WISE

It's Wednesday and I'm happy. Whyyy am I happy? The same reason I'm happy on Mondays, and the same reason all spring I was happy on Saturdays. I get to volunteer. [Pause] Why I haven't written about this earlier - is a complete mystery to me. [Resume] Since mid-to-late March, I've been volunteering (most) every Saturday with the Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment or WISE. & after only one week I fell madly, deeply, over the moon and back in loooove with this organization. Their mission is, Empowering immigrant women and girls to succeed. Need I say more? 

I will. According to their website W.I.S.E, "is a multicultural 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving African, Asian and Latino immigrant/refugee women and girls from all countries, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds. WISE started in 1995 to provide opportunities for women and girls in the immigrant communities to achieve their full potential and to increase their skills towards economic success WISE fulfills its mission for empowering immigrant women & girls to succeed via four strategies: Leadership Development, Access to Health, Wealth Creation, Technical Assistance"

Although WISE has many programs for adults and youth alike, I personally volunteer with the Girls Getting Ahead in Leadership Program (GGAL). I L-O-V-E it. GGAL is a program for immigrant/refugee girls in their Sophomore, Junior and Senior years of High School. Weekly workshops include college preparation, leadership development, academic skill building, group activities, local field trips, and community involvement. Myself and many other volunteers come as mentors for the girls offering one-on-one support for- anything! Scholarship/financial aid assistance, English/homework tutoring ...

Honestly, most of the time I feel like the girls teach me more then I will ever be able to teach them. They are all so full of life, motivation, creativity, and excitement despite all the hardships of being new to a culture. For our Lemonade Day event my team's name was The Angels, and I couldn't agree more.

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I LOVE WISE? This year I decided that the WISE end-of-year networking dinner was my top choice for a birthday dinner. I dragged Mike along reluctantly, but when we got into the car afterwards not only was he a number one fan of WISE as well, but looked at me and said, "I understand why you love it so much." & folks, trust me, if Mike noticed something like this - it is both obvious & huge.

Thankfully, my volunteering didn't need to end with the networking dinner because GGAL has summer programs! For the next month I'll be spending my Mondays and Wednesdays volunteering at The Canvas for GGAL Summer Arts! Where the girls will meet and learn from local artists, learn the importance of cultural identity through art, go on field trips, and have funnnn being creative!

Isn't it sweet? So sweet you didn't even mind my mini novel of loving praises, ya?

One more time - I LOVE WISE!

Twin Cities World Refugee Day

FYI. 

Twin Cities World Refugee Day 
Saturday, June 5th 1:00-6:00 PM
Hennepin Ave. between 7th and 8th streets
Downtown Minneapolis
Metro Transit is providing FREE transit passes to get to and from the event - visit our website to download your pass today!! 

www.tcworldrefugeeday.org

Twin Cities World Refugee Day is a celebration of the more than 10,000 refugees living in Minnesota and then diversity of cultures and experiences they bring to our community.

Throughout the day you and your family can enjoy free live entertainment on two outdoor stages, food and vendors from around the world, children's activities, a community resource fair and interactive educational displays by the American Refugee Committee. Then stay into the nigh as we pass the torch to Minneapolis MOSAIC to enjoy more free arts, activities and performances exploring our area's diverse cultural heritage.

Celebrate all the refugees who call MN home!!

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I'm so sad to be missing this - but I encourage you all to go!! Get out there, have some fun with culture.

Khadka & Barakoti

This family. Changed my life. & its not just because they fed me apples and homemade yogurt*.

*the actual creamy/chunky white sauce is still a mystery. For my own comfort I like to think it was yogurt. 

oooo canada

I miss the Olympics already.

They opened my eyes to what I so dumbly hadn't seen before:

I NEED TO GO TO CANADA.

Why? I have a list.

1. Could another country get any closer to Minnesota?

2. I hear it is beautiful.

3. Some areas of the country are bilingual. Oui Oui!

4. When the Elemam family leaves the Egyptian homeland, I can barge into their Canadian home. Raptor's game, ay?

5. Most importantly. I have this magical body wash. Which I took out of Mr. Moodie's Proctor & Gamble gift box then proceeded to fall in complete and utter love. I haven't been able to find it anywhere so now I (pathetically) reserve it for special occasions and bad days. Ha. WherewasIgoingwiththis? Oh yeah, after some research I found out it's sold in Canada. Here I thought the English/French on the bottle was a way of advertising it's worldly awesomeness.

6. Maybe a bit more importantly is the fact that Canada has one of the world's most fair and welcoming refugee admittance policies. I learned a lot about the Canadian policies while attending a documentary viewing at the American University of Cairo (AUC), "Seeking Refuge" All people who seek refuge in Canada are given fair trial, great isn't it? A chance to tell their story. I love that.

So. Friends, who wants to go to Canada. Ay? Ay? Ay?

Something to do today: take another look at yo-neighbor.

LSI

I have just learned that Lutheran Services in Iowa, Refugee Resettlement Cooperative of Des Moines is closing it's doors. The program will continue on for the next six months to ensure that the last refugee families are provided care until they are self sufficient.

My heart goes out to all the LSI staff, volunteers, and the Des Moines refugee community.

It was within your guiding hands that I found my true passion. I will never forget my time as an Intern with the program, and I am forever grateful for the amount of trust, support, and confidence you all had in me.

During my 320 hours of service I learned more than I ever imagined I could about: strength, carrying mattresses, culture, non-profits, sharing, refugee issues, patience, governmental systems, Des Moines, war, family, hard work, resettlement, fear, apartment hunting, courage, language (both verbal and non), volunteering, donating, the importance of humor and a smile, compassion, and love.

You have forever made an impact on me and the lives of thousands around the greater Des Moines area. May the future be bright for all those impacted by this loss.

To read their statement go here