World Refugee Day Vendor
NEST participated as a vendor at the World Refugee Day Fair in Clarkston, where we hosted an interactive booth aimed at introducing students and families from the local refugee community to business education and financial literacy opportunities. Throughout the event, our team engaged directly with attendees and distributed NEST-branded materials including water bottles, pens, candy, and informational flyers designed to clearly explain our mission and upcoming programs. The goal was not only to raise awareness of NEST, but to build early relationships with students and parents who may benefit from accessible, hands-on entrepreneurship education in the future.
Clarkston is home to one of the most diverse refugee populations in Georgia, and our participation in this event reflected NEST’s broader commitment to expanding opportunity and reducing barriers to business education in underserved communities. By meeting families face-to-face, we were able to have meaningful conversations about students’ interests, aspirations, and the challenges they face in accessing traditional business and financial education resources. These interactions helped reinforce our mission of making entrepreneurship education more practical, approachable, and community-driven.
In addition to our outreach efforts at the fair, NEST was honored to be invited to join both the Georgia Refugee Coalition of nonprofits, through Beamy Ahmed, and the Greater Clarkston Collaborative, through Eldon Porter. These invitations represent a significant step in deepening our engagement with established organizations already serving Clarkston’s refugee population. Through these partnerships, we hope to collaborate more closely with local leaders, schools, and nonprofits to ensure our programs are aligned with community needs and have meaningful, long-term impact.
Moving forward, we are excited to continue building our presence in Clarkston and expanding access to NEST programming for students in the area. Our long-term goal is to support refugee and underserved youth not only with business knowledge, but with the tools, confidence, and mentorship needed to turn their ideas into real-world ventures.
