On March 19, the IRC in Atlanta held its first ever high school graduation for 13 hard-working students in our Connect 2 Success (C2S) program—one of the only programs in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to supporting out-of-school refugee youth ages 16 to 24 to pursue their education and career goals.

April is National Volunteer Month and to celebrate, we are spotlighting some of our outstanding volunteers!

On February 23, more than a dozen speakers testified before the Georgia House Higher Education Committee in favor of House Bill 932, a bill which would extend in-state tuition at Georgia public colleges and universities to refugees immediately upon resettlement, as opposed to the current one-year wait period. The bill would also apply to individuals who risked their lives to support the U.S. military overseas, including our Afghan allies who were evacuated last summer.

Each year on June 20—World Refugee Day—the world commemorates the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees.

The IRC in Atlanta is thrilled to announce that two of our very own—Kaycie Pitts and Jennifer Potts—have been named as part of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Atlanta ‘30 under 30’ Class of 2021!

On October 27, generous Atlantans Dave and Mary Jane Kirkpatrick, hosted Seeking Refuge in Georgia, a fundraising event in support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta and Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN).

Please join us in calling on Members of Congress to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act. This life-changing legislation will help Afghans who were evacuated in 2021 to rebuild their lives and plan for the future across U.S. communities, providing them with a pathway to lawful permanent status and eventual citizenship. 

In honor of Constitution and Citizenship Day (Sep 17) our incredible friends at Citizenship Giveback came out to the IRC in Atlanta office to present their first donation of book proceeds—an incredible $1,000—to support the IRC in Atlanta’s Adult Education programs. 

The IRC in Atlanta’s partnership with the Technology Career Program (TCP) at TechBridge—an Information Technology (IT) training course—has helped more than 20 refugees and immigrants to gain a head start in the rapidly growing technology industry over the past year. One recent TCP graduate, Maiwand—who was evacuated from Afghanistan last fall—has gone above and beyond in his commitment to the program, and shares with us below his journey to rebuilding his life and career here in Atlanta.

As the new school year begins, we at the IRC in Atlanta are looking forward to welcoming a new class of brilliant Youth Futures students. But before kicking off a new year of learning, our Youth Futures team said goodbye to 33 accomplished students who all successfully graduated in May!