Pardee’s Urban Refuge Program Wins APSIA Award for Community Building
Urban Refuge, a student-initiated project at BU’s Pardee School, received APSIA’s 2025 Inclusion Award for Community Building, recognizing its innovative, tech-driven approach to supporting displaced communities. This category of the APSIA Annual Awards recognizes initiatives that connect different groups and elevate a sense of community. Launched in 2021, these awards celebrate members of the APSIA society who are pushing the envelope in “the field of professionally-focused international affairs education.”
The Pardee School’s Urban Refuge program, which began as a student-driven classroom project, has grown into a nationally recognized initiative that connects displaced communities with essential resources. It was launched in 2016 by students enrolled in a “Forced Migration Policy Incubator” course taught by Noora Lori, Associate Professor of International Relations and Director of the Middle East – North Africa (MENA) Initiative.
Instead of drafting policy memos, students were challenged to envision digital tools that could directly support refugees. Working remotely with six peers from Syria and Jordan in Amman, Pardee students designed an app aimed at “putting aid on the map.” The app, which featured a geocoded, user-friendly platform, empowered refugees to easily locate essential services such as education, healthcare, legal aid, housing, employment, and financial assistance. Their project, named Urban Refuge (or Daleel in Arabic), culminated in a pitch deck, an app blueprint, and a database of over 200 organizations. By 2016, the team had raised nearly $18,000 from 181 donors through a BU Crowdfunding campaign.
Last year, the Urban Refuge team participated in BostonHacks, one of the largest hackathon events in the city. The Pardee Executive Board of Urban Refuge including students Emma Galletta (MGP ’24), Seynedhee Avenie (MAIA ’25), Daria Kosack (BA IR ’25), Soumyaa Mathur (BA IR ’25), and Isabella Chaparro Will (BA IR ’26) oversaw the challenge, guiding participating students to develop a platform featuring GIS-based data for real-time mapping, user privacy, and community-driven updates for long-term sustainability.