Diego Refugee Forum mem-

bers. It was a memorable event

exhibiting some of the beautiful

aspects of culture that refugees

bring with them to their new

home. KOSD would like to

thank everyone who came out

and made the event a success!

On June 20th KOSD joined

refugee communities around

the world in celebrating World

Refugee Day. This year’s San

Diego World Refugee Day

Celebration showcased the

diverse community of refugees

who have made San Diego

County their home. This fun

festival was held by the San

Diego Refugee Forum in El

Cajon, which has not only re-

settled the most refugees in San

Diego County but in the entire

state. KOSD’s executive direc-

tor, Nao Kabashima, served as

co-chair of the planning com-

mittee for the event and

KOSD community members

lent their support by perform-

ing the Bamboo Dance and

other traditional dances from

Burma, volunteering at the

festival, and sharing their cul-

ture with members of the pub-

lic.

Attendees at the World Refu-

gee Day Celebration had the

opportunity to view traditional

performances from Iraq, Bur-

ma, Senegal and other ethnic

communities in San Diego.

Presenters shared stories of the

resilience of refugees who are

now thriving in their new

home. There were also re-

source-sharing booths from San

KOSD’s First Generation

youth group had a great idea.

Having experienced a high

school prom for the first

time, group members decid-

ed to take this well-known

American tradition and make

it their own. At the request

of the youth, KOSD helped

to organize the first ever

First Generation Prom. High

schoolers from our commu-

nity dressed in traditional

clothes and came looking fabu-

lous. The night was great fun

with delicious food, dancing, a

photo booth, and the vote for

king and queen. Everyone had a

wonderful time at the event and it

was incredible to see the creativi-

ty of youth adapting to American

culture while retaining and cele-

brating the culture of Burma.

World Refugee Day Celebration

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e :

World Refugee

Day Celebration

1

Karen Prom 1

KOSD

Summer Classes

2

California Karen

Youth Forum and

Martyr’s Day

2

KOSD ‘s Event

Calendar

2

First Generation Has a Prom of Their Own

KOSD News & Notes A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 2

P a g e 2

KOSD Provides Summer Classes for Children and Adults

The KOSD office was

busy with activity this

month as we hosted our 3rd

annual KOSD Summer

School and a series of

workshops for adults.

Free lunches were served

to children and youth from

our community five days a

week. Following lunch,

students participated in

language enrichment pro-

gramming including Eng-

lish, Karen, and Burmese

classes. More than 40

elementary school students

learned to love reading

with a read aloud and ac-

tivities around books.

Middle and high school

youth took part in a book

club and writing class in

English. Students also

spent time learning to

read, write, and speak

Karen and Burmese.

In July, adults and youth

from our community at-

tended a series of Case

Management Trainings at

KOSD. Participants

learned to fill out basic

forms in order to become

more self-sufficient. Our

hope is that workshops

like these will help our

clients to be better able to

handle their own cases.

On August 14th and 15th,

KOSD hosted the Califor-

nia Karen Youth Forum

Conference. Karen youth

from Bakersfield and Oak-

land gathered in San Die-

go to network with one

another and to attend edu-

cational lectures. Youth

spent time learning about

Karen history, educational

K O S D N e w s & N o t e s

and work opportunities in

the United States, how to

prevent substance abuse,

and brainstorming ideas

as to how best to serve as

leaders. Community lead-

ers prepared delicious

meals for the group to en-

joy.

On Saturday morning,

leaders from San Diego

organized the first ever

Martyr’s Day event in this

community. Karen tradi-

The Karen Organization of San Diego was established in 2009

to meet the needs of Karen and other ethnic minority groups

from Burma who reside in San Diego. Karen Organization of

San Diego is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our primary

purpose is to provide social services and opportunities for

culture preservation for the Karen and other ethnic minority

groups from Burma who reside in San Diego to improve their

quality of life.

KOSD’s Calendar

KOSD Community Sports Tournament and Fund-raiser,Saturday, Septem-ber 5th, 8:00-5:00 PM, at Colina Del Sol Park

Come enjoy traditional foods

from Burma and cheer for

KOSD teams!

After School Tutoring Program, Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 PM:

Volunteers from SDSU are

available at KOSD to help students from our community

with their homework and

English Language Learning

ESL & Citizenship Classes, Tuesdays and Thursdays :

Community members meet

at KOSD to improve their English and prepare for the

citizenship test

First Generation Meetings, Fridays from 3:00-4:00 PM:

KOSD youth meet to plan

activities, workshops, and

volunteer opportunities as they develop their leadership

skills

Senior Club Meetings, Wednesdays from 9:30-10:30 AM:

Community elders meet for

social activities and learning

Women’s Group Meetings, every 4th Fri-day from 3:30 - 5:00 PM:

Women meet to share ideas

and feel empowered

tionally have held this cel-

ebration abroad to honor

their heroes who have

passed away while pro-

tecting the Karen people.

The Karen community in

San Diego was proud to be

able to continue this tradi-

tion in the United States.

5354 University Ave. #1

San Diego, CA 92105

(619) 582-0783

www.karensandiego.org

California Karen Youth Forum Conference

and Martyr’s Day Celebration