Announcement
Refugee youth at a graduation ceremony in May 2018.
Photo: Andrew Holzschuh
This year, the IRC in Dallas is launching a new initiative to benefit refugee youth and to narrow the gap in service to high school aged refugees.
Forty percent of students in the academic coaching program had disrupted education prior to coming to the United States
The IRC in Dallas' Academic Coaching Program is meeting an unaddressed need in Dallas schools. Many refugee students who arrive in the US and begin high school for the first time have not had a “traditional” learning experience. Forty percent of the students participating in the debut year of the program had “disrupted education” before coming to the US, meaning they were unable to ascend grade levels each year without stopping.
Ninety percent of parents of youth in the Academic Coaching Program say that the education of their children is very important to them.
The IRC in Dallas has launched an Academic Coaching Program to help fill this service gap. The average age of enrolled students is fifteen, and many have had to suspend their education for reasons that their classmates never could imagine. They only have a few more years left to get the most they can out of their education in the United States. These students will rely on the IRC to empower them to reach their potential.
Forty percent of parents with children in the Academic Coaching program have no education at all, none of the parents have a university level of education or more.
In a poll of the families that have students participating in Academic Coaching this year, ninety percent stressed how important it is for their children to finish school. Like all parents, these want their children to have opportunities with their education that they never had. Of the parents surveyed, forty percent have had no education in their lives, ten percent of them have completed high school, and none have higher education. The parents surveyed were also asked how their child would apply to college. None of the parents polled demonstrated an understanding of the college application process.
Support for the program is provided by specially trained IRC interns who are completing their Masters of Social Work practicums. Since this program is currently unfunded, the IRC in Dallas is rising to the challenge to meet needs with low cost. Social work students act as academic coaches, working with current students at nearby Conrad High School. Through a holistic appraoch, these students provide needs-based case management services and work closely with the students.
With no public funding, this program's inception was created by determination of IRC staff who saw a need and acted. Would you consider acting in the same way? Donate now to support this vital and ground-breaking program at the IRC in Dallas.
