There are plenty of ways for students to spend their July mornings some well-earned rest after a long school year. Some may spend time with friends. Others may zero in on one of their hobbies or a sport. A few extra hours of shut-eye in the morning certainly isn’t out of the question. For students of the Liberty Partnership Program, it involves giving back.
Over on the south side of the city, about 20 students, many being Binghamton High School students, spent their Monday morning helping the American Civic Association on a special task – getting a home ready to give 20 refugee families coming to the Binghamton area temporary housing while they get on their feet over the next months and years. All the students gave the home a fresh coat of paint – giving a facelift to the home’s four bedrooms, two living rooms, two kitchens, and two bathrooms.
It’s a project that meshes seamlessly with the Liberty Partnership Program’s themes this year of humanity, compassion, equity, and social justice.
“It just makes me feel happy that I can help others in ways that other people can’t,” said sophomore Nakyra Bryant, one of the painters.
The Liberty Partnership Program is a collaboration of 46 higher learning institutions in New York State that seeks to connect students with opportunities to help them fully engage with their education and give back. Recently, our local group of students took a trip to Washington DC, where they visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Back at home, the project was to help the ACA get the home ready. The bulk of the time was spent painting walls that were in desperate need of refinishing. More work will be done by local contractors to create an end product that will provide a sense of home to people who are escaping great hardship in their home countries.
“We’re grateful for this young team. They’re receiving a wholesome experience,” noted Hussein Adams, executive director and CEO of the American Civic Association. “This is something that regardless of what career they move forward into, they can look back to, put on their resumes, and hopefully it will benefit them as well.”
The American Civic Association has been heavily involved in getting these families ready to transition into their new life. Adams explained that many people confuse the difference between the terms “refugee” and “migrant”. Refugees who come into the United States are heavily vetted by six federal agencies, and enter the country with work authorization and status. The ACA will assist the families moving forward to create a path toward self sufficiency.
It’s been a long road for all the refugees, with Adams noting one family who will be coming into the area has lived at a refugee camp for the last 13 years.
“These families and individuals fled persecution, they’ve fled violence, they’ve fled conflict, and they’re looking for a better lifestyle,” Hussein explained.
It’s a relatively simple task for the students – painting walls – that is only one facet of how they are helping out the refugees. They have also been putting together gift baskets and toys that will be awaiting the families when they move in. It’s a simple way to make sure the transition to a completely new environment feels a little more like home.
“These two coats of paint can mean the world to someone else who’s coming over to this country,” added Mariah Luke, who will be a senior in the upcoming school year. “Doing that, it’s great.”