First American Halloween

Refugees and Asylum Seekers Celebrate their First American Halloween at Kidspace

On October 19th, more than 50 refugee family members were invited to Kidspace to experience a befuddling American tradition: Halloween. Almost everything they knew about spooky season came straight from the movies, and many were worried. They couldn’t understand how Halloween could spawn characters like Jason and Freddy Krueger, and also be celebrated as a child-friendly tradition.

Kidspace worked collaboratively with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to design a kooky-not-spooky First American Halloween party for refugee families from Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, and other countries. The IRC’s mission is to help people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control over their future. The partygoers fled war, violence, and persecution in their home countries and were now eager to embrace their new home and its family traditions. They wanted to understand what made Halloween fun for children, and how to join the party.

For children dealing with cultural adjustments in a new country, it can be difficult to feel invited into community celebrations. “Our party for refugee families needed to say more than ‘you’re here in America, and this is how we do things,’” said Kidspace CEO Lisa Clements. “We wanted to say instead, ‘You’re welcome here. Come celebrate and play with us.’”

With the help of its dynamic volunteer group, Circle of Friends, Kidspace rolled out the orange carpet at a classic Halloween party with decorations, festive food, pumpkin carving, free costumes, and lots of treats. Out on campus, there was pumpkin bowling, themed activities, and an exuberant Halloween parade with a welcoming community of neighbors in silly costumes all marching, dancing, and celebrating together.

“Halloween is a particularly challenging holiday for refugee families because they haven’t had much experience with traditions like trick-or-treating or jack-o-lanterns,” said IRC’s Program Officer Will Clements. “Having a space where they could carve a pumpkin or put together a first Halloween costume was very meaningful.”