Voices of Hope: Empowering Refugee Youth: Leadership Retreat

A 5-day retreat to help local refugee youth gain confidence in their abilities and learn about essential leadership skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration. The retreat included workshops and activities, as well as field trips to the University of Rochester, Assisi Institute, and Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

Day 1 Pictures

A field trip to the University of Rochester where the students got to know each other and explored the virtues and values of a leader. Activities included a drafting of group values, a team treasure hunt based on the values of a leader, and art projects expressing virtues that a leader possesses.

Day 2 Pictures

A day at Mary's Place Refugee Outreach where we explored different forms of verbal and nonverbal communication, listening skills, and how to empathize with others. Activities included games challenging students to communicate nonverbally, a chance to learn phrases from the languages of others in the group, concentric circles, and a lesson on empathy.

Day 3 Pictures

A day at Mary's Place where we acted out skits representing conflict, discussed how to see conflicts from the needs and feelings of all parties involved, and had a talent show. Activities included a word association game around the word "conflict," a collaborative form of Rock Paper Scissors, and conflict skits in which students acted out situations and then analyzed the needs and feelings of several characters involved.

Day 4 Pictures

A day at the Assisi Institute where we explored the importance of finding peace within ourselves as well as with others. Activities included a talk from the director of the Assisi Institute, a visit to the Toothpick World exhibit, which featured structures from areas around the world, meditation, and yoga.

Day 5 Pictures

A day at the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence where we explored how to apply the concepts learned during the week. Activities included a discussion of famous quotes by Gandhi, conversations about how we can contribute to our communities, and a soccer game in which players collaborated to come up with rules that promoted inclusion and equality.

Conflict Resolution Skits

During the Voices of Hope refugee empowerment retreat, students organized skits around conflicts they may experience. Afterwards, we analyzed the situation from multiple points of view, taking into account the needs and feelings of several parties involved.

Skit 1: Coming home late for dinner