World Refugee Day Celebration

World Refugee Day on June 20 is a day designated by the United Nations to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. Each year, communities come together to build empathy and understanding for refugees' plight and recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives. When: Monday, June 20, 2022, at 5:00 pm ET (rain or shine) Where: The Mt. Monadnock Labyrinth and Peace Pole, located on Airport Road, Keene NH What: Community celebration of World Refugee Day - FREE to the public Who: Mohammad Saleh, local activist and Project Home co-founder This event will feature a special address from Mohammad Saleh, a local activist and Project Home founding member who has been an active participant in efforts on immigration and clean energy issues. A member of the City of Keene’s Human Rights Committee, Saleh is a 2019 recipient of the Micah Hero Award given by the Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP)for his activism exemplifying just action, love of mercy, and humility. Participants will be invited to walk the stone sculpture of the Mt. Monadnock Labyrinth to reflect on and deepen their internal experience of compassion and recognition of struggling people in our community and beyond. “In 2022, the worldwide focus will be on the right to seek safety, making this is such a critical time for us to come together and call attention to the plight of refugees, knowing that we can do something in our community,” says Katie Schwerin, Badger’s Co-Founder and Chief Mission Officer. In addition to helping organize the local World Refugee Day event, Katie Schwerin is an active participant in Project Home, hosting a refugee family in her home since 2020, and was the driving force behind the construction of the Mt. Monadnock Labyrinth. Other local organizations concerned with the plight of refugees and providing support for the World Refugee Day event include Keene Immigrant and Refugee Partnership (KIRP), Team Monadnock Neighborhood Support Team for Afghan Refugees, Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship, and Monadnock Food Co-op. About Project Home Project Home was formed three years ago to support asylum seekers held in detention by offering an opportunity to live in local communities as they await a hearing on their asylum cases. The name was chosen deliberately. Home is not simply housing. Home includes a community where security, safety, and the basic needs of food, health care, and shelter are respected. In the last several years, six sets of families and/or individuals have been hosted in private homes in the Monadnock area. With the support of generous hosts and volunteers, the group’s hard-working guests have been able to move away from trauma toward hope. www.projecthomenh.org About Monadnock Mindfulness Practice Center Since 2002, the Monadnock Mindfulness Practice Center has provided the Monadnock area a quiet environment to learn and practice mindfulness, the art of bringing one’s full attention to the present moment. A cornerstone of mindfulness practice is compassion. In that spirit, the Center placed a peace pole at the airport labyrinth with engravings that acknowledge the wish that each person finds happiness, health, safety, and peace. https://mindfulnesskeene.org