Students with Refugees is partnering with Canopy NWA to welcome over 100 refugees from Afghanistan to begin new lives in Northwest Arkansas by the end of December.
“It’s a very high number of clients for what Canopy is used to in a very short period of time,” said Students with Refugees Vice President Julianna Kantner.
Kantner, a junior international studies in political science major from Shawnee, Kansas, said SWR, founded in 2016, focuses on educating the U of A community about the challenges faced by the local refugee community, and advocating for initiatives on campus to support refugees in Northwest Arkansas.
Courtesy of Julianna Kantner
The organization volunteers regularly with Canopy NWA, Kantner said, including moving refugee families into their new homes.
“We set up the houses, get all the beds ready,” she said, “basically, so that they’re move-in ready for the families when they arrive.”
Kantner said the organization is also seeking volunteers willing to co-sponsor families to help them adjust to life in a new setting.
Co-sponsoring, she said, can include driving clients where they need to be, helping them learn how to use public transportation, and assisting them with grocery shopping. It can also mean offering friendship and support.
Julianna Kantner with her co-sponsor family at Altitude trampoline park. Photo courtesy of Julianna Kantner.
“It’s almost like you’re their first friend in the area,” she said.
Josie Kakrzewski, membership coordinator for Students with Refugees, said there are a number of opportunities every week for students to volunteer.
Kakrzewski, a sophomore international studies in history major from northwest Arkansas, said there are a lot of refugees arriving with little time to accommodate.
“At first, we were told it would be 50 Afghan refugees to serve by mid-March or April,” she said. “We’re now looking at 200 by December 31.”
Recently, she said, SWR began a letter-writing campaign to support providing 25 scholarships to Afghan refugees who are resettling in Northwest Arkansas, after starting a petition which raised over 100 signatures.
“Part of the University of Arkansas’s motto is that we are a diverse and inclusive community,” she said. “By providing those scholarships, we can not only give them the start that they need, but we can benefit the university as well by encouraging scholars from diverse backgrounds.”
Courtesy of Julianna Kantner
Kakrzewski said SWR provides people with opportunities to be co-sponsors, mentors, or tutors for clients.
“Working with Canopy is super intense and super involved,” she said, “so you know that when you take on these roles, your work matters.”