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Global Village Project hosts refugee week, kicks off events on June 20

Clarkston

Global Village Project hosts refugee week, kicks off events on June 20

The Coalition for Refugee Service Agencies is hosting World Refugee Day on Sunday, June 20, and the Global Village Project with host other events from June 20 to 26. Photo submitted by Jennie Jiang.
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Clarkston, GA — The Coalition for Refugee Service Agencies is hosting World Refugee Day on Sunday, June 20, at 5 p.m. and throughout the week the Global Village Project with host other events.

“World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness about the scope of forced displacement across the globe and, more importantly, put a human face to it,” said Jennie Jiang, marketing and communications specialist for Global Village Project “It is a day we renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and welcoming world.”

From June 20 to 26, GVP will share virtual and in-person experiences to help people learn about the story of a GVP girl and her family. Interactive digital journeys will allow participants to follow the student from her home country to her resettlement in Clarkston. The journey through Clarkston will introduce participants to local organizations that serve families, according to a press release.

The theme for World Refugee Day is “Walk with Her” which is about stepping in more closely to learn more about the journeys of Global Village Project students, Jiang said.

“In Martin Luther King, [Jr.’s] ‘I have a dream’ speech, he calls upon white people to recognize how their freedom and the freedom of all people is inextricably tied up with Black citizens’ freedom, and he says, “We cannot walk alone,’” Jiang said. “In the face of our current global crisis of displacement, and in the pursuit of the freedom of all marginalized people, we cannot allow refugees to walk alone.”

During World Refugee Week, GVP hopes that many people will choose to walk alongside the refugee learners at the organization by sharing in their journeys and donating to support their pursuit of education, Jiang said.

The activities will be hosted by GVP, as well as some of their partners including Refuge Coffee and Friends of Refugees, who will participate as destination sites for the in-person journey through the city.

“This World Refugee Day, we are most looking forward to honoring and sharing the stories of our students and families,” Jiang said. “We celebrate our students all year long for their academic success, but this is a special occasion for us to shed light on our students’ lives outside of school – where they come from and where they’re going.”

Schedule of Events:
– Sunday, June 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. — World Refugee Day celebration hosted by The Coalition for Refugee Service Agencies
– Monday, June 21, at 9 a.m. — Premiere of “A Human, Like Everybody Else” featuring the Global Village Project School and Family Support Specialist Ilombe Wilondja.
– Wednesday, June 23, at 9 a.m. — Premiere of “Making My Parent’s Voices Heard,” featuring international criminal court lawyer Evelyne Ombeni.
– Friday, June 25, at 9 a.m — Premiere of “I Define My Story,” featuring GVP alumnae Eh Soe Moo, Bertha Nibigira and Ayat Salameh
– Sunday, June 20 through Saturday, June 26 — ”Walk With Her” interactive journeys online and in-person in Clarkston.

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