Students help educate at UWS Red Cross Day

The University of Wisconsin-Superior hosted the community for Red Cross Day, Thursday, November 14. Volunteers with the local Red Cross chapter joined students and staff to help with several exhibits throughout the day.

Among the exhibits was as hands-on CPR demonstration, information on how to become a Red Cross Volunteer, and a station for writing holiday cards for for servicemembers. Red Cross Volunteer and Air National Guard member Audrey Beaudry knows personally how important the latter is.

“It doesn’t have to be anything too in-depth, but to receive it on the other end is really nice,” said Beaudry. “In December, we get them when we go through the gate and it’s a big bundle of cards and just to know people are thinking of you during the holiday season is always nice.”

Students also were also on-hand to teach their fellow students, faculty and staff and community members about refugees and international humanitarian law. The exhibit highlighted technical aspects of the topic, such as the legal definition of who is a refugee and rights under international humanitarian law, as well as non-technical issues, such as living conditions, food and safety in refugee camps.

“We started doing this because there was so little knowledge about how and why people become refugees,” explained Haji Dokhanchi, professor of political science at UWS. “So, we wanted to teach people, you know, how do you become refugees? [It’s] not like you’re born a refugee, so, what conditions lead you to leave your country?”

Professor Dokhanchi invites the public to attend their next community event in April 2025.