What, So What, Now What? Redefining Refugees

Jack Foersterling

WRIT 1733

Professor Leake

What, So What, Now What?

Redefining Refugees

            Overall, from the time I registered for this course and the time that I am now writing this paper, I could not have a more completely different view not only on refugees, but truly the entire course in general. When I first signed up for the class, to be honest, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. It was an honors writing class, it fit my schedule, and there was some volunteering involved. It wasn’t really until now as I am writing this blog post that I really appreciate all that I have learned not only in class, but out volunteering at the African Community Center as well. Besides my Pioneer Leadership Program course, through which I volunteered at the Somali Community Center, I had never really experienced this kind of class setting before, doing both schoolwork and volunteering in conjunction. However, this class took what my PLP class did one step further, it directly incorporated what we were learning in class to what we were doing volunteer wise. PLP simply required you to volunteer at a variety of different sites, and in class we really only wrote maybe a paper on our experience. Now in this class, the two are almost one entity in itself. What I learn in class I bring to volunteering and what I learn at volunteering I bring back to class, it is a constant cycle of learning and actually directly using what we learn, which I think is more important than learning the information in the first place. While we can all “learn” an infinite number of facts and information, I really don’t believe that they become truly important until we use them outside of a school or classroom setting. It is when we realize their real world potential in use that we gain 100% of the importance of learning them.

            In this class, while we did learn a lot about “refugees” such as their definition, where they come from, why they left, and what they are doing in America, I believe that the biggest theme we learned about in class was humanity. When coming into this class I had no real major background on who or what a refugee was, like I said in my first blog post. “A ‘refugee’ in my definition is someone who changes location, from their physical home or homeland, by either force or on his or her own accord. Whether it is from a country, town, government, etc. The person moves from one specific “place” (as this can be not a physical move, but maybe a mental one) to another.” (Foersterling) Basically, I gave the general public’s view on refugees and also tried to throw in something a little deeper and more meaningful. Now however, at the end of the class, I try and look at refugees without this shameful and pitied view. While yes, almost all of us have had better off lives than them, but the line from Chef Duffy has really brought things home to me, “People are people, it’s pretty simple.” (Duffy) While yes, some of them drank their own pee, “there were a handful of boys who drank their own urine, a few more who ate mud to keep their throats wet,” (Eggers, 21) and some of them were robbed, “I sit and now he shows me the handle of a gun… I never know the things I am supposed to know. I do know, now, that I am being robbed…” (Eggers, 4) and some of them even ate bugs to survive, “…these Sudanese youth ate insects and grass, risked being eaten by jungle carnivores, and drank their own urine to survive” (Fadlalla, 102) but at the end of the day, we are all human beings, and should be treated as such to that extent.

            My largest argument throughout this entire course, and for which I have found both evidence for and against this idea, has been that refugees themselves should be described and treated as individuals, and not a group or one being. In too many articles that we read, even the one at the very beginning by the UNHCR, refugees weren’t really even described as people, more just like objects, items. “Owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…” (UNHCR, 3) While incredibly in depth in its description, we as readers cannot put a face to this suffering; it is simply a title, a definition. However, when reading the personal accounts of refugees such as Deng and Mawi, and seeing the long journey that the Lost Boys went through in God Grew Tired of Us, I saw that there are very impactful stories out there told by individual refugees, we just need to find them. We need to break outside the mold of just seeing refugees as coming from Africa and moving to America, this is where I think that our final project, “Working with Refugees” really takes the upper hand. It encompasses all that we have been building upon in the course and truly provides an accurate and encouraging view of refugees and their lives. They can come from many diverse places, the Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, and they can each have a story more diverse than the places they came from. In this class we have opened up our own eyes to the real story and meaning of a refugee, and now it is our turn to share this idea with everyone around us.

Works Cited

Asgedom, M. (2002). Of beetles & angels: a boy's remarkable journey from a      refugee camp to Harvard. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co..

Eggers, D. (2006). What is the what: the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng            : a novel. San Francisco: McSweeney's.

