In his spare time, a Trinity Western student 鈥� who just so happens to be one of Canada鈥檚 top volleyball players 鈥� is helping a refugee family settle into life in Canada.
Moreover, he鈥檚 trumpeting the need for more Canadians to offer support, aid, and even possible sponsorship to refugees.
Meet Jordan Koslowsky. The 20-year-old 91原创 man is one of about 20 TWU students who make up Trinity Refugee Awareness Campaign (TRAC) a relatively new, student-led non-profit holding a special Night of Stories evenings tonight at the 91原创 campus.
In his third year of international studies, Koslowsky explained how the campaign, the TWU story nights, and the sponsoring of a refugee family came to be.
鈥淚 started TRAC after having two experiences that made a permanent impact in my life,鈥� he shared with the 91原创 Advance.
In the summer of 2016, he went to Israel and Palestine with the program.
鈥淚n my second week there my team did a hike up Mount Hermon, and we stood at the border of Israel and Syria. I did some research and knew that nearly a walking distance away people were suffering from a political situation they may have done nothing to cause,鈥� he explained.
鈥淚 was staring at a country ripped apart by war, where millions were forced to flee. Two weeks later, I was in a refugee camp. The people were no longer numbers, but real people with real stories of the hardships associated with being forced from home.鈥�
When he returned home, he knew he needed to do something, but had no idea what.
After doing more research, his 鈥渂ig, audacious dream鈥� was to sponsor a refugee family to come to Canada with the support of the TWU community.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I was capable of making this dream become a reality, but I stepped forward in faith and received more support than I could have ever anticipated,鈥� Koslowsky recounted.
Through TRAC, he鈥檚 now endeavouring to 鈥減rovide opportunities for all members of the TWU community and the surrounding community to respond to the global refugee crisis.鈥�
The TRAC team is made up of TWU students who are supported by their peers, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and surrounding community. Their goal is to continue to raise awareness and opportunities to act in response to the global refugee crisis.
鈥淭o be honest, I had no idea what to expect [when he started TRAC]. It has all been one big learning experience and the biggest unexpected thing that happened is the level of support we received and how we reached our goals so much quicker than we thought possible,鈥� Koslowsky said.
Part of his goal continues to be community outreach and awareness, and tonight鈥檚 story session is part of that effort.
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Stories tonight
For the second time, Trinity Western University students are hosting a Night of Stories, an evening of refugees sharing stories 鈥� in their own words.
It happens tonight [Thursday, Nov. 16] at 6:30 in TWU鈥檚 Northwest Auditorium.
The Night of Stories is an awareness initiative hosted for the community, Koslowsky explained.
The program will feature multiple individuals with refugee history and cover the entire journey, from leaving their home country to resettlement in Canada.
Several local organizations will also be in attendance, sharing insights, programs, services, and personal experiences. These include Inasmuch Community Society, MCC, and the Refugee Immigrant and Welcome Center.
鈥淲e hope to welcome our community to this evening to honour our neighbours, their journeys, their challenges, and their hopes,鈥� he said.
About 200 attended the first story night in February. He鈥檚 expecting a significant turn out again tonight.
More information is at .
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Changing the world one family at a time
Working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the TRAC group sponsors a the Kapanda family of five from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They lived in Kenya for the past six and a half years, Koslowsky said, explaining that a requirement of sponsorship was for TRAC to raise six months of financial support for the family. They managed to collected $30,000 in just two and a half months 鈥� money which in turn is matched by the government. Likewise, TRAC was obligated to provide one year of emotional support, an experience that changed Koslowsky鈥檚 life.
鈥淣ow that they are here, our support takes a variety of forms. Basically, we have the privilege of walking alongside them as they transition to life in Canada,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e located a home for them, furnished it, registered the kids for school, and the parents in English classes, helped set up their bank account, provided orientation about the transit system, arrange doctors appointments, figure out paperwork, provide general cultural information, etc. It takes a lot of forms but we are lucky enough to have become their Canadian family.鈥�
It鈥檚 been a major transition for the family, but Koslowsky little did he know, that day on Mount Hermon, how the experiences of the past year would change his life and give it clearer purpose and direction.
Continuing his education, in the world and in the classroom, Koslowsky said he hopes to pursue a career in law so that he can have 鈥渢he largest platform possible鈥� to advocate for refugees and other marginalized groups.
Ultimately, refugees are what he described as 鈥渘ormal people who have been forced from their homes, their families, and their lives.鈥�
He went on to say: 鈥淭hey deserve the opportunity to improve their lives and we have the potential to facilitate this.鈥�
Specifically pointing to their sponsored family from Kenya, he said he鈥檚 inspired by them every day: 鈥淭he family is so grateful to be in Canada and they are trying to learn as much as they can as quickly as they can. They hope to make the most of this new life to ensure the best possible future for their family.鈥�
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It鈥檚 a small world
This has been an incredible learning experience for Koslowsky, showing him 鈥� among other things 鈥� just how small the world really is.
A week after arriving, the kids were preparing to start school, and he went by the family鈥檚 home the night before to offer assistance.
鈥淲hen I walked in, I was surprised to see that they had company,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淭hey had only been there for six days.鈥�
It turns out it was a long lost family member sitting in their livingroom, who had connected through a Congolese woman Koslowsky had been working with leading up to the family鈥檚 arrival.
She was from the same city as family, he explained. Just before the family arrived, he reached out to here again for some advise on food choices, so he could stock their kitchen prior to their arrival.
When his friend went to church the Sunday after their arrival, she shared news of the newly arrived family with some of her friends.
鈥淥ne of the ladies who heard the story immediately went and told her husband, who couldn鈥檛 believe what he heard,鈥� Koslowsky relayed the story.
鈥淗e immediately followed up with my friend to confirm the names. When he heard the names one more time it sunk in. Kapanda, the father of the newly arrived family was, in fact, his uncle who had just arrived half an hour from where he lived.鈥�
Kapanda hadn鈥檛 seen his nephew in 15 years, and the family hadn鈥檛 seen any extended family members in more than six years.
鈥淪o, when I walked into the family鈥檚 home six days after they arrived I met Kapanda鈥檚 nephew and his family, both of whom had no idea that either was living in B.C.鈥�
