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| Refugee Transitions Volunteer Newsletter |
February 2010
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Dear RT Volunteers,
As we highlighted in our February Newsletter, 2010 is the year of the US Census! And April, Census month, is now here! Filling out the census is of
particular importance for--and is often overlooked by-- refugee
families. By completing the census form, they are reporting themselves
as members of a growing U.S. community. This helps our growing newcomer
groups better access funding and services to support their transitions.
Help your students with their 2010 Census Form!
In other news, Refugee Transitions has some exciting new developments.
- Our Salesforce database is up and running! This new system allows us to better track and support our students and volunteers, collect online logs (see below), analyze data on student demographics, and keep us organized! We love Salesforce (and Julia for her hard work on making this happen)
- Refugee Transitions has hired a new VISTA who will begin in July as the PR and Development Associate. Stay tuned for more news!
- We've launched the early stages of our Community Navigator Internship Program in which RT trains and supports refugee leaders to serve their communities. Congratulations to RT's new Community Navigators Til, Goma, Ma Win Kyi and Soe Reh!
- Plans are underway for the creation of a new and improved RT website. It's going to be beautiful--and an enhanced resource for volunteers on teaching materials, background info and activity ideas.
As you can see, we're busy! All these exciting new developments are in large part thanks to YOU and your tireless work with RT students. As always, thanks for your commitment to helping refugee and immigrant families in the Bay Area.
With Gratitude,
Refugee Transitions
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TELL YOUR STUDENT TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE CENSUS FORM IN THE MAIL!
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███Volunteer of the Month███
Mary Gail Snyder
Mary Gail began as an RT tutor at SF International High School in September. Though she has only been with RT since the beginning of the academic year, Mary Gail has shown an immense commitment to the students at SF International High School and to RT's mission of supporting youth with language assistance, homework help, academic mentoring and positive role-modeling. Mary Gail tutors twice a week and has become a pillar of our new program at SFIHS, and a strong contributor to its success. Thanks, Mary Gail!
I was lucky enough to
start at San Francisco International High School on the very first day. I'd
been looking to do some volunteering in adult literacy when I found Refugee
Transitions. Lauren encouraged me to think about tutoring at SFIHS
instead. I was dubious; I hadn't had
much experience with high school students since I was one myself, and all my
teaching background was with adults. Turns
out, I love it.
That first day, we
were all new -- the students were all newly arrived in the US, and the school
itself was also brand-new -- so we've all been learning together over this
year. I tutor twice each week, and also
have had opportunities to help out during a class, come to school events, and
even chaperone a field trip to the Cartoon Art Museum. Some days I work one-one-one intensively,
other days I jump around and work with lots of students. Jeff McClelland, our site coordinator, is fantastic
with the students and he's a real ESL teacher, so I've learned a lot from
him. The SFIHS faculty and
administration are also very dedicated, and we see them often in tutoring,
which helps us as well as the students.
There's a lot of
variation in preparation among the students, with some lacking basic skills in
their own language, and most having started with little to no English, so it's
quite a challenge to do the work. Of
course, that's part of what makes it so interesting. Most students come
repeatedly, and over time you really get to know them, their quirks and enthusiasms,
their strengths and struggles.
Recently I needed to
help a girl understand how to calculate the area of an irregular polygon. She's
still shaky on multiplication, and I know she tends to just shut down and guess
wildly when confronted with numbers bigger than single digits. I kept trying...
step by step, modeling, repetition, using single-digit examples, then cutting
out the shapes to manipulate them physically...eventually I grabbed some colored
pencils and started identifying the sides by color instead of number. I threw in a little counting on our fingers,
and she had it, the relationships finally made sense to her, and both of us
were grinning. The next one she did using color and numbers together, and the
one after that, she made it through in black and white.
The math teacher
recently asked us to let a few students take an exam during tutoring, because
they usually get over-anxious and then choke on tests. She said it's a space in which they
"typically feel super-empowered and successful." It
feels great to contribute to that. -Mary Gail Snyder, SF International High School Tutor
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Save The Date:
RT Fundraiser & Social
May 5th
Evening (time TBD)
Elixir Bar
3200 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Come connect with other RT volunteers, staff and board members and celebrate the heard work of the RT family!
