The tech team for the Refugee Response Initiative does a lot more than just tech. In addition to setting up computers for Afghan families, they help out with anything the families might need – a tour of the neighborhood, 帮助找工作， companionship at a doctor’s appointment, for example. “We wear many hats,” said 安迪, one of the members of the tech team.
One of the biggest things they do is just listen and talk. Sometimes the Afghan family members want to chat about their lives, and sometimes they have specific questions about life in the US. 无论哪种方式, tech set-up is rarely an in-and-out job – it often happens over the course of a hearty home-cooked meal and multiple servings of tea.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect before I started,” said tech team member TJ. “但他们让我感到很受欢迎.”
梦之队
TJ, 安迪, and 旋律 have had very different professional paths, but they’ve come together to form a strong team. Most days, they’re connected by a text thread and help each other troubleshoot any technical issues. They also coordinate with the organization that donates the computers (个人电脑)，这是一家专注于移民的非营利组织 生产技术, and four 生产技术 case managers, all of whom are Afghan evacuees themselves and speak Dari. “Everyone is coming together to make this possible,” said 旋律.
Each tech team member has their own way of making connections with Afghan families. TJ, 谁对地理有持续的兴趣, likes to talk with them about the specific regions and cities they called home. 安迪’s own parents were refugees who came to the US from Laos, 他看到了两者之间的联系. “I see myself and my family in their experiences,” he said. “It pushes me to be a little bit more understanding.”
旋律, 团队的第三个成员, 他的家人也移民到了美国, in their case from China by way of the Philippines, 澳门, 及香港. She also worked for nearly a decade in the MPR newsroom, and brings her natural curiosity about people to the team.
“Many people I know and love came to the US as immigrants,” she said. “I know it’s really, really hard to leave where you are comfortable. And it’s especially hard if you didn’t necessarily want to leave.”
找到“为什么”
既然他们已经服役一段时间了, the team is starting to see the difference their service has made. 当他们回去拜访的时候, they might see kids playing video games on a TV they set up or parents paying bills using the computer.
“It’s really fun to see that they’re actually really using the stuff that we worked so hard to set up for them,TJ说。.
The tech team also had a big role in helping the refugees use the new computers and hot spots – learning to log in, 上网冲浪, 下载应用程序, 使用鼠标, 解决任何问题.
主要是, 虽然, 安迪, 旋律, and TJ served as some of the first friendly faces the refugees interacted with in Minnesota. 他们建立的关系表明了这一点. 安迪认识了一对怀孕的夫妇, 在他为他们服务期间, 去见他们刚出生的孩子. 旋律 has gone back repeatedly to help one family reconnect to the internet. The father greets her warmly as “sister” every time.
旋律 sat with a woman who was having a hard time learning to use a computer mouse, 一直和她一起练习, even 虽然 it was really hard for her to get the hang of it. “She’s super, super capable, speaks multiple languages, and manages so much for her family. She just hadn’t used a desktop computer before,” 旋律 said. “She wanted to learn so she could help her kids learn. Pretty soon she’s going to be using these things like nobody’s business.”
All three members of the team plan to continue with refugee response in some way, 要么通过志愿服务，要么通过未来的工作. 安迪, who has a particular interest in emergency response work, has been especially excited about connecting with people in the industry through his service.
“Serving with RRI was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life,” said 安迪. “I’ve met a lot of people and got to connect with people in this field. I’m glad it got to be my first official professional experience after college.”
There’s a big need for Refugee Response Initiative members like 安迪, TJ, and 旋律. Though the initiative was at first planned to last for about six months, we’ll be extending it with 安置队, a year-long program that will begin in the fall, once again in collaboration with Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. The members of this program will help newcomers to Minnesota access housing, 就业, 法律定位, 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端, 还有其他资源.
If you’re interested in serving with 安置队,
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