A diverse community full of all types of people, the University of Michigan has hundreds of clubs and organizations to join. However, Nicole Khamis, a senior in the Residential College, realized some of her greatest interests did not fit in an organization here. In the midst of this current political climate, Khamis discovered her passion for helping others, especially those who do not have the same opportunities as she did. Therefore, she decided to start the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program (MRAP) as a way to assist refugees in Ann Arbor. Her Campus had the chance to sit down with Khamis to better her motivation for MRAP, as well as how other Michigan students can help.
Her Campus: What is MRAP, and what is your goal with it?
Nicole Khamis: Michigan Refugee Assistance Program (MRAP for short) is a student organization that started recently on the simple idea that Michigan students could assist refugees right in the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The goal of our organization is to make Michigan a more welcoming community for refugees, while simultaneously using our platform as college students to stand with and advocate for refugees and immigrants, particularly in the current political climate. How we do this is two fold: first, we have several committees that do various activities and plan and execute events; second, we pair students with recently resettled refugee families from Syria and Iraq through our partnership with the Detroit Mayor’s Office and Samaritans.
HC: What does your group do?
NK: MRAP was originally started after I found out that there were no organizations on campus to educate individuals on the current displacement crisis- which is the largest humanitarian crisis our generation is currently facing. Originally, when I started MRAP, I specifically wanted to focus on supplying local refugee resettlement agencies with volunteers. After putting out applications for volunteering with refugees, my team and I were overwhelmed- within a week, we had over 250 applications from students and community members. Immediately, I knew we had to capitalize on the momentum and the resources our diverse student body offered. That is when the idea came to start a student organization that would not only allow students to volunteer with refugees, but would also serve to educate the campus on this issue while advocating for refugees and immigrants.
We have put on various events that all focus on educating the student body and allow students to feel that they can make a difference, even if some of the conflicts we witness seem so far away. We have done movie screenings, hosted professors such as Juan Cole and James Hathaway to speak on the current crisis and its implications of international law and the international community, done donation drives including garage sales for benefitting refugees, and recently held our sold-out capstone event in the UMMA where we had individuals from Syria and Iraq who had resettled to the United States speak about their experience, and effectively gave these individuals a platform to speak for themselves and not allow others to speak for them. We are doing a 5K on April 15 in the Arb to benefit Freedom House in Detroit, which recently got its funding slashed. All of our events are interesting and engaging and always follow our mission of educating individuals to assist them in becoming world actors in this crisis that will undoubtedly follow our generation for years to come.
HC: How did you personally get interested in the topic of refugees? What motivated you to start this organization?
NK: My family is Palestinian and was forcibly displaced, so living in diaspora is my daily reality. I often have a hard time reconciling the opportunities I have, such as going to a school like Michigan or living in relatively safety, because I know many individuals who, just by virtue of living in a different part of the world, will never have the same opportunities I will have. Because of this, I have tried to use my privilege and my platform on campus to raise awareness about the refugee crisis while at the same time motivating students to let them know that just because we may be young does not mean we can’t mitigate the current crisis in some way.
One of my main motivations was that the summer before my senior year, I went to Jordan and was working at an international NGO, Caritas Amman. It was there that saw the faces of people I had only ever heard about in the news, and saw the magnitude of the crisis. I had so many interactions with individuals that continue to impact me, and I questioned how I could leave everything behind after what I saw. I decided I couldn’t. That experience motivated me to utilize my position as a student and make good on the opportunity I had as an American citizen. Additionally, after returning from Jordan, I had a lot of individuals asking me how they could help, and heard an overwhelming feeling of helplessness from many who felt they could not do anything because many of these crises, they felt, were so far away. I wanted to show individuals that the people who were impacted from these wars weren’t far away, as many had resettled in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. I knew we could find a way to help. That is when the idea of pairing students who were resourceful and compassionate with refugees who still needed assistance long after the three months of assistance they received from refugee resettlement agencies came about, and MRAP began!
HC: What do you hope will come out of this organization?
NK: Even though MRAP is only a couple of months old, it is really amazing to see how much we have already accomplished. We have been able to tap into the current moment, in which we see xenophobic and racist rhetoric around refugees and have been able to counter that by education and advocacy. As a senior, it is bittersweet to leave the organization only after a couple months of being president, but I know the organization will continue to grow and benefit from the thoughtful and compassionate students that Michigan has. All I can hope for is for MRAP to contribute not only to creating a more welcoming community here in Ann Arbor, but also a more welcoming world that doesn’t turn its back on the worlds most vulnerable.
HC: What can people do to help?
NK: There are so many ways to help! Obviously, my first answer would be to reach out to MRAP and to join our organization! Just because the school year may be ending doesn’t mean there aren’t any opportunities to get involved. First, reach out to your local refugee resettlement agency. If you have one nearby and ask if they need any donations. If you offer translation services or transportation that would be even better! Currently, refugee resettlement agencies are being cut off from funding, so any outside help they can get is critical. If you are moving out and have extra stuff, call local refugee resettlement agencies to see if you can donate your items! Monetary donations are always the most helpful and most needed. Lastly, educate yourself! It is so important to push back against the current xenophobic rhetoric that we are seeing by getting to know the facts; brush up on the intense vetting process that refugees must go through, or read up on current research that shows that resettling refugees is actually economically beneficial.
Photos courtesy of Michigan Refugee Assistance Program Facebook Page.