IRC San Jose’s newest initiative, the B.R.I.D.G.E. Youth Mentorship program, has just hit its 10-month mark! This exciting new program focused on supporting the integration and social, educational, and vocational pursuits of refugee youth has been a long-time dream of the San Jose office.

At a critical moment of rebuilding for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the IRC and the Refugee Advocacy Lab are bringing together refugee and immigrant voices, state legislators, and technical experts to celebrate their efforts to create more welcoming communities for newcomers. This virtual summit will include a panel discussion and conversations between policymakers who are advancing legislation related to education, workforce development, integration support, and more. Attendees will also have direct access to correlating policy resources and the technical support they need to replicate such measures within their own states.

Our team at the IRC in Kansas has been working hard to respond quickly to client needs, as everyone in the community is feeling the social, economic, and health impacts of COVID-19. While programming is currently not business-as-usual, we continue to serve refugee families and survivors of human trafficking remotely, many of whom need support from the IRC and neighbors more than ever. 

In 2019 we served hundreds of new refugees and immigrant families in Los Angeles, and we couldn’t have done it without your support. We thank you for your dedication to standing with the IRC, and commitment to welcoming refugees into the new year.

Judy Denison has been volunteering with the IRC in Denver for many years, but she has supported refugees for much longer. She works to serve her community through collaborative, mutually-empowering relationships.

The IRC in Atlanta’s Microenterprise Development (MED) program is proud to support refugee and immigrant business owners from around the world—to honor the culture, passion and ideas these innovators bring to the Atlanta community, we spent the week of November 13 – 19 celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week.

April 21 is AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) Day! The IRC is proud to harness the power of volunteers alongside AmeriCorps VGF through the Youth Futures Tutor Improvement Project, a 3-year multi-site initiative focused on supporting Education & Youth teams to strengthen and expand volunteer tutor programs.

Rock for Refugees not only brought Nathan Hale High School senior Emmett Lucas one step closer to graduation, it took his senior project outside of the classroom and onto the stage. The event drew more than 150 people and raised an estimated $1,400 in support of the IRC.