Jersey City Nonprofit To Host World Refugee Day Festival

JERSEY CITY, NJ — June 20 is World Refugee Day and a Jersey City nonprofit is teaming up with a Kearny-based organization to host a festival to honor New Jersey refugees.

Welcome Home Jersey City and First Friends in Kearny are planning a World Refugee Day festival for June 20 in Jersey City. The festival is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Temple Beth-El of Jersey City.

The festival will include a food truck from Prince Halal, speakers, information tables, activities for children and a mobile Covid-19 vaccination unit. Welcome Home is an organization that works with refugees after they've been resettled to offer longer-term support in the area getting used to their new home in Jersey City. First Friends is an organization that focuses on advocacy and resettlement assistance for immigrants and asylum seekers held in detention in the Elizabeth Detention Center, the Essex County Correctional Facility, the Bergen County Jail and the Hudson County Correction & Rehabilitation Center.

Welcome home is looking for volunteers for the festival, including drivers to bring families to and from the event, crossing guards, sound engineers and set-up and clean-up crews.

World Refugee Day was implemented by the United Nations in 2001 as a way to show support for refugees. This year's U.N. theme is "Together we heal, learn and shine."