If you think my\nfollowing words will describe to you what refugee children and youth currently\nliving in Brussels witnessed during the war, their dangerous journey to Europe\nand their everyday life, I am sorry to disappoint you. I will guide you through\nanother side of refugee life, because, there is no single side of a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first stepped into each one of three different reception centres to\nparticipate in SB-ESPOIR activities with refuge children and youth, the single side of the immigration story got nothing\nbut stronger\u2026 I could feel the cold temperature even indoors, the human smell\nmixed with the smell of hot meals offered by some NGOs and many adults waiting\nfor medical, legal or other forms of help with visible sadness and hopelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This pre-settled picture suddenly changed with the arrival of\nthe youth. It seemed like their energy invaded the surroundings. When I began\nwith my fellow volunteers the art crafts and sports activities, I totally\nforgot the context where I was. I was overwhelmed with the youth creativity, questions,\neagerness to learn and endless discussion about their favourite football or\ncricket teams. It looked to me like if I was with normal youth\u2026 \u201cNormal\u201d? I\nthought\u2026What does this word mean? The refugee youth had enough dreams to fill\nthe sea they crossed to reach Europe, a vivid imagination about Europe as a\nparadise and high expectations for a better future. The question was not if\nthey were \u201cnormal\u201d, but rather if I was\nable to give them what I received as a child and teen-ager in terms of\neducation, self\u2011confidence and secure environment to become who I am today\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, working with the immigrant youth was not always\nfilled with roses\u2026 I have witnessed anger crises, uneasy discussions,\nabstinence to get engaged in activities\u2026 But whose adolescence was devoid of\nthese? Add these usual issues, the difficulty of accepting their refugee\nstatus, the separation from their\nfamilies, the good memories they miss and terrible events they try hard to\novercome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each activity with SB-ESPOIR left me with a mix of feelings:\nthe joy of being with such wonderful youth, the resilience I learnt from them\nand the fear their new home will deny them a decent education and respectable\njob. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lesson? In one word, the immigrant youth\nPOTENTIAL\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each time I choose to stick to my comfort zone, I\nremember the youth courage to take dangerous journeys for a better life\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each time I overestimate the obstacles facing my\ndreams, I remember how these youth\nbypassed the sea, the desert and the mountains to reach Europe\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The potential of the refugee youth lies in their past\nthat gives them the strength to learn and the aspiration for a better future\nfor themselves and their new home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Would you like to learn from their example? Cross your\nborders!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nahla Hussein\nvolunteered from 2016 to 2018 with SB Espoir, a project of SB OverSeas that\ndoes activities and workshops with refugee youth at reception centres in\nBrussels. <\/em><\/p>",
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