guilford community volunteers who are trained and background checked by CWS.<ref name="Making Every Campus a Refuge."/> These volunteers include Guilford students, alumni, faculty, administrators and staff; their spouses; faculty, student, and staff from nearby Bennett College; also local faith communities. New Arrivals Institute also trains the volunteers to provide ESL instruction to the hosted refugees.<ref name="Making Every Campus a Refuge."/> |
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All of the volunteers utilize their personal skills towards the common goal of hosting and assisting refugees. Students are also able to contribute to the effort by drawing on their disciplinary training to research, write, create artwork and craft podcasts for the initiative’s public forums and to design and implement assessment instruments to evaluate the project’s work. |
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Volunteers utilize their skills towards the common goal of supporting refugees and receive an experiential education on pressing global and local issues. Thus ECAR provides a place-based educational experience for its volunteers.<ref>Newsom, John. [http://www.greensboro.com/z-no-digital/q-a-with-diya-abdo-founder-of-every-campus-a/article_c7850058-7ed8-5a64-ab99-68a6e0107b63.htm "Q&A with Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge at Guilford College."] News & Record, 22 May 2016. |
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</ref> ECAR has expanded to other campuses, which are partnering with their local refugee resettlement agencies to host refugees, including [[Wake Forest University]], [[Agnes Scott College]], [[Rollins College]], and [[Lafayette College]], among others.<ref>Humphreys, Rob. [https://360.rollins.edu/college-news/rollins-welcomes-first-refugee-family "Rollins Welcomes First Refugee Family."] Rollins 360. Rollins University, 20 Sept. 2016. |
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Participating individuals receive a powerful experiential education on pressing global issues (the refugee crisis and forced displacement) and local concerns (local immigrant and refugee life) all while and because of actively engaging in real-world principled problem-solving. This place-based educational experience, connected as it is to real rather than theoretical people, has transformed volunteers’ lives and, through their efforts, positively impacted the refugees’ lives. |
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</ref><ref>Hatch, Nathan. [http://inside.wfu.edu/2016/12/a-message-from-president-hatch-4/ "A message from President Hatch."] Inside WFU. Wake Forest University, 1 Dec. 2016. |
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</ref><ref>Every Campus a Refuge. [http://everycampusarefuge.weebly.com/school-list.html "List of Schools Interested in ECAR"] |
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By hosting refugees and teaching students about the challenges that many people face across the globe, students feel like part of a movement that really makes a difference in the world. Very importantly, this “radical hospitality” makes a clear statement about the institution’s commitment to compassion, empathy, and awareness and helps shape more positive public narratives and community discourses around refugees and immigrants, something which is especially pertinent and necessary now more than ever. |
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</ref> [[Princeton University]], [[Brandeis University]], [[Georgetown University]], and the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] are also moving to become ECAR campuses.<ref name="washingtonpost.com"/><ref>Spitalniak, Laura. [http://www.dbknews.com/2017/03/30/every-campus-a-refuge-umd/ "A UMD student wants to make the campus a home for refugees."] The Diamondback. The University of Maryland, n.d. |
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</ref><ref>[http://everycampusarefuge.weebly.com/school-list.html "List of Schools Interested in ECAR"]. Every Campus a Refuge |
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== Flagship Chapter - Guilford College == |
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</ref><ref>Benedict, Catherine. [http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2017/03/paj-delivers-petition-against-executive-order "Princeton Advocates for Justice deliver petition opposing Trump's new executive order."] The Daily Princetonian, 27 Mar. 2017. |
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Through ECAR, Guilford College has partnered with the Greensboro office of [[Church World Service]] (CWS) – a refugee resettlement agency – in 2015 to make this happen. ECAR also regularly partners with other local organizations working with refugees such as the Center for New North Carolinians at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, the New Arrivals Institute, and the North Carolina African Services Coalition, among others. The program is housed in Guilford College's Center for Principled Problem Solving and Excellence in Teaching. |
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</ref> |
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Since January 2016, Guilford has hosted 66 refugees and 16 Afghan evacuees (clients of CWS) in campus houses and apartments; 34 of them have been children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years. The campus has hosted refugees from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC, South America, and Afghanistan. Guilford College has dedicated a campus house to ECAR which hosts a refugee family, through CWS, every semester. |
