Community Report: Refugee Transitions of San Francisco
Introduction
Refugee Transitions is a non-profit organization in the area of San Francisco, indeed the only one of its kind that offers home-based mentoring and tutoring to refugees and other low-income immigrants. The group began originally as the Refugee Women’s Program back in the year 1982 as a result of the large number of refugees from Southeast Asia who came and settled in the poor regions of San Francisco. In addition, it was also sanctioned by the amazing number of women who exhibited tremendous fear, lack of sense of belonging in the cities, and those who were alarmingly weighed down by childcare responsibilities. It is at this point that the pioneers of this organization, who were purely volunteers, trained these women to acquire civic and English language skills. Currently, the organization has expanded its services to include home-based tutoring, and mentoring, offering exams for citizenship preparations, after-school tutoring, leadership training, family support, tutoring of small groups, and summer camps for youthful refugees(Refugee Transitions, 2013).
The organization is governed by the Board of Directors, which is currently headed by Stephen N. Roberts as the chairperson. Other members of the board are experienced individuals and heads of various renowned organizations who serve as the key decision-making organ of the Refugee Transitions of San Francisco. Other stakeholders who are pertinent to the operations of the organization include financial supporters who give grants, and are frequently consulted in the event of a major decision. Apart from the supporters, the organization also enjoys partnership with other players in the community, which this paper will discuss later. At the top management of day-today operations is the Executive Director, Laura Vaudreuil, who is flanked by other leaders holding various positions such as Director of Strategy and Development; Public Relations and Development Associate; Lead Academic Tutor; English Language Program Manager; Volunteer and Program Coordinator; and Family Resource Coordinators of different sections of the area covered(Refugee Transitions, 2013). The organization is organized in a matrix structure, where teams are used to complete specified tasks and individuals enjoy the synergy of working together. The proceeding sections of this paper are dedicated to the critical analysis of the roles of the organization, its contribution to the society, and how it addresses the issues of inequality in the society.
Thesis: Social Issues Addressed by Refugee Transitions
One of the RT Community Navigator Interns, Til, says that what refugees suffer from most is the fear of intimidation, death threats, and torture. These are the predicaments people usually face when they come into a new country, as opposed to their host countries where there is a sense of belonging, familiarity, and language confusion(Segal &Mayadas, 2005). Refugee Transitions of San Francisco addresses these social issues in various capacities through the numerous programs they offer to their clients. Adult programs offered include home-based tutoring for adults, refugee community navigator interns, site-based ESL classes, and refugee citizenship project(Refugee Transitions, 2013). These programs address a wide range of specific social issues, as discussed below.
As aforementioned, the group began as a result of the observation of the turmoil that refugees had to undergo while seeking resettlement within the area of San Francisco. One of the major problems faced then was lack of familiarity with the English language(Tuitt, 2013). Through its educative programs, the organization has been able to teach refugees from low-income areas of San Francisco the skills of speaking English, which has been a major step in the process of resettling. Since it is this language that is primarily used in this area, refugees who have no command of it feel intimidated and lost(Henry, 2009). They are generally afraid to seek help from government offices, access social amenities, and freely interact by the natives. By offering English lessons to these refugees, the group addresses an important social issue: intimidation and lack of belongingness.
Apart from the English language, the targeting of the group is perfectly befitting the description of a non-profit social enterprise. Economists say that a social enterprise provides services where they are most needed, without considering profitability, and return on investment. The primary goal of such enterprises is to create a positive transformative impact in the society, which would alienate problems associated with inequalities and class discrimination(Segal &Mayadas, 2005). By deciding to target refuges who settle on the low-income areas of San Francisco, the organization has sufficiently addressed an existing social inequality, trying to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. Accessibility of social and health services such as basic skills of childcare, language proficiency and familiarity with the surrounding are important aspects of every refugee that needed to have been provided for by the government; but since social discrimination exists in the society, government resources are unjustly distributed to areas where they are not needed most(Henry, 2009).
Besides, the Refugee Community Navigator Interns program addresses yet another social problem: unemployment. Many educated youths who successfully complete their educational training lack even the basic hands-on skills that employers need in order to hire them(Segal &Mayadas, 2005). Coming in as an arbitrator, the Refugee Transitions is able to acquaint these youths with the necessary skills that are desired in the market, and even provide employment positions for them. Moreover, the internship program provides graduates with a smooth transition from school life to the practical life of self-reliance by offering stipends for sustainability(Refugee Transitions, 2013). The impact of such a gesture could never be adequately fathomed, but just a glimpse at it reveals a myriad of benefits such as alienation of poverty, prevention of social crimes such as theft and burglary, and acquisition of practical skills desired in the job market.
Generally, the Refugee Transitions’ programs bring back hope to refugees who have become hopeless. As shown in one of the testimonials, the group also enhances family reunion which solves a whole lot of family-related problems. As families are kept together, their happiness and unity serves a common desired purpose: leading a contented life. As enshrined in its core functions, the group has been instrumental in helping individuals acquire citizenship in the United States by acting as mediators between them and the government agencies. This prevents the occurrences of social embarrassments such as forced deportation and restriction of future travels. It certainly brings the services “where they are needed most”. Therefore, instead of discriminating and prejudicing against low-income refugees, the organization offers them solace, and through it, many other interested individuals are able to extend their love and support to the needy in the society (Henry, 2009). From a broader perspective, these programs go a long way in stemming out negative ethnicity that comes as a result of the realization that someone is not able to speak the native language, and has little knowledge of one’s environment(Tuitt, 2013).