UNHCR. (2012, September). Protecting Refugees and the Role of UNHCR. UNHCR, September 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from https://blackboard.du.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id _2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%

Fadlalla, A. (2009). Contested Borders of (In)humanity: Sudanese Refugees and     the Mediation of Suffering and Subaltern Visibilities. Urban Anthropology,           38(1), 80-113. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from https://blackboard.du.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=  _2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype            %3DCourse%26id%3D_208109_1%26url%3D

ACC Project Reflection

ACC Project Reflection

            Overall, I found the ACC end project to be a great wrap up to our class. Not only has doing my section of the project opened my eyes to a specific group of refugees, the Bhutanese, seeing the other groups that other students covered really helped broaden my view of exactly what and who refugees are. Throughout this entire course I have searched for stories and examples that define refugees as individuals, not just a group, and I think that this final project of “Working with Refugees” has really helped find these themes. Although each of the groups in class described an entire culture of people: Bhutanese, Iraqi, Burmese, etc., this separation alone showed the vast differences between each culture, including the background of their history, smaller cultural details, and the major reasons why their population has become refugees. This last fact, the major reasons why they have become refugees, is one of the most important parts of defining these people as individuals. With my focus group, the Bhutanese, I found that they were actually only Bhutanese of Nepali descent, who have been persecuted for their differing religious beliefs from the majority of the Bhutanese. While the persecution of people for their religious beliefs is a very common factor in that of refugees fleeing their country, with 1 out of 6 citizens of Bhutan being refugees, their story is completely different than any of the other countries, and vice versa. Along with finding the individual connections between each country and their people, I also found that each of the other sections really helped bring together all that we have learned about, like the title describes, working with refugees. While looking at the sections on each country, the description of refugees makes them seem extremely foreign, almost alien to those of us reading it here in the United States. However, when the project dives into the refugees and their place here in the US, it really gives them a personality, and again, individuality. In the tips for employers section, we explain how working with a refugee is really no different than working with any other employee, and the line from Chef Duffy that really drives the entire quarter home for me, “People are people, it’s pretty simple.”

Information for Employers

Information for Employers:

Prepared For the Workforce

                  Refugees are eager to enter your workplace and are equally prepared. Refugees arrive in America with incredible previous work experience. No matter the roles and jobs refugees possessed in their home nation, they each share valuable knowledge learned from their journey as a refugee. In their home nations, they have faced adversity and successfully overcame their challenges. They know what it is like to be challenged, and more importantly understand the work required and process by which one can overcoming these obstacles. Refugees tackle these problems with their fellow countrymen. They understand the value of teamwork, and have already had extensive practice working in groups toward a common goal. Beyond their struggles derived from persecution, refugees often come to America with valuable skills practiced in their homeland. These skills are numerous and include knowledge in fields such as information technology, healthcare, hospitality and food production. While in refugee camps individuals are exposed to a variety of beneficial classes including English. These classes enable most refugees to arrive in America with a firm grasp of the English language and the ability to communicate with customers. 

                  When refugees arrive in America, they are highly motivated to begin a new life for their family. Refugees are incredibly hard workers, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make their long journey to America a success. Because of this, they are extremely dependable and reliable workers. The African Community Center (ACC) helps to provide the refugees with everything else they need to successfully enter the workforce. Refugees are fully documented as legal residents of Colorado, meaning they are already authorized to work in the United States. We only refer individuals who have proven themselves capable of fitting your job criteria and hiring needs. Refugees are tested thoroughly at the ACC to show their strengths and weaknesses and to identify jobs the refugee can excel at. The ACC helps to provide further training for refugees to complete their knowledge on specific industries, including food service, retail and customer service, and janitorial cleaning. We continue our assistance even after the refugee is successfully hired. Our staff is always available to provide support to your business, including interpretation, cross-cultural support and other services.

