Upcoming Events
Volunteer Happy HourWhen:Wed, Jan 26th from 6-8:30 pm Where: ThirstyBear, 661 Howard St. (between 2nd St. and 3rd St.) San Francisco This is the first of what will be a monthly volunteer appreciation event! We will be kicking off this year at ThirstyBear Brewery Co. in downtown SF (we'll alternate locations each month between SF and the East Bay). Appetizers are on us and all are welcome - feel free to bring friends! The more the merrier. We'll have a couple tables in the bar area - it should be easy to find us, but feel free to call 415-989-2151 or email Sandy at sandy@reftrans.org with questions! World Affairs Council Lecture: The UN Refugee Agency at 60 Years
When:
Mon, Jan 24th from 6-8 pm
Where:
312 Sutter St. (near Stockton St), San Francisco
The World Affairs Council is hosting a talk byUNHCR Regional Representative Vincent Cochetel. He will be discussing the role of the UNHCR plays in supporting and protecting refugees around the world.
Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased online here.
RT Training: Succeeding in U.S. Schools
When:
Thurs, Jan 20th from 6-8 pm
Where:
1212 Broadway, Suite 702 (near 12th St.), Oakland
For adult, youth and site-based tutors! The new school semester is beginning and it is our role as tutors to help youth and families kick off the semester with a positive start!
For information on what we'll be covering during this training, view the description on our calendar.
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Volunteer
Resources
Eritrean Refugees in Shimelba Refugee Camp, the newest COR (Cultural Orientation Resource) Center Refugee Backgrounder, is now available on the COR Center website. This backgrounder provides basic information about the Tigrinya and Kunama refugees from the Shimelba Refugee Camp.
Home Across Lands is a documentary on resettlement of small group of Eritrean KunamaThe film "chronicles the journey of newly arrived Kunama as they strive to become self-reliant, invested participants in their new home." The film also documents their resettlement agency's guidance, as staff members connect refugees to the resources they need as they work to establish a new community and better life for their families.
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Tutors needed in Oakland, SF, and the South Bay!
RT is seeking home-based tutors for youth and adults in Oakland , San Francisco and the South Bay (male tutors are especially needed) and after-school program tutors in San Francisco and Oakland at SFIHS and OIHS.
If you know anyone who might be interested, please forward this newsletter along! Also, click here to view our volunteer application process! |
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Reminder: Volunteer Logs
Friendly reminder to all home- based volunteers to send in your monthly volunteer logs! These logs are an incredibly important part of the tutoring process, as RT staff uses the logs to gauge student improvement, and this helps us to know when to test our students. For more information on how to complete a log click here. If you have any questions, contact Sandy at sandy@reftrans.org. |
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RT's New South Bay Office
We've moved from Sunnyvale to Downtown San Jose!
 RT is excited to announce that we have finally moved into our new South Bay office in San Jose! Our new address is:
1922 The Alameda, Suite 425 San Jose, CA 95126
Our new location in the South Bay is more accessible to the majority of the clients we serve, and is also within walking distance of the College Park Caltrain Station. We will have our own office space, and we'll share a common area shared with five other nonprofits that work with refugee and immigrant communities in the Bay Area, providing us with daily opportunities for close networking and stronger partnerships! |
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Volunteer Log Milestones
Each month, we salute the RT volunteers who have submitted their logs and exceeded 50, 100, and over 200 volunteer hours! 50+ hours: Brandee Marckmann, Dana Marini, Emily White, Jessica Chen, John Brewer, Kim Huynh, Laura Nielsen, Lauren Trestler, Linda Lee, Malia Anderson, Meghan Makielski, Rishi Sinha, Saori Ezuka, Sarah Shvarts, Sheryl Lee
100+ hours: John Voelker, Katie Tang
200+ hours: Carl Langfeldt, Linda Foust, Murray Barrett
Thank you volunteers for your impressive and valuable time and commitment to your students!
