Interview: PAIR Houston's Lauren West Talks Refugee Doc PUSHING THE ELEPHANT, Playing Wednesday at The MATCH

"The more you know about the 'other' the less scary they become," says Lauren West, Senior Program and Operations Manager of PAIR Houston. This week, PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees) hosts their annual community film screening, with Donald Trump's executive order suspending refugee admissions and banning travel from Muslim-majority countries looming high.

Today, West joins us to talk about her history working with refugee populations, the importance of giving voice to the 65 million displaced around the world, and the powerful documentary PUSHING THE ELEPHANT, which she says "not only shows the wonderful resilience that all refugees embody, but also shows how cultures blend and meld to create a truly American family."

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First, tell us a little about PAIR Houston. What are some examples of what the organization does on a day-to-day basis?

West: PAIR Houston is celebrating ten years of service to the Houston community this year. Our mission is to empower refugee youth in middle and high school to navigate American society, reach their academic potential and become community leaders through educational mentoring programs. Throughout the school year, we provide after school mentoring sessions at five different HISD schools. Mentors work with small groups of students to cover a range of topics from self-identity to career exploration. This year, we are piloting a community-based individual mentoring program for juniors and seniors in high school which focuses on college preparedness and access.

I see that you have a history of working with refugees. How did you become involved with PAIR?

West: I began working with refugees as an intern for ANERA [American Near East Refugee Aid] in their Lebanon-based office. While I truly enjoyed the work that I did abroad, I wanted to see what there was to do domestically for the refugee community. Throughout my last year at the University of Texas at Austin, I worked for Refugee Services of Texas, which is one of the official resettlement organizations within the state. It was throughout this year that I truly began to understand the challenges of transitioning into America as a refugee. When I found the position at PAIR, I was delighted to see that there was an organization explicitly focused on the needs of youth as they make that transition.

Many will say that kids are resilient, pick up the language faster than their parents, and therefore do not need assistance. While they are extremely resilient and brave individuals, it is still overwhelming and arduous to understand how to navigate and succeed in this foreign educational system. I am honored to work with the students at PAIR to assist in guiding them along this path.

Why is it so important to support refugee youth? Why is it important for refugee youth to give voice to their own experiences, like they will after Wednesday's screening?

West: The single most important thing that I tell PAIR's volunteer mentors to remember is that at the end of the day, refugee youth are just kids. They want to play the same as other kids; they feel as other kids; they want to express themselves (all the time) as other kids do. I think it's important to give these youth a voice because people need to be reminded that they are just kids. Their families may have gone through horrific experiences. They may have been displaced multiple times. They are currently struggling to fit into a country [that] may not always be welcoming of their presence. But if we remind the community that these are just kids (and over 50 percent of refugees are children), they will begin to understand why it is so important to welcome them with open arms into our society.

At Wednesday's screening, you will hear from two very different students. One lost a sister due to gendered violence in her home country, and this incident left her family to flee in the immediate aftermath. The other student was born and raised in a refugee camp and in a country that never wanted him there in the first place. Both stories are compelling, but the crux of them both is that these experiences happened to kids.

Describe PUSHING THE ELEPHANT. What makes it a good selection for the 2017 movie screening?

West: PUSHING THE ELEPHANT is a story about a woman, Rose Mapendo, who survived the murder of her husband, a torture camp, and resettled in the United States. She becomes a world-renowned advocate for peace in her country of Congo, but she is missing a key component of her family. One of her daughters was separated from her in the madness of war. Almost a decade later, they are reunited as her daughter, Nangabire, is granted resettlement to rejoin her family.

Not only is this a story of an empowered woman who worked tirelessly to bring attention to the massacres happening in her country, but it is a story of the struggles of a young woman to acclimate to her new community and high school while also being reintroduced to her family.

This film was selected purposefully because it not only shows the wonderful resilience that all refugees embody, but it also shows how cultures blend and meld to create a truly American family. Rose and her children do not shy away from their heritage and they do not deny their new label as Americans. They embrace them both and prove just what it means to become American.

I think it would be incredibly difficult to see a film like PUSHING THE ELEPHANT and not be moved to action. Do you have any advice for those people? What can they do? Where should they start?

There are many ways that Houstonians can support the refugee community right here in their own city. First, they need to educate themselves about the process of resettlement and who refugees are. The more you know about the "other" the less scary they become. Second, they can seek out local organizations who are doing great work with refugees throughout the city. Donate, volunteer, spread the word. Lastly, they should call their congressional leaders and representatives both at the state and federal levels and tell them why they support the resettlement of refugees in their community, state, country.

Generally speaking, what do you hope people will walk away with Wednesday night?

West: I genuinely hope that people will see the human aspect to this now highly politicized issue. What happened to the individuals in the movie, to the student speakers, to our volunteer speaker who also came to the US as a refugee, could happen to you, me, your loved one or your neighbor. It is critical in this time to stand up for those who are being persecuted across the globe. While there are 65 million displaced persons across the world right now, so few have a voice. But you do. Even if it's not calling up your senator, have those conversations with your neighbors, co-workers, classmates. Help them understand why being a welcoming nation is so critical, especially in this time.

Join PAIR Houston for their annual community film screening of PUSHING THE ELEPHANT at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 9, at THE MATCH, 3400 Main. Free, but reservations are required. For reservations, call 713-521-4533 or visit matchouston.org.

For more information about PAIR Houston, visit pairhouston.org.

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