Hello Neighbor organizes low-cost activities to facilitate the mentoring. “There is a lot of opportunity in Pittsburgh.” “We’re really connected with the immigrant experience,” Davidson said, pointing to Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as Polish Hill and Little Italy. Nearly all of the families involved have children under 18 years old, she said. So far, Hello Neighbor has 75 families from 11 countries who have found mentors in the Pittsburgh area.

It’s suggested they spend about 10 hours a month together. About 20 to 25 Pittsburgh families are matched with an immigrant family. Volunteers are the basis of Davidson’s organization. While caseworkers and resettlement agencies provide aid, Hello Neighbor offers different support for a longer time span. Isolation is among the many challenges they can face. The movie, Davidson said, “really spoke to me about how hard it is to rebuild their lives.”ĭavidson said many immigrants look upon their arrival on these shores as the end of their journey, when in reality, it is just the beginning. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’” “We are reminded of the words of our most famous neighbor, Fred Rogers, who said, ‘We live in a world in which we need to share responsibilities. The teacher said Pittsburgh has a history of supporting immigrants and refugees. “This crisis may be occurring in a faraway place, but its effects are being felt in our neighborhoods and communities as refugees search for a place to call home.” Since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, more than 5 million people have been displaced, Smith said. “Our curriculum is designed not only to get students to engage with the past, but also to teach them to become engaged global citizens who are aware and informed of the world they inhabit,” he said. Kyle Smith, SSA history department chair, worked with Davidson to organize the screening. 25, at the Hillman Center for Performing Arts on the Shady Side Academy campus in Fox Chapel. An audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie will be shown at 7 p.m. Her group is sponsoring a free showing of the documentary, “This Is Home: A Refugee Story,” which follows four Syrian families as they learn to live new lives in the U.S. “We need to reeducate people about what (immigration) is and who it is,” said Davidson of Squirrel Hill, a 1993 SSA graduate.

The program also helps volunteers better understand the immigrant experience, which Davidson says is particularly important in a city with such a diverse population. Volunteers help newcomers find their way around the Pittsburgh region and make connections with the city.

Shady Side Academy alumna Sloane Davidson started her nonprofit Hello Neighbor to partner local families with immigrants and help both to learn and grow.

Hello neighbor movie