LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – There are dozens of refugee youth in Las Vegas who need a mentor to help them adjust to the unknowns of a new country.
FOX5 was invited by Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada to meet one of their refugee youth members to talk about how having a mentor has helped them.
Ola is 20 years old. She tells FOX5 a lot of changed since she first arrived in Las Vegas last year.
“I don’t have friends, feeling sad, feeling alone. I’m scared to talk to everyone, especially with my English bad, ” Ola said.
However, there was a time when words were not needed to describe what was going on around her.
“In Iraq, we don’t feel safe, we didn’t trust anyone. We were scared anytime someone would come into our home and kill us,” Ola said. “In two days we moved from Iraq, we left everything there we just had our clothes and our passports.”
Ola was just a little girl when her family fled Iraq and took refuge in Turkey, where they stayed for 10 years. However, that move was still a challenge.
Ola said her family felt they did not belong in Turkey because it was not their home country and would often be taunted because of it.
After Turkey, the family moved to Las Vegas in 2023 where they found Catholic Charities.
Ola was soon part of the Youth Refugee Mentorship Program, and paired with air force veteran Fumi.
“I am a long way from home . Being from Hawaii and living all over the United States, I know what it feels like to be new,” Fumi said.
“She make me feel like this is my home. It is here. I have to put in my mind – this is my home – I came to this country and I have to learn this language,” Ola said.
Ola and Fumi are two different people, with two very different life experiences.
“I saw what a struggle it was for people in many places. Surviving and thriving was out of the question and that gave me a huge appreciation for what I have and I want to share the gifts I have been given,” Fumi said.
With Fumi’s mentorship Ola got her GED and the two have bonded over meals, and exploring Las Vegas.
“Last time, I went to a cinema I was very sad. She took me to a cinema, I felt so good I went back to my house and I was laughing,” Ola said.
Fumi tells FOX5 she feels fortunate to have made this connection with Ola .
“It made me aware that there are these little things that we can do to step out of our comfort zone and make connections with people that need our help,” Fumi said.
Catholic Charities established this program two years ago when refugees from Afghanistan came in.
Right now, they do have a waitlist as there are 66 youth refugees but only 18 mentors.
“You think of any youth they need the support in their life, and think about the refugees coming into the country they don’t know the culture they have so much to learn,” Robin Brown, the resettlement director said.
A background check is done for mentors and they also have an adult mentorship program.
If you would like to apply to be a mentor you can click here.
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