How can our church help refugee children and youth?
  • Observe and Engage: Look around your neighborhood to see who the refugees are. In your community connect with others who are serving refugees and learn about the situation for unaccompanied refugee children and youth. Ask God to reveal what needs your church can assist with. Consider addressing needs in ways that build relationship. For example, rather than handing out food, invite refugee youth to join a weekly meal with your church members.
  • Collaborate: 
    • Connect with organizations in your community that are helping refugee children and youth and ask how your church can help them.
    • Partner with other churches in your community to see how together you can meet larger needs, i.e. shelter, education, language, etc.
    • Build relationships with government shelters where refugee children are housed to build relationships of trust that will enable you to visit with/run programs for the children there.
    • Connect with Foster Care organizations to see what the opportunities are for your church members to foster unaccompanied refugee children.
  • Join our Network to Help Unaccompanied Minors: We are connecting ministries and churches to help provide connectivity of care along the travel routes for unaccompanied children and youth, and to share resources and experience. Complete the Contact form for more information. 
  • Become Advocates: Independently or through an existing campaign, e.g. The Refugee Campaign www.eearefugees.org, raise awareness and motivate engagement with refugee children by sharing information and stories of hope. Leverage your social media community and ask your church members to leverage theirs. The goal is to provide ways to advocate for these children within each country and connect with ways to give and serve.
  • Pray: Include prayer for refugee children as part of your church’s prayer activities or allot a day/time each week to specifically pray for refugee children and youth. Participate in the 9:36 Prayer Initiative.
  • Participate in World Refugee Sunday: In June, your church can leverage the materials created through the Refugee Highway Partnership and World Evangelical Alliance to raise awareness of the needs of refugees around the globe and to bring special attention to the plight of refugee children and youth: http://www.refugeehighway.net/world-refugee-sunday.html.