Experience Together

Immigration simulation shows obstacles faced

Nearly 50 participants, ranging in age from a high school teen to a septuagenarian, took part in the “Walk in Our Shoes” program Saturday, Feb. 20, at Notre Dame of Elm Grove. The simulation experience was designed to help participants understand what it is like to live as an immigrant in our country.

Participants met in a debriefing session following four simulated days that served to show what maneuvering society is like for immigrants. The event was held at Notre Dame of Elm Grove, Wisconsin.Participants took on immigrant roles, each receiving a brief biography and information about the person’s life situation – family, food, health, housing, employment and transportation. Additionally, 12 volunteers assumed the roles of employees for locations that included church/non-profit, commerce, employment, government, health and justice.

The immigrants went through 12-minute “days” as they attempted to navigate the system – visiting businesses and offices in order to complete tasks and achieve assigned goals. At the end of the simulated week, the facilitators guided the large group in a debriefing process.

“I never imagined how immigrants feel or what they have to go through every day,” said Sister Comfort Anum, a School Sister of Notre Dame from the Province of Africa. “It was an experience that stung me to consciousness that there are people who live among us not knowing what their future will be and they also live in constant fear of being jailed or deported.”

Said Sister Patricia Rass: “I now have a deeper realization of the obstacles immigrants face. As I ‘walked in the shoes’ of a Latina woman for four days, I was not able to get the help I needed from any of the social, educational or governmental agencies in the city. The only resource that aided me, and at that, very minimally, was the church. The words from our directional statement that call us to ‘eliminate the root causes of injustice’ will be heard in a new way after this experience.”

For photos from the day, visit our Facebook page.

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