My first experiences as a part of the Amala Focus Group started off online as a remote learner. Having been at UWCSEA East for many years already, I was aware of Amala and its cause and I had always been eager to be a part of it. My first few sessions as a part of the group were of course a little challenging as I was “the boy on the laptop screen” rather than being able to completely be immersed in the experience. However, after the first few sessions, I really felt I was included as much as I possible in the activities like making presentations and I was able to participate in making a difference for the organization as a whole. The Amala organization the Focus group supports refugee youth to find a secondary education and that is a cause that I was very passionate about supporting, especially because I have a keen passion for education. In order to help an organization like this, I feel, the Focus Group would also have to uphold the values of the organization. In our case, that is one of our greatest strengths because we are able to deeply connect with the cause. Now being in the group in person, I have been able to deeply connect with not only my peers but also with the cause. I have been able to look at education from a different perspective, especially coming directly from remote learning, and I have been able to empathize with the refugees that are part of the Amala program.
