Refugee Stories, a panel of refugees from six countries, Tuesday, October 12, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210 kicks off the week-long Refugee Awareness Project.

Funded by a grant from the SUNY Office of Diversity and Educational Equity, the Refugee Awareness Project is designed to help students, faculty, staff, and our community understand the refugee situation globally and in Buffalo—encouraging all to appreciate, engage with, and better support our increasingly diverse communities.

In line with the conference theme of “The World at Our Doorstep,” Tuesday’s panel discussion features refugees who have settled in Buffalo from Bhutan, Liberia, Myanmar, Rwanda, Sudan, and Somalia sharing their personal stories before and after coming to the Queen City. In addition, a member of Buffalo’s refugee resettlement community will go over the logistics of how refugees end up in Buffalo and what exactly the resettlement process entails.

Other scheduled events include: a "marketplace" of organizations with volunteer and service-learning opportunities, a faculty discussion of connections to curriculum, and a day of service with refugee communities.

All events are free and open to the public.