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THE NEW VOLUNTEER LOG HAS BEEN UNVEILED!
After many months in the making, Refugee Transitions' new Volunteer Log is up and running! We are so excited to have this new and improved version, which we hope will revolutionize our ability to gather data and better serve our hard-working students and volunteers.
Logs provide a brief summary of the work you have accomplished with
your student(s) during each calendar month. They are now due on the last
day of every month. (Example: Logs for March 1, 2010 - March 31,
2010 are due on March 31, 2010.)
Once we match you in our database, you will receive an email providing you with your Student ID. You will need to use this, as well as your email address, to sign-in to the Volunteer Log. For volunteers who are working with more than one student, you will receive a separate notification email and Student ID for each student. Please fill out a Log for each student with whom you are working. If you tutor several students at the same time, please just break up the time when logging your hours (example: For a 2 hour session with Jane and John Liu, log 1 hour for Jane and 1 hour for John).
The Log should only take a few minutes to fill out, and has been streamlined to make the whole process easier. We read each and every one--so please take the time to fill out your Log every month! If you decide to stop tutoring, please notify us so we can re-match your student and remove you from our Log Reminder email list.
Thank you to those of you who have already submitted your logs... we love you!
Happy Logging!
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Announcing RT's Annual Summer Camp Dates
Since 2006, Refugee Transitions has offered the only local overnight summer camp for refugee youth in the Bay Area. And as summer approaches (can you believe it?) we have solidified our camp dates for refugee youth ages 11-17 in San Francisco's Presidio. - Boys: Saturday July 30th-Sunday August 1st
- Girls: Thursday August 12th-Saturday August 14th.
Now is the time to talk to families about this opportunity for fun, learning, community-building and English practice in the outdoors!
We will be sending out the application forms soon, but please email lauren@reftrans.org if your youth is interested in attending so we can hold a spot. | |
Congratulations
to RT Students Charles & Barbara Cope and their boys for Passing the Citizenship Exam and Naturalizing as U.S. Citizens!
News about your students accomplishments? Send them our way!
email lauren@reftrans.org
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Mark Your Calendars:
WORLD
REFUGEE DAY
Celebrations
June 20th is international World Refugee Day. To honor the strength, resilience and accomplishments of refugees and to welcome them to the United States, this year's annual celebrations will be held in the following locations and on the following dates.
Friday, June 18th
San Jose
Evening Program and Performances
Friday, June 18th
Oakland
Afternoon picnic and presentation, San Antonio Park
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San Francisco Job Fair THURSDAY, April 8, 2010
10:00AM - 2:00PM
1450 POWELL STREET,
San Francisco,
CA 94133
(SALVATION ARMY 2ND FLOOR GYM) Jobs in retail, restaurant, financial service & construction industries!
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Driving Test Resources: DMV Driving Test Videos!
Helping your adult student pass their driving test can be a big service to the entire family.
The CA DMV has great study resources on its website, and how has a youtube channel for videos of driving tests and tips!
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NEWS
The New York Times
"Burmese Refugees Persecuted in Bangladesh"
BANGKOK - Stateless refugees from Myanmar are suffering beatings and deportation in Bangladesh,
according to aid workers and rights groups who say thousands are
crowding into a squalid camp where they face starvation and disease.
In a campaign that seems to have accelerated since October, the groups
say, ethnic Rohingya refugees who have been living for years in
Bangladesh are being seized, beaten and forced back to Myanmar, which
they had left to escape persecution and abuse and which does not want
them.
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JOBS Now in SF!
Upwardly Global has partnered with the City of San Francisco to offer a new program to help job seekers find jobs in their field quickly. Does your student qualify for this program?The criteria for the program are:
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Must be an SF Resident
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Must have US work authorization
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Must have a child under 18 living in the US.