Economic and Financial Benefits of Refugees

Hiring refugees can benefit your company in numerous ways, including tax cuts and stimulating growth. Hiring a refugee could exempt you from a 6.2% share of social security tax on wages paid, as well as a general business tax credit of 6.2% on wages paid to employees retained for at least 52 consecutive weeks. Refugees have the potential to contribute largely to a business and local economic growth, primarily through economic stimulus that may include, but is not limited to “the local purchase of food, non-food items, shelter materials by agencies supplying relief items, disbursements made by aid workers, the assets brought by refugees themselves, as well as employment and income accrued to local population, directly or indirectly, through assistance projects for refugee areas” (UNHCR). When refugees enter the labor force, they begin to directly compete with local citizens for scarce resources. This healthy competition can cause an increase in demand for food and other commodities that will boost local economic activity (UNHCR). Not only have refugees proven to enhance the skill level and overall diversity of a country, but also they have been known to foster innovation and flexibility. In Australia, five of the eight billionaires are either 2^nd or 3^rd generation refugees (Business Review). In 2006, incoming refugees accounted for $2.815 billion of overall GDP for Australia and $3.84 billion for the United Kingdom (CRR). The majority of refugees entering a first-world country are equipped with a determination to succeed, learn, and work hard. This mentality contributes to the refugees’ entrepreneurial tendencies, which translates to greater economic output. Refugees can also potentially extend business and industrial networks to other investment links, both regional and global, through connections to their homeland.

Below is a summarized list of some of the positive effects refugees can have on a businesses and local economies:

- Drive expansion of output

- Increase domestic demand

- Provide a skilled and flexible workforce

- Foster entrepreneurship

- Encourage innovation and technological transfer

- Develop trade links and international integration

- Support change and challenge rigidities

- Improve the value and return on capital

- Expand business and job opportunities

- Spread the costs of overhead requirements

- Through a growing economy, encourage the purchase of more modern, technologically advanced equipment

Social Benefits of Hiring Refugees

                  Hiring a refugee to be employed in your business is a mutually favorable decision, benefiting both the employer and the employee. One of the largest benefits of hiring a refugee for your business is the social aspects that are attached to their presence in the workplace. Eager to rebuild their lives in their new home in America, refugees often maintain a very high level of work ethic, and are incredibly driven at any task they are given to work. With a high desire to succeed, refugees are very determined workers, and will do their hardest to make themselves, and in turn your own business as successful as possible. Along with having incredibly devoted and hard workers, hiring refugees to your workplace will add a high level of diversity to your business.  Not only will they bring a different culture and idea set into the workplace, but they will also provide a very crucially important function that many businesses today are lacking, a multilingual employee. Coming from a variety of different countries, refugees will already be fluent in one or more languages other than English. This will allow your business to easily interact with foreign customers, who might not easily understand English, and having an employee fluent in their native language will allow for an ease of communication and overall a better experience for the customer. Finally, many refugees are looking to immerse themselves in American culture, and will not only be open to doing this in their workplace, but also sharing their own native cultures as well, providing a very diverse and open business environment.

How to Work with Refugees: Suggestions and Concerns Addressed

                  Regarding the process of working with refugees in the workplace, Chef Michael Duffy, Executive Chef at the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, offers salient advice: “People are people; it’s pretty simple.” The reality is that the process behind hiring a refugee is similar to the process behind hiring any other employee, as is the process of training and executing tasks. As Chef Duffy notes, “They are very dedicated people. They’re very hard-working and they’re eager to learn, and that eagerness is a tool that you don’t find that often.” The following questions and answers provide valuable insights into the nuts-and-bolts of working with refugees.

Will communication be difficult?

                  Refugees speak English to varying degrees of fluency, so the most correct answer to this question is that it depends. Most refugees are attending or have attended English classes in their lives, so conversations progress normally, or require only slightly more patience from both parties involved. Hands-on teaching methods are quite effective for training individuals with less English skills. The ACC offers interpretation services any time, completely free of charge.

                  Mr. David Montes, a member of the Human Resources Department at Welby Gardens, found another possible situation: “We hired a couple of refugees that speak English well as supervisors, so when new refugees come, the supervisors can show them what to do.”

Are refugees legal to work in the U.S.?

Yes. Refugees are an internationally-protected class of people, and have full authorization to work in the United States. An ACC Employment Specialist will ensure that any refugees hired through the ACC have the appropriate employment documentation.

Can refugees provide legitimate work references?

