Finding support and searching for a community of like-minded people can be impactful, especially if the community desires to work toward helping others.
Founded in the fall of 2024 by Naila Syed, junior in LAS and RISE’s president, RISE focuses on being a “support system for Refugees and Immigrants …through fundraising and volunteering.”
Syed wanted to start an initiative at the University after working at FORA. The RSO plans to work with local nonprofits and refugee centers and create opportunities for internships and volunteer work. This includes fundraising for immigrant support and refugees in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Syed said there was no RSO on campus supporting immigrants or refugees. She felt it was an issue that needed attention, noting that various language communities in Southern Illinois receive little recognition.
“I wanted to create a way that students could get involved here, even if it isn’t directly related to the place I interned at over the summer,” Syed said. “It’s still an initiative for people to get involved in the community because, especially when it comes to refugee and immigrant issues, it’s not something that we can support solely through fundraising.”
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Hana Saleem, RISE’s outreach director and junior in LAS, focuses on contacting other organizations and cultural houses to promote their message to various groups.
“I’m familiar with a lot of communities that do have refugees, and I really wanted to give back and help support that community,” Saleem said.
Isabella Barca, RISE’s secretary and junior in LAS, makes newsletters for those interested in RISE’s current and upcoming events. Joining the RSO allowed Barca to find a community as a transfer student.
Recently, RISE organized educational events to dispel myths about undocumented refugees and immigrants and inform the public about the struggles they face.
“We also want to make sure that our public is knowledgeable about the struggles that immigrants and refugees face,” Barca said.
According to Syed, refugees in the C-U area do not have many resources available due to the limited number of refugees that can enter the United States and reduced funding for refugee organizations.
“We don’t have as many refugees as we usually have in the area,” Syed said. “And on top of that, the refugees that are here already, they don’t have as many resources available to them.”
RISE emphasizes fundraising to give resources to the community. Last semester, the group partnered with Amnesty International for an event and raised $2,000 for The Refugee Center.
In addition, RISE is also trying to work with The Refugee Center to create informational sessions. These sessions would provide refugees with guidance about navigating public transportation, finding grocery stores and building resumes.
RISE also has resources for undocumented students on its Instagram, such as Legal Aid on the Open Illinois website.
“Most of our work involves not just helping UIUC, but more focused on the community,” Syed said.
