Syrian Refugees to Attend Summer School in 2016

Up to three Syrian refugees or displaced students will participate in the upcoming 2016 Exeter Summer School session. History instructor Aykut Kilinc came up with the idea to bring the Syrian students to Exeter Summer School while working on plans for the upcoming refugee awareness week on campus, and combined efforts with Director of Summer School Elena Gosalvez-Blanco and the Karam Foundation to create the opportunity.The Karam Foundation is a non-profit organization which seeks to “restore the dignity and quality of life for people affected by conflict by eliminating barriers.” Since 2007, the foundation has worked to develop new educational techniques through entrepreneurial development and community-driven aid. The Karam Foundation has focused their projects in Syria following the start of the civil war in 2011.Next week, Exeter will hold a “Syria Week” to raise awareness through panels about the current refugee crisis there. The panels will include faculty and outside speakers as an opportunity to increase knowledge of the Syrian Civil War on campus. Kilinc met Lina Attar, founder of the Karam Foundation while searching for potential participants for a panel during said awareness week.

“I find that the crisis has had a profound effect on my life as well as many people I know.”

Syrian refugee children who are currently in high schools in the United States are eligible to apply for the Exeter summer session through the Karam Foundation. The funding of the three selected students’ summer school education will be paid for under Exeter’s financial aid as well as through donors who are interested in helping with this initiative.The Karam Foundation has been in charge of the selection and recruitment process. Exeter’s program gave them certain criteria, such as English proficiency, academic excellence and financial need with the expectation that the Karam Foundation will find qualified students to participate in the program.By attending Summer School, the displaced students will have the opportunity to interact with other students from all over the world and develop their education. Each year, the summer school welcomes almost 800 students from more than 45 states and 55 countries. Thirty-five percent of the students are on financial aid. Most races and religions are represented, and such diversity is enriching to all. “Summer School is all about bringing the world together around the Harkness table so we can listen to each other and learn together,” Gosalvez-Blanco said.Their presence in the classrooms and dorms may also enrich other students’ understanding of global issues and perspectives.  Complex topics such as the Syrian Civil War can be difficult to grasp, and many humanitarian crises are often reduced to numbers. “We tend to view the refugees in terms of statistics and as the sum of the costs to handle them. I think that bringing refugees to study here would humanize them,” said upper Ali Hassani. Through interacting with students who have been directly affected by violence, other summer school students will gain a first hand perspective of the conflict.Kilinc hoped that the students will benefit from the “chance for normalcy” offered during the Exeter Summer Session program. Following years of conflict and uncertainty due to the Civil War, students typically have not had the opportunity to experience life outside of war. This summer they will live removed from the stress of life as a refugee or displaced person. “Hopefully we will provide them with some space.” Kilinc said.Kilinc expressed that it’s not easy to make a difference in many people’s day-to-day lives, and he fully stands behind this cause. He hoped that by publicizing this issue, more donor pools and people will contribute funding to support these students’ education. The financial assistance would also have to cover the basic needs and supplies that many take for granted. “Hopefully the war will end soon, but if it doesn’t, I would like to bring more children moving forward. It’s just wonderful, so non-sibi, to do the right thing,” he said.Although the process of bringing displaced students is in the hands of the summer school, students are also participating in helping others understand the importance of being involved with this problem. Senior Julia Bornemann helped organize the upcoming event on campus to bring awareness to the ongoing refugee crisis. “I became interested because of my proximity to the situation as I live in Central Europe, and I find that the crisis has had a profound effect on my life as well as many people I know,” she said.Lower Pedro Sanson supported the idea of enrolling students from Syria. A member of Amnesty International, Sanson expressed the club’s goal of bringing awareness and encouraging support for refugees. “[Amnesty International] stands for refugees not for any specific political party, but because human rights are being broken,” he said.Although this is a recently formed plan, there have been previous experiences that the school can learn from in order to make the most of this opportunity. Every summer, the school has students that come from conflict areas. Last summer, they brought a girl from Iran. The summer before, a refugee from Afghanistan attended Summer School. The school also recruits students from Somaliland, Kenya and Native American reservations where they are at risk in some way. Every year, Exeter’s summer school encourages conversations between Israeli and Palestinian students. “Those are just some examples of how the power of Harkness in a fully diverse environment can bring the world together,” Gosalvez-Blanco said.Gosalvez-Blanco hoped that because Summer School typically pilots new ideas that the regular session might try, one of those students might end up applying for the school year in the future. “I thought it was a great idea and, even [though] it can be a bit complicated, [it is] a great opportunity worth exploring.”