Robin Gurung

Biography

Robin is Co-Executive Director of Asian Refugees United (ARU) and director for all ARU's programs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Born in Bhutan in 1988, raised in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, Robin came to the United States of America in 2012 through the Refugee Resettlement Program. He brings his 20 years of refugee experiences to his community organizing work and focuses on empowering refugee youths to become the change agents in their community. While previsouly living in the Bay Area, Robin co-founded a youth group called Bay Area Bhutanese Youths, BABY, (now "The Storytellers" operating in Harrisburg, PA) which brings together Bhutanese youths to tell stories of refugees and immigrants. Focus of "The Storytellers" is to bring awareness about displacement issues and what comes after displacement: identity crisis, search for home, (dis)connection to our ancestors/roots, and hope for humanity. Robin also helped co-found Camp for Emerging Leaders (also known as CAMP), an annual 3 to 5 day leadership training program for self identified Bhutanese organizers, activists, artists, and emerging community leaders. The CAMP is an immersion experience into personal and community transformation. Robin also served as the President of Bhutanese Community in California (2017-21).