What can refugees teach us about resilience, gratitude, work, and starting over?
This week on Here’s What We Know, we sit down with Dalton T. Sirmans, author of The Refugee Advantage, to talk about the incredible stories of people who were forced to leave their homes and rebuild their lives from almost nothing.
We’ll talk about resilience, entrepreneurship, gratitude, and why many refugees become some of the hardest-working and most committed people in their communities. Dalton also shares stories of refugees creating businesses, becoming valuable employees, supporting others, and finding ways to give back even when they have very little.
The conversation stays out of politics and focuses on real stories, policies that have worked, and the economic and human value refugees bring to the communities that welcome them.
Listen in and let these stories challenge you to reconsider what you see when you look at refugees and what we might learn when we take the time to hear their stories.
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In this Episode:
- What does it mean to be a refugee? We explain the difference between refugees and internally displaced people.
- How many refugees are resettled? Only 1% to 2% worldwide ever get the chance to start over in another country.
- How does the U.S. Refugee Program work? We look at the 1980 program and its focus on resettlement, integration, and self-sufficiency.
- Do refugees contribute to the economy? From 2005 to 2019, refugees contributed about $123 billion more in taxes than the cost of their resettlement and integration.
- What does starting over cost? Refugees in the U.S., Canada, and Australia repay the cost of their travel to their new country.
- Can refugees build financial independence? Dalton shares how access to credit can help refugees and immigrants build a new financial future.
- What if refugee aid looked more like investment? Dalton explains why he believes mutual opportunity can be more powerful than charity.
- Could refugees help businesses find great employees? We look at the connection between refugee employment and the ongoing need for quality workers.
Quotations:
“They are contributors. They are an economic engine if we are smart enough to take advantage of that.” – Dalton T. Sirmans
“They have something to teach us if we’re smart enough to pay attention and learn from them.” – Dalton T. Sirmans
“We need to change the narrative surrounding refugees.” – Dalton T. Sirmans
“They see employment or entrepreneurship as helping restore dignity.” – Dalton T. Sirmans
“We have to rethink humanitarian aid and think more about investment and opportunity.” – Dalton T. Sirmans
Bio:
Dalton T. Sirmans is an entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Refugee Advantage: Building Enterprise in the Face of Adversity. He co-founded MainStreet Technologies, growing the company from a rural Georgia startup into a nationally recognized fintech firm. After earning a Master of Liberal Arts in International Relations from Harvard, Dalton turned his attention to refugee entrepreneurship, researching how refugees rebuild their lives and create economic opportunity. He is also the founder of the Sirmans Global Impact Foundation, which supports refugee entrepreneurs and refugee-serving organizations through investment, partnerships, and storytelling.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalton-t-sirmans-2017833/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalton.sirmans/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Refugee-Advantage/61573021826766/
