At 24, Jackie Cramer is the youngest staff member at the Harrisonburg branch of the Virginia Council of Churches Refugee Resettlement Program.
A 2009 graduate of Seattle Pacific University, with a degree in global development, she moved to the Valley in 2010. Since then, she’s been working as the English Language Training coordinator, school liaison and development coordinator for VCCRRP.
For someone who graduated only 2 ½ years ago, she wears a lot of hats, but don’t let her age fool you.
She can handle it.
Youth benefits program
According to Cheryl Woelk, the curriculum coordinator and a lecturer for the Intensive English Program at Eastern Mennonite University, Cramer’s youthfulness is a benefit.
“She has experience, but she’s also really eager to learn — not only from her co-workers, but also from the refugees,” Woelk explained.
Before coming to Harrisonburg, Cramer worked as a part-time researcher at the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle and interned at the World Affairs Council. She was also a live-in aide for a man with cerebral palsy and Asperger’s syndrome.
While she admits she may lack the life experiences of some, she says she brings new ideas and an energetic approach to her current job.
Woelk agrees, and cites Cramer’s “warm heart” and “sense of ease” as the reason why people feel comfortable around her.
“She’s very organized and has great skills for pulling people together,” she added.
‘Life Skills’ program
Along with her other responsibilities, Cramer organizes and trains program volunteers and helps ready apartments for arriving refugees. She also acts as an intermediary between young refugees and schools they attend.
These transplants need an ally, she says, due to the many obstacles they face.
When adult refugees arrive in the Valley, for example, their first priority is to find a job so they can pay rent. But their biggest barrier is often language.
Last year Woelk and Cramer collaborated on a project they call “Life Skills,” a series of classes where refugees learn practical skills, such as how to perform in a job interview. The project focuses on explaining four aspects of life in America: employment, home safety and public safety, school systems and the health care system.
“There’s a lot of pressure to get settled [and] get a job, and there’s not a lot of opportunity for focusing on language skill development,” Woelk said.
Last year’s sessions were a “trial run” for the program. Last Monday marked the start of the month-long class.
Woelk hopes the community will welcome the program and that a large number of volunteers will step up.
Thankfully facilitating classes and organizing helpers are two of Cramer’s specialties, she said.
Becoming a role model
Last fall, Cramer began working with three interns from the Gandhi Center at JMU, which — according to its website — seeks “to advance the understanding of, appreciation for and practice of nonviolence.”
Intern Elise Benusa, who is studying international affairs, says she’s been inspired by Cramer’s dedication to her work.
“People are uprooting where they’re from and starting a new life, and Jackie is a part of their new beginning,” she said. “It’s not a 9-to-5 for her.”
Benusa’s dream for after graduation is to land a job in Africa, but volunteering at the refugee center has opened her eyes to how many cultures are right here in the Valley. And often, she says, refugees teach her just as much as she teaches them.
Cramer’s commitment to a smooth transition for Valley refugees has been an example to follow, she says.
“She’s involved [with the program] because she really cares,” Benusa said.
Moving forward, one of Cramer’s biggest goals is to increase community awareness and education. It’s time the community recognizes the skills and unique cultures that refugees bring to the Valley, she says.
“[People] have a lot of misconceptions about refugees and fears about people that they don’t know. They’re a really resilient and hardworking group of people. They’re a huge asset to our community.”
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