While refugees can provide valid work references, the ability of an American employer to reach that reference is a limiting factor. In many cases, the potential employer simply cannot contact the refugee’s past employers. Paula Veith, Benefits Director at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, CO, shared this insight regarding the issue: “You know it’s difficult to call employers from, say, Bhutan, so we had to get creative. We had to rely on the caseworkers to know that a person is reliable and is dedicated to showing up on time and then just go with those opinions.” Indeed, an ACC Employment Specialist often offers a more substantial reference than a previous employer, because the ACC employee has spent more time working one-on-one with that individual, and has experience watching refugees grow into new careers.

Will cultural divides be an issue?

                  While cultural differences can initially require more patience in the training process, they ultimately add to the workplace. As Ms. Veith notes, “It enriches our culture here at the Hyatt to have people from all around the world.” Diversity brings new perspectives, ideas, and solutions into the place of work.

Bhutanese Refugee Backgrounder

BHUTANESE REFUGEE BACKGROUNDER

By: Jack Foersterling, Cameron Hickert, Nick Stubler, and Roderick O'Dorisio

Who are the Bhutanese?

Bordered by India to the south and China to the north, Bhutan is a landlocked country “about half the size of Indiana” (Campling). Although small, this country’s refugee population – in proportion to its total population – is one of the highest in the world. Indeed, “Since 1991 over one sixth of Bhutan's people have sought asylum in Nepal, India and other countries” (Bhutanese Refugee Support Group). The vast majority of these refugees (around 107,000 total) reside in refugee camps in Nepal, where the Nepali government denies them “two basic rights that are prerequisites for local integration: freedom of movement and the right to work and earn a living” (Resettlement Support Center). Although many desperately want to work, they simply are not allowed. In response to this plight, the United States has offered to resettle 60,000 refugees. This has helped ease the rampant overpopulation (and associated problems) in the Nepali refugee camps, although they are still far from ideal. Of course, another forced evacuation is not appealing to all refugees, already tired from their first exhausting journey: “While many welcome the chance to begin new lives in other countries, a group of refugees opposes the resettlement plan, saying that repatriation to Bhutan is the only acceptable solution” (Resettlement Support Center). Regardless, those who have made the passage to the United States are eager and willing to support themselves and their families in a new homeland.

The Conflict in Bhutan

The conflict in southern Bhutan is both complicated and intricate. It has its roots within the historical, political, and cultural complexes of the three main groups of people: the original inhabitants of the nation, people of Nepalese origin who are now Bhutanese citizens, and recent Nepalese migrants. The conflict in southern Bhutan began when illegal Nepalese immigrants began to settle in Bhutan for economic reasons. Rather than integrate into Bhutanese society, this constantly growing population of Nepali immigrants chose to remain culturally Nepalese. The Bhutanese government perceived this growing group of immigrants to only identity with Nepal and be a part of the Greater Nepal movement. The government saw this growing dichotomy as a threat to their national unity and created a “One Nation One People” policy in response. Under this policy, Bhutanese citizens were required to use the Driglam Namzha (Bhutanese national dress and etiquette code) and reinforced the status of Dzongkha as the national language. Nepali was discontinued as a school course across the nation. After conducting their nation’s first census in 1988, Bhutanese officials were surprised to learn the magnitude of Bhutan’s immigrant population. They have since ‘encouraged’ those of Nepali descent, some of which who have called southern Bhutan home since the late nineteenth century, to permanently leave Bhutan.

Culture in Bhutan

The nation of Bhutan has long been a very isolated state, relying on the sheer size of the Himalayas that surround them to keep them uninfluenced by outside cultures and customs. Because of their little interaction with outside cultures, the Bhutanese have long held their own beliefs and heritage sacred within their culture. Due to this fact, the Bhutanese have held traditions that have remained since the beginning of the country’s founding in the mid 17th century. The basis of Bhutanese culture is centered on Buddhism, the main religion of Bhutan. These Buddhist practices can be seen widely throughout Bhutan with prayer flags set up along the mountainsides, and a small white flag adorns each roof under which the owner has appeased the local god by extending a payment or offering.  The preservation of the Bhutan tradition and culture is known as Driglamnamza, and was required of all citizens in 1990. This law, regarding the correct way to eat, talk, and show respect by bowing to those in the government and clergy, was quickly fought against by those of the Lhotsampas ethnic group, or Bhutanese citizens who come from Nepali descent. It is also this decree of Driglamnamza that has led to over 20% of Bhutan’s citizens being persecuted for their different beliefs and ideals.