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'''CPPS Minor''' |
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In Fall 2017, the ECAR 16-credit minor was piloted at Guilford College. In this Principled Problem Solving Experience minor, students learn about what creates refugees, centralize refugee voices and experiences, receive training in advocacy for refugee issues, create and implement projects that assist refugees, and work with refugees hosted by Every Campus A Refuge. |
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The ECAR minor includes two mandatory classes, which are two credits each. These courses allow students to receive training from refugee resettlement agencies and volunteer for 40 hours with recently resettled families. Also, students participate in 10–15 hours of [[Skype]] conversations with [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrian refugees]] through Natakallam and study topics related to forced displacement and migration. Along with the two required classes, students also choose one course on causes of forced displacement, one course on voices and perspectives of immigrants and refugees, and one course on community organizing and advocacy. |
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== Recognition == |
== Recognition == |
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The ECAR initiative has been recognized by the [[White House]] during the Sixth Annual President's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge Gathering. It has also been featured on [[NPR]]'s [[All Things Considered]], Inside Higher Ed, Ted x Wake Forest University talk, The Academic Minute, The Chronicle, in [[The Washington Post]], and the [[State Department]]'s Toolkit on how universities can help refugees. Every Campus A Refuge won the Gulf South Summit's 2017 Outstanding Service-Learning Collaboration in Higher Education Award, as well as the Washington Center's Civic Engagement in Higher Education Award for 2017. In 2020, ECAR was recognized in second place by the Yousif Badri Civic Engagement International Prize, and most recently, ECAR was the recipient of the prestigious 2021 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize. |
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The initiative has been recognized at the [[White House]] in the Sixth Annual President's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge Gathering.<ref>[https://www.guilford.edu/news/2017/05/every-campus-refuge-recognized-white-house-event "Every Campus a Refuge Recognized at White House Event."] Guilford College, 26 Sept. 2016. |
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</ref><ref name="arabamerica.com"/> It has been featured on [[NPR]]'s ''[[All Things Considered]]'', in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and the former [[State Department]]'s Toolkit on how universities can help refugees.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2015/11/26/457517662/in-bid-to-welcome-refugees-campaign-hopes-to-make-every-campus-a-refuge "In Bid To Welcome Refugees, Campaign Hopes To Make 'Every Campus a Refuge'"] All Things Considered. NPR, 26 Nov. 2015. |
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Furthermore, Guilford College and Every Campus A Refuge were invited to participate in the [[United Nation]]'s Together Campaign and its Summit held on January 9, 2018. Along with nine other colleges and universities (from the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, and China), Guilford College signed the UN Together Campaign Action Charter pledging active support for refugees and migrants' safety and dignity. This led to ECAR being invited to join the Global Compact on Migration as a nonprofit partner in Marrakech, Morocco on December 19, 2018. Recently, ECAR joined a White House roundtable on Colleges and Universities Across America Marshal Support for Afghan Refugees. ECAR also co-led a webinar with the US Department of Education about how the higher education community can support Afghan newcomers and other refugee groups in February 2022. |
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</ref><ref name="guilfordian.com"/> Every Campus a Refuge recently won the Gulf South Summit's 2017 Outstanding Service-Learning Collaboration in Higher Education Award, as well as the Washington Center's Civic Engagement in Higher Education Award for 2017.<ref>[https://www.guilford.edu/news/2017/05/ecar-and-diya-abdo-honored-award-gulf-south-summit "ECAR and Diya Abdo Honored with Award by Gulf South Summit ."] Guilford College, 6 Jan. 2017. |
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</ref><ref>Kniffin, Lori. [https://communityengagement.uncg.edu/north-carolina-shines-at-the-2017-gulf-south-summit/ "NORTH CAROLINA SHINES AT THE 2017 GULF-SOUTH SUMMIT."] Community and Friends . University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 8 May 2017. |
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</ref><ref>[http://www.gulfsouthsummit.org/2017-award-winners/ "Gulf South Summit."] 2017 Award Winners . N.p., 2017. |
