News from Elizabeth, NJ

On-Call Bilingual Resettlement Volunteers will assist with, but not limited to, interpretation, airport pick-ups, distribution of donated goods, home visits, food deliveries, and apartment set-ups.

Do you speak another language? Join the International Rescue Committee in New York as a Community Interpreter Volunteer to help interpret for newly arrived refugees and immigrants. 

Tutor needed for topic areas of conversation, literacy, pronunciation, workplace English (nursing, IT), grammar, citizenship interview & exam prep.

ESL instructor: Classes are online. We offer Zoom practice to build your technological confidence and share remote teaching tips. If you would like to teach or tutor at our Elizabeth office, please let us know, as it will help us shape the upcoming ESL sessions. Fluency or familiarity with Spanish, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Haitian Creole, or Swahili is a bonus, but it's not required.

The IRC's Program Quality and Innovation Unit assists offices that help newly arrived refugees and other low-income individuals reach self-sufficiency by finding entry-level employment and progress to living wage jobs; learn basic financial management skills and build assets; start small businesses, and access Earned Income Tax Credit. Under the supervision of the Tax Site Coordinator, Tax Preparers will provide free, professional tax preparation services for low-income clients through IRC's National Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The program is offering services to clients in IRC offices located in Phoenix, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, Denver, CO, and Elizabeth, NJ. The IRC's goal is to assist 4,000 taxpayers in preparing their returns in a safe, culturally, and linguistically appropriate manner.

A Commercial Driver License (CDL) can bring more job opportunities. Especially in the Industrial City of New Jersey, having a CDL can lead to many sustainable options. Acquiring a CDL and becoming a truck driver is one of many desired entries into stable employment. Many IRC clients are looking to find jobs that require a CDL because they find it can help them secure higher wages.

A Digital Equity Advocate Lends support to IRC in NJ’s RYSA youth program. The IRC in NJ chats with Mr. Shawn Gross to understand the digital divide and thank him for helping our RYSA students access Microsoft Teams for their virtual classrooms.

Update! Watch the October 7th webinar recording on IRC's Afghan Emergency Response in the US

High rates of unemployment and Covid-19 infection among New American community members has contributed heavily to lack of stable access to adequate amounts of nutritious food . Refugees and immigrants have been some of the hardest hit populations in the country, disproportionately experiencing food and nutritional insecurity due to their high rates of employment in “gig economy” and other job sectors like food, hotel, and health which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. Help new American communities combat hunger with a gift to IRC's food security programs in the U.S.

As some of the earliest hit states in the pandemic, NY and NJ responded with empathy, resourcefulness and energy to ensure all new arrivals and established refugees weathered the storm.