Students in the Block 2 Colorado College course “Romantic Comedy and the Blue World” taught by Lisa Hughes just got a new assignment: to provide aid for the many refugees in Athens’ refugee camps.
Over the next week, these students will be working with Hughes, 2015 graduate Kendall Rock, and the Salvation Army, to help collect, organize, and distribute some of the bare necessities that refugees often lack. They have been giving their own things and asking that the greater CC community participate as well, as they try to do their part in this overwhelming crisis.
The idea began with Rock who, after living in Germany with her family before Block 2, realized the immediate importance of recognizing the problem of the growing, overwhelming number of refugees flooding in to European countries.
“I knew that many of the refugees were arriving in Greece by boat before moving north to Germany and other countries, so when I got to Athens I started looking up organizations that were helping the refugees arriving here by boat,” said Rock. “I walked to the Salvation Army in Athens during First Week and met the most wonderful people.”
She began working with Salvation Army volunteers in Victoria Square, a center for hundreds of refugees. “90 percent in Victoria Square are Afghan, as the Syrians are faster and have money to stay in hotels or with other Syrians living here,” said Maureen Hurley, a Canadian-American volunteer currently living in Athens and working with refugees
This type of work demands constant flexibility from volunteers.
“The situation is very confusing and always changing,” said Rock. “I rarely see the same families when I go back every other day. Last week, there was a riot outside of the camp, and before I knew it, all the refugees in the square had been evacuated onto busses and moved to another camp.”
According to Professor Hughes the magnitude of this issue demanded their attention.
“I really believe that this is one of the most staggering humanitarian crises of our lifetime,” said Hughes. “I think Europe and therefore the world will be different after this.”
Hughes and Rock worked together to bring Hughes’ students and the larger CC community into the efforts of the Salvation Army. Rock coordinates their efforts, collecting donations through money transfers with help from the Chaplain’s Office. Chaplain Bruce Corriel sent an email to students, faculty, and staff, encouraging them to bring donations to the Worner Desk last week.
“We are going to use the donations and money we have pooled together to purchase things like diapers, baby wipes, feminine napkins, and emergency blankets during fourth week,” said Rock.
Volunteers spend mornings speaking with refugees and assessing their needs. They then purchase these items from the Salvation Army, organize them, and distribute them back to the refugees.
Hughes incorporated their efforts into her class theme.
“Studying romantic comedy… we have been considering the sea as a character, with all of its ambiguity and capacity for death and rebirth,” she said. “The Mediterranean… both separates people and connects them, and we are seeing how much the sea can be a source of connection and life and hope. And we want to be a part of that.”