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</ref><ref name="arabamerica.com"/> Guilford College and Every Campus A Refuge were invited to participate in the [[United Nation]]'s Together Campaign and its Summit held on January 9, 2018. Along with nine other colleges and universities (from the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, and China), Guilford College signed the UN Together Campaign Action Charter pledging active support for refugees and migrants' safety and dignity.<ref>Scaffidi, Elizabeth.[http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58402/ "At UN, universities spotlight hands-on approach to integrating refugees"] UN News Centre, 10 January. 2018.</ref><ref>[http://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2018/january/dmu-launches-involvement-in-un%27s-together-campaign-in-new-york.aspx/ "DMU launches involvement in UN's Together campaign in New York"] DMU Website, 9 January. 2018.</ref><ref>[http://everycampusarefuge.net/united-nations-together "United Nations Together"] Every Campus A Refuge Website, 10 January. 2018.</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 14:19, 21 April 2022
Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) was founded by Diya Abdo, who is the Lincoln Financial Professor of English at Guilford College, in September 2015. ECAR was inspired by Pope Francis' call on every parish to take in refugees and animated by Guilford's history and Quaker testimonies. Every Campus A Refuge is based on the idea that university and college campuses have everything necessary to host refugees, from housing to food, care, and required skills to support them as they begin their lives in their new homes. Like the Pope's call on every parish to host one refugee family, ECAR calls on every college and university in the world to house refugees on campus grounds and assist them in resettlement. Since its inception, 10 campuses have joined with 7 actively hosting refugees on their campuses. The active campuses include: Guilford College (the flagship campus), Lafayette College, Siena College, Old Dominion University, Russell Sage College, Wake Forest University, and Agnes Scott College. Inactive chapters include Denison University, Northampton Community College, and Rollins College. There are many other institutions who are in various stages of mobilizing to become ECAR chapters. ECAR also works with a number of resettlement campuses- universities which partner with local refugee resettlement agencies to host refugees on campus grounds and support their successful integration. Collectively, ECAR chapters have hosted dozens of refugee families from around the world, with the flagship Guilford College chapter hosting more than 80 as of spring 2022.
Mission & Vision
ECAR Mission
Mobilize colleges and universities to host refugees on campus grounds and support them in their resettlement.
ECAR Vision
Transform the landscape of refugee resettlement and higher education by creating thousands of sustainable resettlement campus ecosystems.
Present activities
Since January 2016, Guilford has hosted 53 refugees (clients of CWS) in campus houses and apartments; 26 of them have been children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years.[1] The already-hosted refugees include two Syrian families that have successfully settled in Greensboro.[2] Additionally, the campus has hosted refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. [3][2] In fall 2017, the ECAR 16 credit minor pilots at Guilford College.[4][5] The ECAR minor will include two mandatory classes, which are two credits each.[4] These courses will allow students to receive training from refugee resettlement agencies and volunteer for 40 hours with recently resettled families.[4] Also, students participate in 10–15 hours of Skype conversations with Syrian refugees and study topics related to forced displacement and immigration.[4] Along with the two required classes, students will also choose one course on causes of forced displacement, one on voices and perspectives of immigrants and refugees, and one on community organizing and advocacy.[4]
Guilford College has dedicated a campus house to ECAR; the program will host a refugee family, which arrive through CWS, every semester.[6][7]
Program
Under this program, each refugee family is temporarily housed on campus grounds until they can resettle successfully. They are provided with free housing, utilities, Wi-Fi, use of college facilities and resources, and a large community of support in the form of the college campus and its friends. The daily work of hosting and assisting in resettlement is done by trained community volunteers: students, alumni, faculty, administrators and staff; their spouses; faculty, students, and staff from nearby colleges and universities; local faith communities; and the college’s friends and neighbors.
All of the volunteers utilize their personal skills towards the common goal of hosting and assisting refugees. Students are also able to contribute to the effort by drawing on their disciplinary training to research, write, create artwork and craft podcasts for the initiative’s public forums and to design and implement assessment instruments to evaluate the project’s work.
Participating individuals receive a powerful experiential education on pressing global issues (the refugee crisis and forced displacement) and local concerns (local immigrant and refugee life) all while and because of actively engaging in real-world principled problem-solving. This place-based educational experience, connected as it is to real rather than theoretical people, has transformed volunteers’ lives and, through their efforts, positively impacted the refugees’ lives.
