Lifting Your Voice to Create the Refuge You Seek w/Zaynab Abdi

Episode Summary:
Today, RBERNing Questions welcomes Zainab Abdi, an immigrant and refugee youth ambassador, humanitarian aid consultant, and social justice advocate. Zainab shares her inspiring journey from Yemen to the US and discusses her work with Green Card Voices and Human Concern USA. She highlights the importance of storytelling in advocacy, emphasizing the need for immigrants to control their own narratives. Zainab also talks about her graphic memoir, 'Voice for Refuge,' which details her experiences and is written in both English and Arabic to reach a broader audience. The conversation explores issues within the US educational system, the challenges and strengths of immigrant students, and the impact of compassionate and empathetic community engagement. Lastly, Zainab provides advice for young immigrants looking to share their stories and make a change.

RBERNing Questions for this Episode:
1- Can you tell us about your work with Green Card Voices and how their mission aligns with you?

2- Can you give us a glimpse inside the pages of your graphic memoir titled “Voice for Refuge: Our Stories Carried Us Here?”

3- Going forward, what do you think schools need to do to promote an atmosphere where ELLs, MLs and immigrants can truly feel understood and encouraged?

Full BIO:
Zaynab Abdi is a MPA-DP alumni from Columbia University SIPA and was awarded the 2023 Campbell award for her leadership. Zaynab is passionate about social justice and advocacy related to immigrants and refugees and girls’ education globally. Zaynab worked as a Civic Engagement Coordinator with a nonprofit organization called RISE Reviving Islamic Sisterhood Empowerment. She worked on addressing hate crimes against Muslim women and the rise of Islamophobia and served as part of the Hate Crime Coalition in Minnesota. She was able to secure one million from Hennepin county to support victims of hate. As a Leadership Development Coordinator Zaynab is working on offering leadership workshops for Muslim women such as Economic Empowerment workshops, Healing and mental health workshops, and other self-development workshops. Zaynab was also appointed by Governor Tim Walz's office to serve in the Young Women's Cabinet. 

She is also an Advocate for girls’ education and has been working with Malala the Nobel Peace Prize winner where she spoke at many places, including the United Nations, about the importance of educating girls in countries where they are disadvantaged. Zaynab is an award winning author of Voice for Refuge that was launched last year at SIPA. She is also a Co~author in Green Card Youth Voices: Graphic Novel Anthology book Our Stories Carried Us Here. Zaynab was also featured in Malala’s new book We Are Displaced. Zaynab worked as a Futures & Strategics Fellow with UNDP and Columbia University SIPA as interim assistant director for the MPA-DP master program. She has led speaking engagements addressing migration, mental health and trauma healing for refugees, empathy and mindful listening, addressing the gender gap in the middle of conflict and war and many other topics related to development.

Resources:
Websites/Social Media:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaynab-abdi1?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Green Card Voices Website:
https://www.greencardvoices.org/about/who-we-are/

Publications:
Voice for Refuge

To find out more about Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES' services, listen to season 1 of the show with host Collette Farone-Goodwin, or to receive CTLE credit for listening to episodes, click here: https://midstaterbern.org/