Announcement
In January, ten refugee and immigrant girls from five different countries came together in Oakland, California to explore their visions for the future. The Vision Project, a collaboration between the International Rescue Committee and Vision Not Victim, is a week-long workshop that provides girls with the opportunity to explore what they want for their lives and careers. During the program, girls reflect on their personal stories, meet other young passionate women, examine stereotypes and power dynamics, learn from female mentors in the community, and consider strategic steps to take towards achieving their goals.
Vision Project participants huddle on the first day of the workshop after collaborating on guidelines and hopes for the workshop week.
Photo: Emily Jackson | IRC
During the workshop, girls had the opportunity to meet 16 women from different job sectors, including an architect, an engineer, a marine biologist, a musician, a pediatrician, and an immigration lawyer. They even spent an hour with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who shared her career journey and encouraged the girls to share ideas for how to make Oakland more inclusive for refugees and immigrants.
One of the girls is Rocio, a 16-year-old from El Salvador who dreams of becoming an immigration lawyer. “I want to be an immigrants lawyer to give the rights to other people, to get them documents, to have a better job, a better life, a better future. Because everyone wants that.” Rocio knew she wanted to be an immigration lawyer when she was only six years old, after her two uncles were arrested and put in jail for gang-related activity. “I want to fight for them,” she says, “and make my grandmother’s dreams real to see them again.”
When asked about her experience in the Vision Project, Rocio shares, “For me it was amazing. We spent time with other girls and we met people we didn’t meet before. Meeting the lawyer made me feel optimistic, it made me feel stronger.”
The Vision Project culminates in an immersive photo shoot experience, where the girls get to visit a mentor at their workplace, dress up as her future self, and direct a professional photo shoot. The photographs serve as a lasting visual reminder of their strength, their power, and their dreams.
Rocio, along with several other girls, got to visit the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, and experience what it could be like to fight for immigrants as a lawyer. Looking at her photo, Rocio says with a grin, “I am a strong and powerful woman, and I can do everything I want. Nothing is impossible in our life. If we want we can do it, we can try.”
Rocio’s message to other young women who have dreams like hers is clear: “I think to be a girl is not easy because sometimes you need to take care of your family, or you need to do this because you are a girl, or you are not allowed to do this because you are a girl. Everyone is equal and I think everyone should have the same rights. Girls need to learn a lot and go to school and try their best. You can make everything real if you have a dream, just never give up.”
To learn more about the Vision Project or to get involved, click here.
