Your Diocese

Seventh grade students plan their strategy on how to escape their homeland during the Run for Your Life program created to introduce American children to the lives of refugees.

MOKENA—It is said that in order to understand what another person is going through you need to step into his or her shoes.

A group of seventh-grade students in the religious education program at St. Mary Parish in Mokena may not have actually walked in the shoes of refugees—since many probably don’t own shoes—but they did participate in a very convincing program.

A simulated refugee experience titled “Run for Your Life” was held in January presented by Exodus World Services, a non-profit agency that mobilizes the Christian community to share God’s passionate love for refugees and to then put that love into action, according to Kathleen Kowalewski, director of religious education at St. Mary Parish.

The idea originally came from a few members of the Peace and Justice Committee who were enrolled in a program that introduced them to Exodus World Services and the work they do for refugees and their families.    “We were asked, ‘What is an immigrant? What is life like for them?’ ” said Mary Myers, chairperson for the Peace and Justice Committee. “Some of them are in refugee camps for 10 years or more waiting to get out. Sometimes they have had to leave without their families.”

In an effort to get American children to understand what it is like to be forced from your home and your homeland, the program created new identities and situations for the students.

“At the beginning (of the program) we didn’t explain what we were doing because we wanted them to experience what it was like to get up and have to leave your home because someone in your family did something the government doesn’t like,” Myers explained.

Each child became a member of a refugee family with a new age, role in the family and sometimes a new gender. The families worked together to try to get everyone across the “border” successfully.

“I was expecting to just learn about refugees, but I think this was a really great experience,” said 12-year-old Ashley Hon. “We got to experience a lot of things like being separated from your family and being around violence. Each family member got to pick one item to take with them (when fleeing). I was the mother in a family of six so I took an English dictionary. Every person grabbed something that they felt was important, like a rope, a backpack or a Raggedy Ann doll.”

Alexa Grilli, 12, was the father in the family and she chose a tent knowing the family would need shelter. Luke Johnston, age 13, was an 8-year-old boy who was intelligent beyond his years, choosing a first aid kit, knowing it would come in handy if anyone in the family were injured during their quest.

At one point the students were blindfolded and all the lights in the large room turned off. The children had to wander around the room calling the names of their family members in an effort to reunite.

“It was kind of scary at first because we were blindfolded and we had to find our family while they made bombing noises all around us,” Grilli explained of the balloons that were being popped. “It made me feel like a refugee, but I know it is a lot worse for them.”

“We kind of experienced what it would be like being attacked,” Johnston said. In real life “it would be guns (not balloons) so it would be even scarier for a child. It was confusing and they took us away from our families and we were screaming each other’s names. I found one family member and when they turned the lights back on we saw we were right next to three others.”

Given the role of a 16-year-old boy who has been blinded, Chad Prieto was blindfolded the entire program time, nearly two hours. He said he liked being blindfolded, but found it frightening when he had to think about survival.

“The scariest thing is surviving, and it is especially hard when you’re not with your family,” he said. “It’s hard because you don’t know anyone, you can’t talk to anyone and you don’t know who to trust.”

Playing an 8-year-old girl, Tony Domalewski chose the Raggedy Ann doll, because he thought that is what his character would like. He said his favorite part was searching for his family while blindfolded, which gave him a better understanding of refugees and what they endure.

“I didn’t really know what a refugee was and this helped me find out what actually goes on,” Domalewski said. “I learned all about what refugees go through to get out of their country and to a new place.”

After stumbling around in an attempt to find one another, the families then had to attempt to cross the “border.” If they received a stamp, they could cross the border, but every family member had to be stamped to cross. Some families were split up because only a few members were stamped, while others chose to stay in their refugee homeland rather than be separated from loved ones.

“I was the 7-year-old grandson” in the family, said Julianne Olivieri, age 13, who chose a compass as her one item to take along. “I liked it when we had to cross the border and our group actually slipped over because that’s what some people have to do (in real life). The border trip relates to the border problem going on in the United States. Now I kind of get it.”

After the program, Jessica Davis, a representative from Exodus, spoke to the children and told them a story about her friend who was a refugee. The students were then asked to bring in one or two items so refugee kits could be assembled for two families.

The items included blankets, sheets and towels, as well as dishes, pots and bathroom items. The items were collected for two weeks and then the Peace and Justice Committee turned to the parishioners to provide the other articles needed to create a “Welcome to America” pack. Two complete packs have been created by the parish members and will be distributed through Exodus to refugee families in the Chicago area.

“We will get a call sometime in April and we will get the details on our families,” Myers said. “We have all the things they need. We bring the things we have collected to them in their new apartment or wherever they are staying and we welcome them. We are not just giving them the items, but we also welcome them and show them how to use some of the items like the coffee pot or can opener.”

Through the program, students and adults worked together to help others and to appreciate what refugees go through to survive.

“I learned they have to be determined and strong to keep up with all the challenges they go through,” said Olivieri. “They have to have a positive attitude and be pretty smart. This (experience) gave us an idea of that they go through every day.”