Athens, Ga. (June 28, 2006) – A summer camp for African immigrants and refugee youth is part of the latest University of Georgia outreach effort to address the needs of the state’s newest residents. The project is supported by UGA’s Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

“Georgia ranks eighth in the nation among states receiving the largest numbers of permanent residents from Africa, with Atlanta hosting more than 200,000 African immigrants,” said Njeri Marekia-Cleaveland, a faculty member at UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. “Among these are a growing number of refugees.” Nearly 80 percent of Georgia’s 40,000 refugees are from Africa.

The summer camp included 24 African youth ages 14 to 17 from 10 African countries. The weeklong camp, held June 11 to 17, introduced participating youth to a college learning environment and exposed them to positive role models. Participants exchanged viewpoints about current issues facing Africa and learned about both the federal and local U.S. systems of government, and how and where they can become involved.

Five UGA students led the youth in discussions on civic engagement and leadership, conducted tours of the UGA campus and helped the youth prepare news reports on their countries of origin. The youth also met with a local state representative, heard presentations from UGA faculty and African community leaders, and visited Jubilee Partners, a refugee-hosting center in Comer, Ga.

“These youth have returned home [from camp] as educators for their peers, parents, and community,” said Marekia-Cleaveland, who also serves on the Georgia Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council, the state body that advises Georgia about refugee issues and contributes to refugee policy formation, refugee resource allocation and program development.

Participants in a leadership workshop held earlier this spring recommended many of the youth for the summer camp. The one-day African Community Leadership Workshop brought together representatives from more than 25 refugee assistance organizations —such as Women Watch Africa, Jubilee Partners and International Rescue Committee — to learn about programs UGA has been developing for African immigrants in the state, to discuss current issues and concerns facing Africans living in the United States, and to enhance community organization and development skills.

The attendees appreciated the chance to work in a facilitated setting where they could learn more about each other and ways they can work together to improve the lives of African immigrants, according to Marekia-Cleaveland.

Workshop participants from eight African nations recommended follow-up activities for the upcoming fall and spring, including workshops on African immigrant youth issues and small business development. Participants also recommended hosting an Africa Day at UGA to increase awareness of Georgia’s African immigrant community.

This article was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 4:32 pm and is filed under Program News, News.