Representative Ferry meets refugees at Cultural Orientation

IRC interns Christina and Riley share how the IRC's summer school program makes a difference in the lives of refugee students, as well as the lives of the interns who are essential to making the program a success.

With Santa Clara County seeing a continued upward trend in daily positivity rates for COVID-19, IRC San Jose has remained in full-remote work since mid-March. As we delved deeper into the summer of 2020, this reality made us question the future of Vision 2.0: Summer Job Academy (hereinafter referred to as Vision). Vision is an immigrant-female empowerment workshop aimed at allowing participants to learn about different career paths, to reflect on their personal goals, and to work towards envisioning themselves achieving their goals. Read further to see how we navigated the barriers posed by COVID-19 to still offer this workshop this summer!

The New Roots Program of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Tucson empowers refugees and other community members to grow their own food for their families and for the market. Many refugees have agrarian backgrounds, and the program allows them to employ their skills for the economic advancement of themselves and their families. 

The International Rescue Committee in San Diego hosted the 12th Annual A Taste of the IRC dinner and welcomed over 300 guests to experience first-hand the what refugees bring to the table – from international cuisine to art from around the world, the event celebrated the culture and contributions of San Diego’s refugees.

With new families arriving at a break-neck pace, the IRC in Charlottesville has temporarily housed several Afghan families in hotels in Waynesboro. IRC Volunteers in Waynesboro organized to welcome these families, offering English instruction, outings exploring the community, and friendship.