An international group of high school students from war-torn countries will be coming to Orcas March 5 to 8 to share stories from their homelands.
“It’s wonderful to have a teenager from Israel and Palestine even willing to travel together,” said Lynsey Smith, “and the fact that Orcas gets to hang out with these kids is an incredible blessing.”
The 16 to 18-year olds attend the United World College’s US campus in New Mexico with Lynsey’s 18-year-old daughter Emma. They are coming for the school’s Project Week, funded largely by community bake sales on Orcas. They will also visit Seattle, speaking at area schools and at forums hosted by Microsoft and University of Washington, and volunteering at Orion Center, an outreach to homeless Seattle teens.
The community is invited to a soup dinner and forum at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 6 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Each student will speak about a situation that currently affects their home country in a presentation called “Stories from the Frontline.”
Julian Rios Acuna from Colombia will speak on “Drugs and Colombia;” Ahmad Hemeid and Malak Abureehan from Palestine will each speak on the Palestine and Israel war; Rabin Patmanathan will speak on affirmative action in Malaysia, and how it is a source of ‘silent hostility’ and conflict, “Water conflict: The arms race between Malaysia and Singapore to defend a most precious resource,” and the role of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in the ‘Tamil Tiger’ conflict. Mohammad Azhar Mudaqiq from Afghanistan will speak about Afghanistan; Cheyenne Ward from Barbados will speak about blacks and whites in her country; Bibi Fatima Arabzada from Afghanistan will speak on culture and religion; Adriana Di from Italy will speak on current political issues; Ofir Halperin from Israel will speak of Israel as a Democratic and Jewish state; Ha Cho Kwan from Hong Kong will give a brief introduction to “the Taiwan, Chinese, Tibetan issue”; and Safa Al-Saeedi from Yemen will speak about the terrorism and government policies surrounding the current situation in Yemen.
Other Orcas events will include an all-student, grade 8-12 assembly at Orcas Center, a cultural game and activity event with Orcas Christian School primary kids, and a high school music and dancing “Coffeehouse” at the Episcopal Parish Hall. Steve Diepenbrock and Mimi Anderson will also present a workshop on sustainability at Morning Star Farm.
United World College, which offers a two-year pre-University International Baccalaureate Program, has 13 different schools around the world. The USA-UWC host school is housed in the Montezuma Castle in New Mexico. UWC-USA educates and houses students from over 120 different countries. Every student at a UWC school has been selected by their home country’s National Selection Committee and attends on a full scholarship. Students from the US, like Emma, are granted full merit scholarships that also include trips, wilderness training, room and board, and expenses related to the International Baccalaureate program. The US selects 50 students each year and the selection committee decides where they will attend; half go to the school in Montezuma and the others are sent to UWC international schools.
“These kids are remarkable, inspiring, fun, highly intelligent and my kids and my life are forever changed from knowing and loving them,” said Lynsey. “My personal agenda [is this]: I want the kids to feel loved and appreciated… to know that we admire the courage it takes to be 16 and leave your family and country so you can create a better tomorrow for all the people you love. They are my heroes for taking this step to understand each other and each others cultures and beliefs.”
Upon their arrival in Seattle, each student will be given “goodie bags” filled with something special to remind them of Orcas, and also sundries like socks, journals, brushes, gift cards. If you have cloth bags to donate, have something you have made that you would like to give to them, or would like to contribute anything to the bags, there are 12 students total.
Donations can be left with Kathy Roosma at the Orcas Christian School by Friday, March 4. For more information, email Lynsey at lynsey.newman@gmail.com.