A Little Something: May 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012

We're busy!

Join us this evening for the picture.me.here. fundraising reception . This compelling project brings together ten Bhutanese refugee women in Denver with two professional photographers. The results are powerful images of everyday day life in Denver as interpreted through the lens of women experiencing resettlement in a new and unfamiliar place.

picture.me.here.

PlatteForum

1610 Little Raven St., Denver

7:00-10:00 p.m.

$25 suggested donation

Click here to purchase tickets online. If you prefer to pay at the door, please RSVP to beadwomen@gmail.com.

To learn more about this exciting event (and there is more to know!), visit our event website, read our article on the Denver Post's YourHub space, or check out the article on Westword's blog.

Can't make it this evening? The exhibit will remain in place and will be free of charge beginning tomorrow, Friday May 25 through June 1.

And on Saturday, May 26:

World Threads III

TACtile Textile Arts Center

1955 S. Quince St.

Denver, CO 80231

World Threads celebrates and supports the traditions of fiber arts around the world. Exhibitors (whose goods are for sale) represent a variety of co-ops and micro-enterprise organizations preserving fiber arts globally. The event is free and open to the public.

This Saturday, May 26, at 12:00 noon, A Little Something's Karenni weavers from Burma will be on hand for a fiber arts demonstration and "vendor chat" to discuss what we do and why we do it. Please join us!

Click here for more information about this event and the TACtile Textile Arts Center.

What is a Refugee?

A refugee is a person who has had to flee his or her country of origin due to a well-founded fear of persecution due to war, race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, political opinion, or association with a particular group. The United Nations must formally identify a displacement situation and declare it is legitimate in order for the population involved to be given refugee status. Ideally, refugees would be able to return home after conflict passes, but in most cases, this day never materializes.

When the United Nations determines there is no reasonable expectation that repatriation is possible, refugees are resettled elsewhere. Currently, there are more than 32.8 million asylum seekers, refugees, and internally displaced persons of concern to the UNHCR (the UN's refugee agency). Of these 33 million, 50,000 refugees are resettled in the United States annually--more than in all other resettlement sites combined.

In addition to the USA, 15 other UN member nations accept refugees for resettlement, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Other countries may consider resettlement petitions on a case by case basis, normally because of family reunion or strong cultural links.

Escaping conflict is just the first step in starting over; refugees face immense challenges throughout the resettlement process as they attempt to negiotiate a new language, new culture, and often harsh economic realities. In the US, refugees are expected to achieve 100% self-sufficiency within 4-to-8 months after arrival in this country. Could you do it?

Learn more.

UNHCR: The United Nations' Refugee Website. Everything you ever wanted to know about refugees and their situation worldwide.
Rain in a Dry Land, a PBS/POV documentary film by Anne Makepeace
A short book offering insight into the cultural background of the Somali Bantu
The Somali Bantu profiled in-depth in the UNHCR magazine
Learn about Htee's loom Information about backstrap looms, including how they're made and where they're used
The Burmese Karen: Who they are--a BBC report
Everything about the Karen People: An Adobe Acrobat PDF file

Donate any time!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

We're busy!