Omer Fallah Sarmast
Bard College Berlin
omer.sarmast@berlin.bard.edu
Voices of Afghan Students at BCB focuses to tell the inspiring stories of those students who have left everything behind in order to continue their education and serve the world in a way. Additionally the project is focusing on how BCB and OSUN have made this possible for them. Our team members are students from AUCA, The OSUN Global Fellows, AUAF students and students from BCB.
A lot of students who have left their homes without it being their own choice are struggling in telling their stories. This causes them trouble and distress. I personally feel this way sometimes. I can’t feel comfortable sharing about how I feel with students, faculty and staff at BCB. But I want everyone to know my story. This case is true with many students at BCB especially from Afghanistan. My project focuses on storytelling through free writing activity and photos. In the stories, I focus on a few things: how did they leave? What was the journey like? How are they feeling now at BCB? Their message to BCB and those who made it possible for the students to get to BCB and start their new lives.
I want other students to know more about the refugee students who have left everything behind and are at BCB. I want to reflect on how hard taking these kinds of journeys are and I want to also reflect on how BCB and OSUN and other people are the reason for the safety and better lives that we have here in Berlin now.
We have collected many stories from Afghan students across the OSUN network and we aim to continue. If you are interested in sharing your stories or becoming a part of our team, please contact me at: omer.sarmast@berlin.bard.edu