Tim Sietman and his family lived in China for several years. He and his wife had to adapt to a new culture, new language and more, but Tim said his family had a tremendous amount of support during that time.
“This is one way we’re saying ‘thank you,’” Sietman said.
Refuge Robotics will meet on Saturdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Dayton Metro Library’s Burkhardt Branch after its season launch party on Aug. 23. Club participants will learn how to build and operate Lego robots.
The Sietman children — Kai, Lei, Levi and EJ — all have experience with robotics competitions. The Sietmans hope to create at least three teams to participate in First Lego League competitions. The club is open to children ages 6-12, and parents are welcome to participate, too.
Since returning to the U.S., the Sietmans have sponsored refugees fleeing violence and hardship. Sietman said refugees are “diamonds” in the Dayton region, and he’s alarmed by the treatment of refugees and the hard shift in immigration policy by the Trump administration.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended the Refugee Resettlement Program. This put a pause on new arrivals, with hundreds of refugees attempting to enter the country having their flights canceled earlier this year.
Sietman said Refuge Robotics is a “practical” and unique form of protest. But it’s also a way to connect or reconnect refugees with science, technology, engineering and math.
Many people who immigrate to the U.S. bring with them engineering and other technical skills that go unused due to a number of barriers, Sietman said.
“Refugees are a blessing to the larger community,” he said. “There is value to our ideas and cultures being shared. We can learn so much from each other.”
For Tesfalem Mehari, attending a robotics competition during his first few years in America is an experience he’ll never forget. He’s now helping with the coordination of Refuge Robotics.
Mehari is a refugee from Eritrea, a nation in East Africa. He said he grew up without access to basic electricity, but when he attended a robotics event in the U.S., he was amazed by the level of technology available — and what that technology was capable of achieving.
He thinks access to STEM activities could spark career interests among young refugees, as well as build skillsets they can bring to the table later in their lives.
“It was so fascinating,” he said. “And I saw the value in it.”
For more information about Refuge Robotics, visit www.raisestem.org/refuge.
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