 Dear Friend of RT,
Join Refugee Transitions in commemorating the strength and courage of refugees on World Refugee Day. We are partnering with other community organizations, schools, and government agencies to hold local celebrations to highlight the contributions of our refugee
neighbors. Here are two celebrations Refugee Transitions is participating in:
East Bay:
Friday, June 18th 12-3 pm at San Antonio Park in Oakland.
Join the East Bay Refugee and Immigrant Forum for a day of cultural performances (including a song from Refugee
Transitions' Youth Leaders), food from around the world and speeches
from RT's Board Member Ko Ko Lay and from Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker.
South Bay:
Friday, June 18th from 5-7 pm
Auditorium, 1555 Berger Drive, Building #2 in San Jose.
Join the Santa Clara Refugee and Immigrant Forum for an evening of cultural performances, music and dancing.
For more information about World
Refugee Day and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, please click here.
Thanks for supporting the Bay Area's low-income refugee and immigrant communities!
Laura Vaudreuil
Executive Director |
Refugee Transitions' Summer Soccer Events!
|  RT has planned some exciting activities for its community supporters, students, and volunteers!! We hope you can join us on July 18th in San Jose and/or on July 31st in San Francisco. No soccer experience or skills needed!
San Jose:
Sunday July 18th 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd., Santa Clara, CA, 95050
San Francisco:
Saturday, July 31st, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Crissy Field, San Francisco
Students from RT's boys camp will be
present at this event!
We urge you to come and bring friends,
family, students, and colleagues!
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Check out Refugee Transitions' new website!
|  Click here to visit Refugee Transitions' newly designed website where you will find stories from our students, immigrant facts and statistics, an interactive map showing refugee camps where many local refugees are coming from and much more.
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| Refugees and Asylees: 2009 Report
The
Annual Flow Report was released in April 2010 by the US Office of
Immigration Statistics. In the report are some important and recent
statistics about the populations we serve here at RT.
- A total of 74,602 people were admitted to the US as refugees in 2009
- The top three countries of nationality were: Iraq, Burma, and Bhutan
- A total of 23,119 people were granted asylum in the US in 2009
- California received the highest number of refugees in 2009
To read the entire report click here.
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 Burmese Refugees Preserve Culture Through Music
Producer Jack Chance of NPR traveled
along the Thai-Burma border as well as into the homes of refugees in
the U.S. to record the traditional music of the Karen people. Before Burmese refugees come to the U.S., they hold camp
on the Burma-Thailand border. There are signs with pictures of
hamburgers, Santa Claus and Joshua Tree National Park. It's sort of a
pre-"Welcome to America." The U.S. accepted nearly 14,000 Burmese
refugees in 2007, mostly from the Karen ethnic group. More are on their
way.
When refugees do eventually come to the U.S., they bring
with them the most important parts of their culture - their religion,
their food and their music. The Burmese play on instruments such as the
thana, a small wooden harp, and tell ancient love-story tragedies
through songs.
Listen to the entire broadcast HERE
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The Oakland Tribune: Inside Bay Area
Matt O'Brien is a journalist who mainly focuses on immigration issues. He has
been traveling with photographer Jane Tyska to Bhutan and Nepal,
chronicling the exodus of refugees to sponsor nations. Recently, he
reported from the SAARC Conference in Bhutan. Here is his article along
with photographs taken by Jane.
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As exiles fill East Bay, Bhutan gets dressed up
As they prepared for the biggest
international event ever to be held in Bhutan, leaders of the secluded
mountain kingdom asked their people for help.
First, make the
place look magnificent. Thousands of volunteers heeded the call,
pouring into the streets of this capital city to pick up trash, unplug
storm drains and cheerily wave flags at passing motorcades.
Click HERE to view the rest of the article
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RT's Generous Supporters
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In our quest to fulfill our mission to help the community and change
the world, Refugee Transitions shows its heartfelt appreciation and
gratitude to our various supporters. If you'd like to join our donor circle, please click here!
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Get Involved
|  | Become involved with RT and help support the refugee and immigrant communities in the Bay Area!
RT has long waitlists for refugees and immigrants who need our services. If you'd like to volunteer, please e-mail lauren@reftrans.org or click here to complete an application. If you'd like to speak to someone on our team, please call 415-989-2151.
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