A panel discussion to celebrate World Refugee Day featured a keynote speaker and three panelists who shared their experiences as refugees. The latest installment of the Center for Global Engagement’s (CGI) International Speaker series, titled “World Refugee Day: Every Action Counts,” took place June 23, 2021, on Zoom.
Michiko Kuroda, an International Relations and Diplomacy Lecturer and a Visiting fellow for U.N. Affairs, directs the Speaker Series. She led off the proceedings by declaring that helping refugees is a high priority, not just for the Center, but also for every individual. “We are all here because we care about refugees. The goal of this conference is to inspire every person here to think of at least one thing they can do to help.”
Following an overview by keynote speaker Dana Sleiman, Senior Communications Officer in the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mercy Youth Representatives to the United Nations Anna Engel and Jordyn Brambley introduced topics to be fielded by the panelists.
Mirza Demirovic, a representative of the Department of Youth and Welfare Offices in the City of Dortmund, Germany, and Akimana Bahti ’20, a job developer for Catholic Charities, spoke of the hardships, isolation and ostracism suffered by refugees. Bahti, a Mercy graduate who had to flee her home at the age of 12 when her country was ripped apart by war, said, “No one leaves home unless they have to. It’s like becoming a stranger in your own country.”
By the end of the presentation, participants had submitted their ideas for how they could help refugees. All agreed they were made more aware of the extraordinary difficulties of being a person without a country. Kuroda praised the effort, reiterating the conference title when she said, “Everyone can make a difference, and every action counts.”