Residents Invited to Celebrate Refugee Youth at June 22nd World Refugee Day Event‏

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Lewiston, Maine - On June 22, 2012, Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon Street, will be a flurry of activities and entertainment celebrating World Refugee Day with a focus this year on refugee youth.  The event is free and open to the public from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.

A brief one-person play will be performed by Asha Mohamud, the first Somali youth from Lewiston to attend Bates College.  Mohamud is a member of one of the first Somali families to settle in Lewiston after fleeing their war-torn homeland nearly a decade ago.  Also scheduled is a panel of youth who will share their thoughts about “Growing Up American,”as well as participate in a Q & A.  In addition, a fashion show of typical African attire will feature both refugee girls and boys.  African music, food, and artwork will also be part of the evening’s festivities.
First marked in 2001, World Refugee Day is held every year on or near June 20^th.  Tens of thousands of people around the world take time to recognize and applaud the contributions of forcibly displaced people throughout the world.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) touts the comment, “They took my home, but they can’t take my future.”
Fatuma Hussein, Director of United Somali Women of Maine, can relate when reflecting upon being in a refugee camp years ago.  “Although my home was taken away from me, look at me now!”  Hussein has assisted with the planning of this year’s celebratory event.
The local World Refugee Day celebration has grown each year, and residents and community agency representatives gather to mingle with New Mainers.  Sue Charron, Director of Lewiston’s Social Services Department, has also assisted in planning for this year’s event and notes, “It’s a fun celebration, yet a learning experience for all.”
For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own refugee days and even weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20^thin several countries.
The UN General Assembly, on December 4, 2000, adopted a resolution noting that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on June 20th.  The General Assembly therefore decided that June 20^th would be celebrated as World Refugee Day
Sponsors for the June 22^nd local event include United Somali Women of Maine, Catholic Charities Refugee and Immigration Services, DHHS- Maine’s Adults with Cognitive and Physical Disabilities Services, 2-1-1, and the City of Lewiston.