Here is the full transcript of Nhi Aronheim’s talk titled “3 Ways to Help Resettled Refugees Acclimate Faster” at TEDxManitouSpringsLive conference.
In this talk, author Nhi Aronheim shared her personal journey as a refugee and offered insights on aiding refugee resettlement. She emphasized the unexpected challenges refugees face, such as depression and cultural shock, even when they have support systems. Aronheim highlighted the importance of community support, illustrating this through her own experiences and interactions with Afghan refugees, Aziza and Amina.
She proposed practical steps for community integration, including aiding refugees in understanding basic living expenses and offering emotional validation. Her second solution focused on individual support, suggesting personal acts of kindness like tutoring in English or cultural acclimatization. Aronheim also discussed the value of refugees being able to work, contributing positively to their new communities.
Her talk concluded with a call to action, encouraging people to engage with refugee support organizations and make a difference in the lives of resettled refugees.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
Introduction to Refugee Experiences
It was December 2022, and my phone was ringing. My friend called to tell me about two Afghan refugees who had recently immigrated to the U.S. and were experiencing depression that none of the volunteers knew how to handle. They were not prepared for it. It was supposed to be a joy that these two young ladies had been fortunate enough to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. evacuation in the fall of 2021. And they had wonderful sponsors and volunteers helping them resettle into their new home in Colorado. A depression was unexpected for everyone.
But imagine that you have to leave everything behind: your family, friends, careers, and your support system. Imagine that you wake up in a new country where you can barely express yourself due to your language barrier. How would you feel if you were in these situations? Here’s a photo of me with the two Afghan refugees, Aziza and Amina.
Understanding the Refugee Experience
Aziza read my book, knew my story, and thought that I might be one of a few people who would understand what it’s like to be a refugee and the struggles that come with it. She was adamant that I would have a perspective that might help them navigate that depression that seemed to paralyze them from making the decision to integrate into their host country.
Today, I’m going to share how we can help resettle refugees, acclimate faster, so that they can thrive and contribute to their host country sooner. And how we, as communities and individuals, can supplement mental health support for refugees when they experience depression or cultural shock for having to restart their new lives.
According to UNHCR, about 20 new people are displaced every minute due to economic, social, or political crisis, as well as climate change. As of June 2021, 89.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced, including 27.1 million refugees.
How do we define refugees? Refugees are people who have fled wars, violence, or persecution by crossing an international border to seek safety. In the United States, in order to be qualified for refugee status, a person must demonstrate that he or she was persecuted or fears persecution due to race, religion, nationality, or politics.
The Challenges Refugees Face
Among all these refugees, psychiatry.org stated that up to 44% of refugees experience depression upon their resettlement, but only 3% of them receive mental health support. Yes, 3%. This all rings true for me because I lived through it all. I am a refugee and experienced this myself.
Here’s a photo of me with a couple of other unaccompanied minors in a refugee camp. The soles of my feet still bear the scars of my horrific escape from Vietnam, where I trudged through the jungles of Cambodia as a child with a group of strangers seeking the land of opportunity, America. My possessions at the time were only two pieces of clothing and a heart filled with hope. My physician father worked for the US government during the Vietnam War, and the communists imprisoned him for doing so when the war ended.
To avoid the rest of the family meeting the same fate, my quick-witted mother bribed a driver to put us on a bus headed for Saigon. At the age of 10, I struggled to survive on the streets of the fallen city until I escaped, not knowing if I’d ever see my family again.
My harrowing trip to the Cambodian jungles eventually led me on a boat to Thailand, where I lived in an orphanage for two years until I got qualified for refugee status in the United States. My saga isn’t much different than the story of the many millions of other refugees who have fled or are fleeing their countries for safety and opportunity, many of whom, just like me, found the United States and other countries that accept refugees as their only hope.
Personal Reflections on the Refugee Experience
My personal story isn’t just another inspirational survival story, it’s about the lessons I’ve learned about humanity that the US, its community, and individuals offered me so that I could thrive and contribute to my new country as soon as possible. Here’s another photo of me among hundreds of unaccompanied minors at a refugee camp being hosted by UNICEF.
Regardless of the immigration status, I know of three ways, in addition to mental health resources, that we can help legally resettled refugees acclimate faster. Solution one, community support. What I’ve discovered is that after leaving everything behind in search for safety, refugees struggle with depression, having post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and cultural shock.
Just like millions of other refugees, I also encountered my own trauma. And deeply understand how important it is to receive communal support, who would voluntarily work in partnership with local refugee agencies or family services to welcome newcomers and help resetting their expectations, perspectives, and validate that their struggles are real and normal.