No Lost Generation, a club focused on refugee advocacy and education, is rebuilding its Lehigh chapter this semester.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a year-long hiatus following the graduation of its previous executive board, the club is working to connect students with immigration issues and the Bethlehem community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
No Lost Generation began as a national initiative in 2013 to engage college students in supporting refugees and displaced people through education, advocacy and community involvement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beza Geberesilassie, \u201827, co-led the organization before taking time away from Lehigh, but when she returned to campus, she found No Lost Generation was no longer active.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She loves being part of an organization that advocates for immigrants and refugees because her connection to the work is personal.<\/p>\n
When she was six years old, Geberesilassie immigrated from Ethiopia to the United States and grew up in California.<\/p>\n
She said the organization received significant interest at the Club Expo as it began recruiting new members this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lehigh\u2019s chapter<\/a> was established in 2016 and initially focused on refugee advocacy and education<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n By 2017, members were helping Syrian refugee students<\/a> with English, homework and assisting with cultural adjustment.<\/p>\n The organization\u2019s work has since expanded to include immigrant and refugee communities more broadly, both on campus and in Bethlehem.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of its ongoing programs is an English-language support program with the Cathedral Church of the Nativity on the South Side, where Lehigh students work with adult learners in Bethlehem to build their English skills and confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n The program received a Student Life Leadership Award in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n The organization also held fundraisers<\/a>, advocacy rallies<\/a> and other events centered on the migrant and immigrant experience.<\/p>\n Bruce Whitehouse, a professor of sociology and anthropology, serves as No Lost Generation\u2019s faculty adviser. He said students have always led its work, while his role has been to provide guidance and support.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the organization rebuilds, Whitehouse said members are focused on addressing misconceptions about immigration.\u00a0<\/p>\n Geberesilassie said she wants No Lost Generation to attract students who don\u2019t know about immigration policies.<\/p>\n \u201cI want anyone who\u2019s passionate about social justice, or even someone who isn\u2019t necessarily aware of immigration policies, to become informed and maybe interested in the community work that we do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Anya Gelin, \u201829, a chemical engineering student, joined the organization this semester.\u00a0<\/p>\n