My Name Is....

I really appreciated having the opportunity to read "My Name Is....". All too often, the cruel and violent nature of war-torn countries, and the impact of these events, and the trauma experienced by the people of these countries are forgotten. I loved this project because I loved that it gave these students a voice. It gave them the space they needed to discuss their feelings without judgement.

I feel like these kinds of projects can be useful for all students - not just refugees. Giving students a safe space to voice their thoughts and concerns is beneficial to all. In this case, however, the sharing of stories can be grounds for sympathy, empathy, compassion and understanding. I really enjoyed the discussion questions posed at the end of the packet, which provides a springboard for mature discussion around a sensitive topic.

I was sad to read about the traumas that such young people had gone through, and the statistics at the end of the packet were staggering. They were much higher than I had ever imagined. Many of the voices in this particular packet were from East Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I would have been interested in reading some of the stories of the refugees from Russia and Eastern Europe, because their stories are equally as valid - and they may share common threads with the refugees I was able to read about in "My Name Is....".