Have you ever wondered how it feels to flee your home in search of asylum? Or how the asylum process works?

A small group of graduate students from McCormack Graduate School’s Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance recently offered a free Refugee Welcome Fair to raise funds for refugees in the greater Boston area and to provide a space for education, support, and networking.

Spearheaded by Global Governance and Human Security PhD student Charla Burnett, the group brought together nearly 80 students, faculty, community members, and refugees together to discuss how we together can support current humanitarian issues and the challenges that refugees face in Boston.

In an open and safe space, refugees had the opportunity to educate the Boston community on the difficulties they have encountered in the asylum process while local experts presented cutting-edge research on refugee and migration issues.

Refugees met with representatives from organizations and businesses such as Oxfam America, American Red Cross, PAIR Project, SIT Graduate Institute, NuDay Syria, Trendy Napkin, Diamond Dental, Nimblebot, and Cambridge City Council.

They also received help with résumé building and college applications.

Burnett comments, “We raised over $1500 for the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights and NuDay Syria. Moving forward, these organizations will continue to serve the world’s most venerable populations.”