No Lost Generation GWU was started in 2015
as an initiative by the State Department in
partnership with UNICEF.
The State Department originally approached
the Elliott School with the intention of creating
a student organization focused on the lack
education occurring for Syrian refugee youth.
Since then, both our work and our focus has
expanded.
We now discuss refugee crises occurring all
over the world.
We have four main goals: the first of which
is volunteering.
So, we're not on campus now but usually in
person we have many volunteer opportunities
in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
You'll also see that virtually this semester
we have many opportunities to get involved
in short- and long-term volunteering.
The next way we get involved is advocacy.
We share infographics and information around
our campus.
We also have lobbying days every semester
where our members meet with congressional
offices on Capitol Hill to discuss refugee
issues.
The next way we get involved is fundraising
for local, national, and international partners.
We have some organizations that we regularly
partner with, and this summer alone we raised
over $2000 to support aid in Beirut and Yemen
-- for people being displaced there.
Additionally, our last way we get involved
is by educating ourselves and our campus by
bringing professionals to campus to speak
about their experiences and knowledge, as
well as having some of our General Body Members
put together teach-ins where they compose
presentations about relevant refugee-related
issues to present to us, and our peers.
I decided to join NLG because I was involved
in a lot of committees when I was in Model
UN in high school that were focused on refugee
and displacement issues.
So I wanted to get more involved in volunteering
and learning more about the subject in college.
I think like any other new student, I not
only was looking for friends, but also was
looking for an organization whose purpose
strongly connected to my own personal passions.
It just so happens that my maternal grandparents
and mom are refugees who fled from Uganda in the
'70s, and eventually were resettled here, in
the States.
So I was really excited to see that there
was an organization on GW's campus that specifically
works to uplift and support displaced populations,
both here and abroad.
I joined NLG last year, and it's now my favorite
student org that I'm in.
I started by just going to the GBM's (general
body meetings), and now I'm actually part
of a super cool project that offers mentorship
to refugee youth.
We had a lobbying day.
And I found, you know, freshman year Quinn,
still trying to get situated in DC, and all
of a sudden planted myself on Capitol Hill
speaking to staff of my Representatives and
Senators.
That was really mindblowing at the time.
That really, you know, was a professional
launch point for me.
I was able to use that experience to then
intern for that office.
There are so many opportunities to get involved
right off the bat, even if you're not on the
Eboard or you've just joined and you're really
encouraged and supported if you want to take
the initiative to initiate a project that
you're passionate about.
I think that you also gain a lot of really
practical skills as a member of NLG.
You have the opportunity to contribute to
event planning and I was also able to create
a lot of social media content using Canva
which is a skill that's great for applying
for internships that I didn't have experience
with, prior to NLG.
One of the fun things that we did two years
ago, we had a gala, which we hosted with NLG
Georgetown, to raise money for the Multifaith
Alliance for Syrian Refugees.
We've had a couple fundraisers since then,
including a bake sale.
It's always great to take a break from studying
to make cookies!
I've also been exposed to a plethora of incredible
opportunities to volunteer, fundraise, and
educate other GW students on issues of displacement.
Some of my favorite, most memorable experiences
include participating in a Thanksgiving dinner
hosted by AsylumWorks which is a local nonprofit
that works with asylum-seekers in the DC area,
as well as being propelled to volunteer abroad
with a social cooperative in Bologna, Italy,
that works to integrate unaccompanied refugee and migrant youth into Italian society.
There are a lot of people who care about global
events at GW of course, but it's easy to focus
so much on the political, theoretical side
with classes, that you kind of forget about
the human side.
So that's why I think the work of NLG is so
important.
We know what we can bring as students, and
we engage with the population we're attempting
to serve.
When you join NLG, you're really joining a
community, and everyone that I've talked to
who is a part of NLG is just so supportive,
and is there to give advice and direct you
to opportunities related to NLG's work, but
also just more generally about classes or
anything.
I can definitely say that NLG has been one of the most rewarding parts of my experience
at GW so far.
I've met, honestly from the bottom of my heart,
the most genuine, kind-hearted, and passionate
people and I could not recommend the NLG community
more.
I know that despite us being online for this
upcoming semester, that Executive Directors
Olivia and Hailey and the rest of Eboard have
all been working diligently to provide us
all with a very engaging and productive semester
online.
If you're looking for an org that's going
to give you some really cool service and professional
opportunities, this is the one.
Don't be scared to come over, talk to people,
put yourself out there, talk about your interests,
because it'll be worth it!
