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Kentucky Refugee Ministries is proud to offer to local schools and organizations that serve young people a new program called the mock refugee camp, designed from a game entitled Passages by the UNHCR. This program is aimed primarily at middle to high school aged youth, and the students participate in a simulation of refugee displacement and exile before settling into a mock refugee camp. They are first required to “cross the border” and at the mock camp, participants are required to accomplish simple tasks faced by refugees such as visiting the health clinic, receiving food and water, completing immigration paperwork and interviews, etc. Volunteers are needed to guide small groups of students through the camp, camp activities, and assist with discussion at the close of camp. Volunteers play the roles of border crossing guards, border entrance staff, UN officers, food and water distributors, health clinic workers and school teachers. Volunteers must be flexible and be able to commit to at least 2.5 hours on the day of the simulation as that is the minimum time the game will take. They must have daytime availability, but some reenactments will take place in the evenings. A few days before the actual event, the coordinators will speak with the youth group, and it is helpful if volunteers can stay for that presentation.

Volunteers must attend an orientation and pass a background check before beginning. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@kyrm.org or (502) 479-9180, ext. 53 to ask for an application and schedule an orientation. You can also visit our website at www.kyrm.org to learn more