Do you remember the new kid in school? A student thrown into an environment with strange faces and a whole new list of instructions to follow. Maybe that was you. Being the new kid in school can be a lonely experience, especially if language is a barrier. We need to be understood and we need to understand both for emotional health as well as academic success. Can you imagine how difficult that new experience would be if it was virtual? Due to the pandemic, that’s the struggle many refugee youths are facing. With such a challenge facing these youth the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City and East High School teamed up to reach refugee youth through community-based Learning Hubs.

Created to address problems generated by the pandemic, the Learning Hubs help safely bring students together in small groups and face-to-face with a teacher. These students, while fluent in other languages, are still becoming comfortable with English. This means that they benefit from different instruction methods. Not to mention, every teacher uses the academic online platform, Canvas, in their own way. After a while, it can be difficult to understand where to submit assignments not just for refugee students but for their class. “It’s been really valuable for them to have one-on-one instruction,” Hannah Oblock, youth & education coordinator at the IRC in Salt Lake City, explains. “Every class uses Canvas totally differently. It's not a uniform system.”

Through Learning Hubs, high school students are gaining a better understanding of technology and the various subjects they study. The pilot program runs weekly at multiple outdoor sites and operates with the assistance of English teachers. Nourish to Flourish, a new initiative that benefits restaurant owners and the community, provides them a meal, reminding us that a full stomach is necessary for a full mind.

“It’s going well,” Hannah shares. “They’re getting the knack of Zoom.” This means they can primarily focus on academic help. She thinks that the model being created here can eventually be replicated for other schools to follow. “It’s been fun getting to know [the students] better,” Hannah says, calling the experience “humbling” to help students, as they each differ in their learning styles and encounter different circumstances. The directions for online classes are confusing. “I myself was confused,” Hannah adds. “There are unnecessary barriers...we were troubleshooting a lot.”

Although students who are learning English face stereotypes that claim they are lazy or unmotivated, Hannah says, “The students are amazing. They just want to get work done, they don’t even care about inconveniences. They just want to know what to do.” Programs like the Learning Hub effort that meet students on their terms are necessary because, as Hannah says, students need help “not for lack of will, but for lack of resources.”

“Every day is more stable with schools and [the COVID-19 virus],” Hannah says. Hopefully this means that refugee students and others will have their needs met more consistently. Looking ahead, the team's next goal is to figure out how to continue this program in the coming months as the weather becomes colder. This means that everybody is learning, not just the students but those who prioritize helping them.

Learn how you can support refugee youth in their academic efforts by visiting Rescue.org/VolunteerSLC.