WORCESTER, Mass. — When James Rider, a native of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, joined the Peace Corps, he saw the Venezuelan refugee crisis and its effects on neighboring countries first-hand.

“I was wondering, ‘Why isn’t my country doing more on this issue?’” Rider said. “When I went to Spain, it was very much the same thing with folks from Muslim-majority countries coming to Europe and not feeling like they were meant to belong.”

Rider said this idea of “belonging” had a large impact on his current work and research as he pursues a master’s degree in international development at Clark University. He released a survey in partnership with Worcester Together’s subgroup Worcester Undocumented to delve into immigrant life within the city.

“The idea of the survey was to get some information on how immigrants in Worcester have been affected by the pandemic: their operations, the adaptations they’ve had to make, which ones have been effective, which ones haven’t and why,” Rider said. 

Rider is also looking at which areas need more support. This could mean help with immigration forms, English classes, or other assistance. He is hoping the survey will provide more concrete information on how providers have adapted during the pandemic and how the city can move forward more effectively.

“I’m hoping that my survey will be able to play some small role in guiding the process,” Rider said.

Rider is discovering that navigating virtual spaces is difficult for folks. Cyber literacy is a challenge for immigrant and refugee populations. Service workers have also had to continue with in-person work throughout the pandemic, creating more risk.

Rider mentioned that Worcester Together has done a lot of work to also support the city’s immigration population throughout the pandemic.

“It’s been a challenge that people have been trying to rise up from,” Rider said, adding that even though there are obstacles many folks have been able to connect to English or citizenship classes more easily due to virtual opportunities.

Professor Margaret Post’s qualitative course inspired Rider to pursue this topic. He was tasked with creating a project for the class but wanted it to have a more tangible impact. Anne Bureau from the Worcester Family Resource Center suggested that he look at how the pandemic was affecting this population and how information was sent to them.

“Worcester is a super diverse city, and it is one of the main settlement points for refugees and asylees,” Rider said. “I wanted to try to do more to make sure my country is a place where people feel like they belong and have a right to be here.”