Drew Mons believes that his economics students should learn their lessons by tackling real world problems. And the experiences of refugees transitioning into a new life in the United States presented Mons’ class with a valuable learning opportunity, along with a chance to make a real impact in the lives of two families.
“I pose a real world problem and my students need to go solve it. They end up finding that they need to learn the economics and develop the communication and collaboration skills,” said Mons, an 11th- and 12th-grade economics students at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Over the course of the past semester, Mons’ students examined the financial realities that face newcomers once they land in Minnesota, negotiating the many needs that new Americans and the resettlement agencies that serve them must consider, all while working on a fixed income.
To get the ball rolling, Mons met with staff at the Minnesota Council of Churches, EMM’s local affiliate partner, who detailed the many expenses that must be met for an incoming family within the bounds of a per capita grant (between $925 and $1,100) provided by the State Department to cover all expenses for 90 days.
The math presented a significant challenge to Mons’ students: how to build a new life in a new country with very limited resources.
The students worked in groups to develop budgets for a family of two and for a family of four, pricing everything from grocery expenses at 12 local grocery stores, to bus passes and rice cookers, all with the intention of finding the most cost-effective way to adjust and to start life anew in the community.
“We started talking about what the costs were. For example, refugees’ apartments don’t come with a bed, and out of that money you need a deposit and first month’s rent. Most of the time MCC takes on that deposit,” Mons said. “Out of that process it became apparent how essential it was to have donated items to set these family up for success.”
The students took that newfound knowledge and began applying it; working with MCC, the class collected donations to fully furnish two apartments for newly arriving families. Some of the volunteers worked to set up the apartments, and another group greeted them at the airport.
Mons' students said the project was completely unique, providing an opportunity to apply their lessons in a real-world context and to learn about the experiences of refugees while actively welcoming the families.
"Now that this project is over I see how lucky I am to be in a country where I can feel safe and live in a community that is so welcoming," student Nicole Fabel said. "I hope the families that we helped will feel the same when they finish settling in."
Fabel's classmate Henry Lynch was struck by the difficulties that refugees must overcome, and the resilience required for them to survive and succeed.
"The amount of bravery that [refugees] have in leaving their homes in search for something new is amazing and inspiring," Lynch said. "The most fulfilling part about this whole experience was knowing that I have helped this family who had nothing to start from."
From the initial project, Mons said the school community is building a commitment to serving refugees in partnership with MCC. Parents and students have been bringing in a regular stream of donations, and Mons is working on developing the lesson into a curriculum to be shared with other schools.
“If my kids can go back in their neighborhood and look at, ‘How am I doing in relation to the other people sharing the city with me?’ that’s pretty exciting. That’s opening up their perspectives a little bit more,” he said.