By hosting refugees and teaching students about the challenges that many people face across the globe, students feel like part of a movement that really makes a difference in the world. Very importantly, this “radical hospitality” makes a clear statement about the institution’s commitment to compassion, empathy, and awareness and helps shape more positive public narratives and community discourses around refugees and immigrants, something which is especially pertinent and necessary now more than ever.
Flagship Chapter - Guilford College
Through ECAR, Guilford College has partnered with the Greensboro office of Church World Service (CWS) – a refugee resettlement agency – in 2015 to make this happen. ECAR also regularly partners with other local organizations working with refugees such as the Center for New North Carolinians at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, the New Arrivals Institute, and the North Carolina African Services Coalition, among others. The program is housed in Guilford College's Center for Principled Problem Solving and Excellence in Teaching.
Since January 2016, Guilford has hosted 66 refugees and 16 Afghan evacuees (clients of CWS) in campus houses and apartments; 34 of them have been children between the ages of 10 months and 17 years. The campus has hosted refugees from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC, South America, and Afghanistan. Guilford College has dedicated a campus house to ECAR which hosts a refugee family, through CWS, every semester.
CPPS Minor
In Fall 2017, the ECAR 16-credit minor was piloted at Guilford College. In this Principled Problem Solving Experience minor, students learn about what creates refugees, centralize refugee voices and experiences, receive training in advocacy for refugee issues, create and implement projects that assist refugees, and work with refugees hosted by Every Campus A Refuge.
The ECAR minor includes two mandatory classes, which are two credits each. These courses allow students to receive training from refugee resettlement agencies and volunteer for 40 hours with recently resettled families. Also, students participate in 10–15 hours of Skype conversations with Syrian refugees through Natakallam and study topics related to forced displacement and migration. Along with the two required classes, students also choose one course on causes of forced displacement, one course on voices and perspectives of immigrants and refugees, and one course on community organizing and advocacy.
Recognition
The ECAR initiative has been recognized by the White House during the Sixth Annual President's Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge Gathering. It has also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, Inside Higher Ed, Ted x Wake Forest University talk, The Academic Minute, The Chronicle, in The Washington Post, and the State Department's Toolkit on how universities can help refugees. Every Campus A Refuge won the Gulf South Summit's 2017 Outstanding Service-Learning Collaboration in Higher Education Award, as well as the Washington Center's Civic Engagement in Higher Education Award for 2017. In 2020, ECAR was recognized in second place by the Yousif Badri Civic Engagement International Prize, and most recently, ECAR was the recipient of the prestigious 2021 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize.
Furthermore, Guilford College and Every Campus A Refuge were invited to participate in the United Nation's Together Campaign and its Summit held on January 9, 2018. Along with nine other colleges and universities (from the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, and China), Guilford College signed the UN Together Campaign Action Charter pledging active support for refugees and migrants' safety and dignity. This led to ECAR being invited to join the Global Compact on Migration as a nonprofit partner in Marrakech, Morocco on December 19, 2018. Recently, ECAR joined a White House roundtable on Colleges and Universities Across America Marshal Support for Afghan Refugees. ECAR also co-led a webinar with the US Department of Education about how the higher education community can support Afghan newcomers and other refugee groups in February 2022.
References
- ^ Stasio, Frank, and Katy Barron. "Making Every Campus a Refuge." The State of Things. WUNC, 13 Dec. 2016.
- ^ a b Sayed, Deonna. "Refugee Resettlement: Greensboro as the Global Gate City ." Yes! Weekly 1 Feb. 2017: 16-19. Print.
- ^ Beroset, Frances. "Hosting refugees: Visiting professor gives talk on how universities can help families resettle" The Chronicle 2017. Duke Student Publishing Company
- ^ a b c d e Redden, Elizabeth. "'Every Campus a Refuge,' but Can Refugees Come?" Inside Higher Ed, 15 Feb. 2017.
- ^ Williamson, Finn. "Campus refugee program spreads, adds a minor." The Guilfordian, 16 Apr. 2017.
- ^ MCDONALD , KENT. "Q&A with professor Diya Abdo about Syrian refugee crisis." The Daily Tar Heel, 4 Oct. 2015.
- ^ Newsom, John. "Q&A with Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge at Guilford College." News & Record, 22 May 2016.