A new refugee display is coming to campus, innovating the way attendees experience Summit.

Although the event entitled, “Global Refugee Medical Missions” seems to be intended for students on the medical track, Dr. Cynthia Powell, associate professor of chemistry, said it is something important for all to be part of.

“The refugee crisis is a large part of the news right now,” Powell said. “We see it almost on a daily basis if were paying attention to the national news. As we began planning for this years summit we began thinking and praying about how God brought to mind the refugee crisis, and how we might respond to that as individual Christians both locally and internationally.”

This year, Powell said they wanted to do something different and interactive as opposed to a speaker.

The idea for the display came from a global refugee display at a large medical missions conference in Kentucky. It will be a 20-minute long interactive experience in which guests will hear the stories of local refugees from all over the world. Powell encouraged students to bring their phones for subtitles and headphones for audio.

Powell said one of the most intriguing aspects of the event is all the different areas of campus that came together and helped, including:

Roland Orr and David Wray – led the project from the Summit Office.
Darren Wilson – led the design of the space and kiosks from the Maker Lab. Teams of students assisted in assembling the displays.
Nathan Gibbs – interviewed local refugees and put together the audio portion of the display.
Debora Viana – as a summit intern this summer, helped with graphic design.
Nil Santana and Michael Harbour – photographers.

In addition, several local organizations including International Rescue Committee and Global Samaritan partnered with the project. Powell also said the most important contribution was the guidance by refugees from 11th & Willis Church of Christ, “who have been generous enough to share their stories and thoughts in order to help our community learn.”