For refugees coming to the United States, the process of attaining citizenship is long and challenging.

This March, the IRC in Silver Spring moved to 8737 Colesville Road in Silver Spring and rebranded as the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring: Welcome Center for Immigrants and Refugees. After 17 years of service, the IRC in Silver Spring reflects on its history and growth in the community.

This learning brief aims to inform service providers about the experiences of immigrant YYAs, increase understanding of their unique challenges, and offer best practices for building culturally and linguistically accessible programs to support their education and career development.

Learn more about RAIVS and watch the recordings.

Ines who volunteered with the IRC in Silver Spring to reunite children with their parents now provides them critical services

The IRC in NY’s partnership with the New-York Historical Society led to a very successful IRC Immigration Opportunity Center: Citizenship Program. New-York Historical’s Education Department offers naturalization exam preparation to communities across New York City. Under their Citizenship Project, they leverage Museum and Library collections to provide inquiry-driven, object-based pedagogy to engage participants in interactive learning.  

The second installment of the Vision Project welcomed 11 girls in from five countries (Afghanistan, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Yemen) who spoke four different languages (Dari, Spanish, Tigrinya, Arabic). They ranged in age from 13 to 20 years old. Read on to learn about their experience