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MURRAY — Don't give a man a fish, Adamou Mohamed told refugee leaders from across the West. Teach him how to fish. The same principle applies to helping refugees, he said.
"Everybody cannot speak for you," Mohamed added. "You have to speak for yourself."
Nearly two dozen leaders traveled to Utah from nine states for a two-day regional refugee leadership conference hosted by Refugee Congress, a national advocacy organization for refugees and immigrants.
Mohamed led the group discussion at the meeting, asking delegates how they can strengthen the refugee communities where they live, from Arizona to California and Oregon to Hawaii.
"You can sense there is a lot of passion from the attendees," Mohamed said. "We have to do more in our community and join hands with all these allies that are supporting us so we can be part of the discussion."
On Friday, the delegates shared their stories and experiences as refugees and asylum-seekers.
Bassam Mahmood and his family fled Iraq in 2010. He served in the military as a translator and interpreter. Now he works as an Arizona delegate for the Refugee Congress.
"We came here to learn more about how to organize ourselves," Mahmood said. "This is really wonderful, how to reach out to others."
Refugee Congress began in 2011, bringing together refugee leaders seeking to organize and learn from one another.
"We want to be a strong voice for those who are unable to live through some of the challenges that we face. We don't want to be forever stigmatized as below poverty or as marginalized individuals who can't reach full potential."
The organization partners with other advocacy groups, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and resettlement agencies, to share information and identify solutions for trending refugee issues.
"One of the purposes is not only to educate the refugees but educate the community about refugees," said Gyanu Dulal, who has served as a delegate since the organization began. "It is a two-way integration. That way we make our communities stronger."
Fatima Dirie said Salt Lake City is a model city for welcoming refugees, as many state and local leaders voiced their support for refugees.
"We're not here to take away any resources. We're not here to live on welfare," said Dirie, who works as the Refugee Community Liaison for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office. "We want to be self-sufficient. We want to give back. We want to build our communities."
Much of the discussion at the conference focused on educating community members and elected leaders on the issues facing refugees. Delegates also talked about how to combat misinformation and fear in local and refugee communities.
Erasing the line between "us" and "them" is key, Mohamed said. Reaching out to elected leaders will also help raise visibility for refugee groups.
"We want to be a strong voice for those who are unable to live through some of the challenges that we face," Dirie said. "We don't want to be forever stigmatized as below poverty or as marginalized individuals who can't reach full potential."