            The dress code of Bhutan is fairly simple, the nationally required dress, known as the Driglam Namzha, is required in public during daylight hours. Men typically wear a heavy robe that reaches their knees with a belt forming a front pocket at the front of their robe. Women wear colorful blouses that are worn in a way to create an ankle length dress. Bhutanese women hold a large amount of power in the community, and have more rights than some men of other nearby nations and cultures. Women hold a large part in the ownership of land, and work alongside their male counterparts in the fields or owning small shops. Marriage is a mutual affair and divorce is not uncommon within the Bhutanese culture. Bhutanese food staples include red rice, buckwheat and a variety of chicken, yak and beef in the more mountainous regions.

Health Status of Bhutanese Refugees

Prior to entering the United States of America, the Bhutanese refugees are faced with numerous diseases and other detriments that affect their overall health and mental stability. Perhaps one of the most significant areas of study is the impact of torture on the mental health of Bhutanese refugees. According to a study conducted by the American Medical Association, severe torture is directly correlated with traumatic experiences and psychiatric ailments. Some of most prevalent illnesses that are carried over to American soil from the refugee camps overseas include depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The study conducted by the American Medical Association concludes that torture plays a significant role in the development of PTSD, and the study proceeds to deliver specific solutions that can counter the effects of PTSD in Western society. Another significant link to mental instability is the caste hierarchies that are established in the Nepalese refugee camps. According to a recent study conducted by Duke University, a strong correlation between a lower hierarchical status and mental trauma exist. This is because most refugees who do not possess a prominent role in the caste hierarchy are usually discriminated against and thus endure more frequent acts of torture compared to individuals who hold a higher ranking in the hierarchy. For American employers, knowing the previous hierarchical status of a refugee is valuable information when discussing how to treat and what services to provide a specific refugee in the desired work environment.

6 out of every 10 Bhutanese refugees currently located in refugee camps in Nepal will commit suicide within the next year according to a study done by McGill University. In the same study, colloquial language is included to describe the feelings that Bhutanese refugees associate with their mental health. The refugees often “experience dukha (sadness), manaasik bhoj (mental burden) or tanab (tension) in the man (heart-mind).” The last facet of mental stability involves the female Bhutanese refugees. According to a study conducted by the Human Rights Watch, women’s independence within refugee camps is extremely limited. They are often victims of abusive relationships and are presented with no alternatives because any attempt to leave an abusive or violent relationship often means losing custody of the children. Additional reports of sexual trafficking have been recorded. Personal health information, specifically mental status, is crucial for employers because it provides them with the necessary information to appropriately implement specific services that can create a more secure and unthreatening work environment for the Bhutanese refugees. 

Employing Refugees

When reading both the Congolese Backgrounder from the CORC and the Employer Guide to Hiring Refugees from the ACC, I was very surprised to see how the refugees are treated almost as a completely alien people. The frequently asked questions section of the ACC’s Employer Guide acts as though the employers have never interacted with someone a little bit different than them. While yes, I do know that this is technically necessary to have all of these questions and answers to settle any sort of lingering questions from the employer, but I do believe that the ACC could do a better job of depicting the refugees as individuals instead of one nondescript group. I do enjoy that the Congolese Backgrounder includes a short description of each part of the Congolese culture, from language, to marriage, to differentiations between Congo and United States cultures. One part of the ACC’s Employer Guide that I did find very useful was the “Benefits to your Business” section. Although they do advertise all refugees as the same kind of people, I feel as though they do a wonderful job of giving the best light to the refugees based on the situation some of them have come out of. In the article I read for an earlier blog post, I read about many stories of Iraqi refugees having been doctors, attorneys, or other high paying professions before that were re-located here in America. Now they can barely get jobs working as dishwashers or janitors. With the help of the ACC, these refugees, who may not be able to exactly show their true talents to their employers, are able to get the best job possible for their previous work experience in their home countries.