Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth
Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth
Joyce Kelen & Leslie Kelen
$9.95
ISBN 0-87421-443-2
62 pages
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Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth

Joyce Kelen & Leslie Kelen
Photographs by Kent A. Miles

Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth is a collection of intimate portraits and touching interviews with youth who have endured unimaginable circumstances. Between 1994 and 1999, an estimated 1,834 youth, given refugee status and assistance from the U. S. government, immigrated to Utah from approximately twenty-two different countries in six geographical regions. "This book was written to tell the stories of these youth. I believe their stories allow us to see them and know them, so that we can teach and nurture them as they teach and nurture us," explains co-author Joyce A. Kelen. The book is divided into five sections. The first section contains two essays. The first essay is written by Ming Wang, social worker for the State Division of Mental Health and director of the PEACE Project (Preserving, Empowering, and Assisting Refugee Children through Enhancement). The second essay, written by Kevin Smith, English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor at Salt Lake City's Highland High School, recounts some of his experiences as a teacher of refugee youth. Kevin's perspective is illuminating in part because he identifies the challenges refugee youth face inside and outside of the classroom and the cultural gifts they bring into our community. In the remaining four sections of the book, the voices of refugee youth tell their own stories.

These stories are divided into three distinct but interrelated phases in the journey from the country of origin to the United States, "Flight," "Haven," and "Heartache and Hope." Interview excerpts were selected and placed in one of these particular sections based on the phase of the journey the interviewee was best able to describe. The final section includes two complete interviews, describing all three phases of the journey of a refugee. The voices in Faces and Voices of Refugee Youth remind us that refugee youth are not merely survivors, but also battlers, and their courageous struggles benefit us all. This is a collection that not only inspires through its dramatic impact but also brings us closer to understanding each other and our shared humanity.