Activities Supported by Refugee Transitions
The Refugee Transitions supports various activities which primarily target the less fortunate in the society, around the low-income areas of San Francisco. One of its core activities is helping refugees acquire English language proficiency. This is considered important especially for those who would want to resettle in the United States, since the principle language of communication is English. Lack of knowledge of the language, as had been observed by the pioneers of the organization, gives room for resentment mixed with fear to set in, acting as a self-discriminatory element to the victims. In addition, the organization provides support for citizenship registration to individuals who would want to permanently resettle in the United States, and this project was established in 2011 to provide, not only liaison services between the refugees and government agencies, but also educate them about the naturalization process coupled with English language tutoring in readiness for the compulsory citizenship exam(Refugee Transitions, 2013). This activity is also instrumental in helping the newcomers blend in the society, thus participating actively in its development.
The Community Navigator Interns program is another innovative facet of the long list of activities handled by the Refugee Transitions. Through this program, the organization recruits, supports, and trains members of the immigrant lots to so as to help them acquire hands-on skills that are needed in the job market. In addition, these individuals are able to participate in helping their own community members, thereby enhancing their social skills, and also orienting them towards self-sufficiency as they learn the English language. For the youths, there are a lot of exciting activities organized by Refugee Transitions that help them acquire skills in English speaking as well as leadership and socialization capabilities(Henry, 2009). The home-based tutoring program, for instance, helps the youths develop positive and supportive relationships with their peers and adults, as well as academic success secrets(Refugee Transitions, 2013).
Another supportive activities arranged for the youths include summer camps and refugee youth leadership corps. The former allows youths from different countries to have a great time together making friends and sharing innovative ideas and experiences. It also helps newly arrived youths to familiarize themselves with the community and develop and a sense of belonging. Besides, they are also able to practice basic life skill such as survival amid hardships and the crucial importance of team-work. This way, they are able to appreciate one another and develop affection towards one another, cutting through the ages of ethnicity, racial discrimination, and negative impacts of class society. The latter has been introduced to help refugee youth leaders develop better skills of management and leadership in their respective societal responsibilities. As young leaders interact with one another, they are able to develop skills, learn from one another, and come up with better ways of helping their communities in various capacities. Lastly, the family support program offered by the organization helps refugee families access healthcare, education, find jobs, and develop social life skills that are paramount in daily activities.
The primary targets of the Refugee Transitions are refugees who settle in low-income areas of San Francisco Bay. These refugees are rom diverse origins including Asia/Pacific Islands, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and Eastern Europe/Asia(Henry, 2009). The percentages representing the proportions of clients served per region of origin are not constant, but are dependent on a number of international factors. The organization is able to provide home-based care for approximately 850 clients annually on an individual basis(Refugee Transitions, 2013). The refugees from Burma constitute of the highest number of clients receiving assistance each year, due to the marked instability of the region(Henry, 2009). The programs offered target everyone including the youths, children, adults, and families, as has been extensively described above. The limited number of volunteers incapacitates the organization especially in offering more extensive coverage of clients.
A section of the clients that receive these programs are involved in decision-making in the organization. The youths who are trained on leadership skills act as liaison officers between the organization and the people, and they influence major decisions being made. As explained earlier, the Refugee Transitions has a matrix organizational structure, where employees and volunteers are organized in teams to accomplish a given task. In this type of arrangement, decision-making is delegated to the team level, which is usually in close contact with the clients being served. Through its innovative, community-based programs that have been exhaustively outlined in the previous segments of this paper, the organization is able to ameliorate effects of inequality in the society by enhancing equal access to basic services by the less fortunate members of the society. By educating refugee youths and helping to them to perform better in their exams, they are able to stem out stigma associated with negative ethnicity, and instead encourage friendship and unity among natives and refugees.
Conclusion
Refugee Transitions is purely a social enterprise, which has the sole purpose of bringing positive change in the society. As it appears, the organization has dedicated itself to helping the low-income communities gain equal access to life basics, and from the analysis, it can be concluded that it has so far been successful in its mission. As more volunteers join to lend a helping hand towards the organization’s course, it would be able to expand its services and be able to help more needy refugees in San Francisco and even in the regions beyond.
References
Henry, J. (2009). Refugee Transition into American Public Schools: An Emergent Study of Major Influences. ProQuest LLC.
Refugee Transitions (2013). Help the community, change the world: Official Website. Retrieved fromwww.reftrans.org.
Segal, U. A., &Mayadas, N. S. (2005).Assessment of Issues Facing Immigrant and Refugee Families.Child Welfare, 84(5), 563.
Tuitt, P. (2013). Transitions: Refugees and Natives. International Journal On Minority & Group Rights, 20(2), 179-197.
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