THE REFUGEE EDUCATION CENTER
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : k*****n@r*******r.o*g
Mission Statement
The Refugee Education Center exists to support refugees in their journey to become fully participating members of the West Michigan community.
About This Cause
About the Refugee Education Center: The Refugee Education Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Grand Rapids, MI. The organization was founded in 2006 to support refugee students and their families by providing services that coincide with traditional education in order that students may excel academically at an equitable rate as their American-born peers - and prepare for success in their new homeland. Our Core Values: We are educators at the core, but we know that life is complex, and every story unique. That’s why we address the needs of not only the students we serve, but the whole family. Providing support in their journey to become fully participating members of the West Michigan community. EDUCATION We were founded on a belief that education is a gift and an opportunity. We acknowledge unique needs of refugee students and design our programs and services to coincide with traditional education in order that students may excel academically at an equitable rate as their American-born peers - and prepare for success in their new homeland. FAMILY STABILITY Many complex barriers can interrupt the lives of refugee families. Whether it's a health and safety crisis, job loss, housing challenge or other life-challenge, our team is equipped to walk alongside refugees in these challenges, providing direct support or vital referrals to local social service agencies and programs. CULTURE AND BELONGING For many, the United States poses culturally challenging situations that differ from their birth-countries. We seek to prepare refugees to successfully engage with their new culture while also retaining their own cultural identity, values, and traditions. Our Program Services: PROJECT FAULU Project Faulu is the Refugee Education Center’s cornerstone K-8 support program for refugee students. Focusing on positive social skills and academic engagement, Project Faulu works to prepare students for success across a variety of settings, both at school and within the broader community. This after-school program is designed specifically to support students based on their unique social and academic strengths and needs. Together with volunteers and the guidance of the Refugee Education Center’s program staff, students create and learn together in a supportive and engaging environment that emphasizes language and literacy development, creativity, and inquiry. B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Building Refugee Independence and Delivering Guidance for Educational Success is designed for newly resettled refugee children who have yet to enter a US classroom. We provide a safe and welcoming environment for kids to prepare for their K-12 education and relieve anxiety prior to entering a classroom. The program exposes kids to new topics, themes, and culture they will encounter in their new school. Our goal is that each participating student is prepared to start school on the right foot! GRADUATE & GROW Graduate & Grow offers broad, individualized support for high school aged students of refugee backgrounds. Through the program, students receive age-out support, graduation plans, mentorship and guidance in order to prepare them to graduate with a traditional high school diploma, as well as for a successful transition into a career, trade school, and/or post-secondary education. REFUGEE NAVIGATORS Who better to provide guidance and support than someone who has “been there, done that.” For newly arriving refugees, whether one has recently resettled in the United States or has moved from another part of the country, Navigators are a welcoming, familiar face in an unfamiliar place. Navigators, who come from a refugee background themselves, share their lived experiences and are trusted partners, providing guidance through the maze of government and private support systems in the foundational areas that best prepare a person (or family) for long-term integration and full participation. HANDS CONNECTED Hands Connected is a one-of-a-kind program that provides children of refugee background, aged 0-3, with culturally responsive and multilingual early childhood education taught by refugee educators. Its primary purpose is to support children’s development in order that they may develop at the same rate as their American-born peers. Additionally, this program creates economic opportunities for refugee adults through direct employment and for those who are learning or working elsewhere and are in need of quality childcare.