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Volunteer Spotlight
Caryn Wolf
 Caryn began as a literacy coach in May of 2009, working with Shova, a single Bhutanese mother from Nepal. Now that Shova has drastically improved her language skills and secured full-time employment, she no longer needs Caryn's weekly support (though they are still in touch and remain close). Because of her dedication and enthusiasm for supporting newcomers in the Bay Area, Caryn agreed to be matched with another student. In November of this year, Lauren, our volunteer coordinator, matched Caryn with Jeanette, a refugee and mother of five, from the DRC/Rwanda. Jeanette arrived just two months ago and lacks an extensive refugee community and is thus linguistically and culturally isolated. We're thrilled to have Caryn working with another one of our students, helping Jeanette learn the English language and life skills she needs to succeed in her new environment!
Read more about Caryn here, in our blog's Volunteer of the Week feature!
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Student Story
Sonam  The following piece was written by Tibetan youth student Sonam. One of our volunteers has been working with her family for over the past two years, and this past summer Sonam attended RT's camp for girls in San Francisco's Presidio. She's an incredibly spunky, lively ball of energy and a great writer!
My name is Sonam. I come from Tibet. Where I come from, people are Tibetan. If you visited my country, you would see flowers and you would smell raspberry and you would taste momo.
I like my country because I can play games. It makes me feel like I am at home. I get excited when my grandmom comes to my home.
Lots of lions scares me. People thing I am very quiet but really I am very loud. I am good at drawing and soccer. I miss my friends but I love my mom. When I get older I would like to be a doctor. Now, I am ready for 3rd grade. Sometimes I feel sad and mad.
If I were an animal I would be a butterfly because it is pretty. If I were a tree I would be a magic tree that will never die. If I were a color, I would be green because it is the color of nature. The most important thing to me is my family. I feel most at home when I have my special bracelet.
I loved my home country because I was born there. The things I miss are my hat and my bed and my room. In my new home, I am safe. My dream in California is to be a fairy. I am proud of myself because I am myself.
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Activity of the Month
PIE Reader: Parent-Teacher Meetings
Refugee Transitions is happy to provide ESL materials from the PIE (Parent Involvement in Education) Reader.
This month's topic is Parent-Teacher Meetings. The reader is a useful resource for helping refugee and immigrant parents become involved with their children's education, and covers the language and socio-cultural skills needed to help children succeed in school.
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Starting Again: Stories of Refugee Youth
Insights into the day-to-day experiences of refugee youth
School's Out Washington, a Seattle-based nonprofit, recently partnered with Corrugated Films to produce a film that follows the stories of four refugee youth from Burma, Nepal/Bhutan, Russia and Somalia who have resettled with their families in Washington State. While these students live outside of the area which RT serves, their narratives are indicative of the experiences of many of the youth RT volunteers work with in the Bay Area. Their courage, intelligence, maturity, and determination to succeed in their new environments is truly inspirational. To see the full article and view the film, click below! |
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U.S. Citizenship Preparation for Students
Help your students prepare for the citizenship exam!
Just follow these steps: 1) Find out if your student is eligible and meets the following requirements: - Be 18 years old or older at the time of filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
- Be a lawful permanent resident (have a "green card").
- Demonstrate continuous permanent residence in the United States for at least 5 years. (In some cases, this may be 3 years if you are married to a U.S. citizen.)
- Show that you have been physically present in the United States for 30 months. (In some cases, this may be 18 months if you are married to a U.S. citizen.)
- Show that you have lived for at least 3 months in the state or USCIS district where you claim residence.
2) Help your student study for the exam!
The 100 questions: To become a naturalized citizen, your student needs to take a test (oral and written). Here are the 100 questions s/he should study (which are available in several languages): 100 Civics Questions in English, in audio format, and in other languagesOther helpful resources: Naturalization Test and Interview VideoComponents of the Naturalization Test |
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