Job seekers accepted into the program will have 100% of their wages paid by the City of San Francisco for the next year, which makes them very attractive to employers. Upwardly Global is seeing job seekers find a job in their field within a couple of weeks after starting the program.
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Karen Language Materials--Online!
CLICK HERE to access Karen dictionaries & phrasebooks!
Burmese Dictionary--Online!
If you work with Burmese speaking students, check out this great online resource with Burmese fonts, Burmese phrases, and an online dictionary!
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Important Education Resource for ALL volunteers:
The education system in the U.S. is complicated and overwhelming for many newcomer families. Yet learning to navigate this system is crucial for student success.
The OUSD created an illustrated guide for navigating the school system translated into 10 languages. While some of this information is specific to the OUSD, much of it is generalized information and tools (again, translated!) that apply to all U.S. Schools.
These are posted on our website here. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource!
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Oakland Resource Highlight:
 Summer Resource Fair
at the Oakland Unified School District
Tuesday, April 20th
5:30-7:30
2111 International Blvd, Oakland
As you know, summer can be a difficult time for so many of our
students, as they are often socially and linguistically isolated and lack
positive, structured opportunities for continued learning and growth.
Each Spring, the Oakland Unified School District's Refugee & Asylee Student Assistance Program hosts a summer resources fair for refugee & asylee families to learn about and sign up for the exciting summer opportunities that abound in their neighborhoods and schools. Tell your families about this fair--and attend with them if you can!
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San Francisco Resource Highlight:
Do your students need legal help?
Legal Advice
and Referral Clinic Saturday, April 10th, UC Hastings
198 McAllister St, SF
Louis B. Mayer Lounge
The purpose of
the event is to provide legal services to low-income client clients in varies
areas of the law. All individuals are welcome.
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Spring Institute's ABCs for Tutors
Click Here to View
This is an outstanding ESL Resource that makes learning accessible and relevant to our students. Please read!
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Make a Difference
Be a Refugee Foster Care Parent
Wanted: Warm-hearted, internationally-minded families to welcome a refugee youth into their homes. You can be single or married; from a large family or nave no children at all; and of any race, religion or ethnic background.
Shape a future. Help a refugee youth begin a life again.
Refugee foster youth are courageous, resilient, spirited and vulnerable. They are here ALONE - victims of persecution, war and human trafficking. They need our protection and a reason for hope.
Contact Coleen Higa at coleen@catholiccharitiesscc.org with questions.
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Useful Resources for Your Work as an RT Tutor-ONLINE!
RT Volunteer Erinn Struss has compiled a list of helpful online resources for RT tutors.
Links include:
- General ESL Resources, Worksheets & Games
- Lesson Ideas
- Podcasts/Multimedia
- News pages with Multimedia for ESL learners
- Websites with Student drills
- ESL Civics Resources
- Interview Guides
- Resource Guides
- Grammar Guides
Thank you, Erinn! |
RT Students Profiled in the
East Bay Express!
"Still Seeking Refuge"
OAKLAND-- The
East Bay's new Burmese immigrants left their homes in Thai refugee
camps only to find themselves in an even tougher spot- inner-city
Oakland amidst a punishing recession that threatens the assistance they
depend upon...
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Please Complete the Oakland Unified School District's Online Survey
By filling out this survey, you will help the OUSD and RT collect valuable data on our programs and the clients we serve.
THANK YOU!
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Know someone who wants to Volunteer? 
If you know someone who wants to volunteer with Refugee Transitions, we are always looking for more help in the East Bay, San Francisco and the South Bay! Send them this email, and direct them to our website at www.reftrans.org.
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Become Friends with RT on Facebook!
Join Refugee Transitions' online facebook community. Become our friend and get access to RT news, photos, YouTube videos, and more! |
To Read Past Newsletters: View Our Website
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Thank you, again, for all that you do to serve the immigrant and refugee populations of the Bay Area. You are the heart and soul of what we do!
Sincerely,
Lauren, Laura, Tenley, ZarNi, Grace, Elsa, Nandi, Julia, Nakachi and Jeff
(The Refugee Transitions Team) | |
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