7 (Easy) Ways To Welcome Refugees
1. Smile
A smile is a simple acknowledgement that spans all languages. It doesn’t take much, but a smile can really make someone feel welcome.
2. Greet people
Connections can be made with just a simple, friendly ‘hello.’ Alternatively learn how to greet our refugee neighbours in their own language. For instance, ‘Chawani bashi’ is Kurdish for ‘How are you?’ And in Syria, ‘As-salam alaykom’ means ‘peace be with you.’
3. Stop and chat
Although language barriers may prevent long, in-depth conversations, you can still chat to people using gestures and simple language. Depending on the situation, one of our youBelong translators may be available to assist you in making that connection.
4. Go round for a visit
If you have a new refugee family in your neighborhood, why not pop around for a visit or invite them into your home? Alternatively, if there’s no-one in your neighbourhood, youBelong may be able to pair you up with a newly arrived family.
5. Make a new friend
If you are school-aged and have a refugee in your class, don’t be afraid to befriend them. Show them around the school, eat lunch with them, invite them into your group of friends, and assist them with their school work if you can. Starting school can be a daunting experience for a refugee, but having friendly classmates can make it much more enjoyable. This same example applies for university students and other recreational groups that meet regularly.
6. Give a gift
Who doesn’t like getting gifts? It doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive, just something to show you care or thoughtfulness – like some flowers from your garden, or a plate of home-baked biscuits.
7. Offer assistance.
If you are after practical ways to assist people, perhaps offer to help a refugee family with their grocery shopping or offer them transport. YouBelong is always looking for volunteers to help transport families to English classes or our special youBelong Welcome Picnics and events. Contact us if you’d like to offer transport services for YouBelong’s local events, or if you’d like to volunteer in another capacity - we’d love to hear from you!
There you go, 7 easy peasy ways to welcome refugees in your community.
