► Our Mission

Refugee Transitions' mission is to assist refugee and immigrant families in becoming self-sufficient in the United States by providing services to help them attain the English language, life, job and academic skills they need to succeed in their new communities.

Refugee Transitions is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit incorporated in the State of California.

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► Our History

Refugee Transitions began as the Refugee Women's Program in 1982 in response to the large influx of Southeast Asian refugees into low-income neighborhoods such as the Tenderloin, and the alarming number of female refugees home-bound by fear, lack of familiarity with the city and its services and childcare responsibilities.

Since its incorporation as an independent agency in 1990, Refugee Transitions  is the only agency of its kind in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The agency has served over 1,800 clients from around the world and have made a significant contribution to their quality of life.  The agency has aided entire refugee and immigrant families in their efforts to become self-sufficient, by providing high-quality, individualized ESL instruction, orientation to life in the Bay Area, academic tutoring/mentoring for youth, and family support. 

Past clients have gone on to continue more advanced study at San Francisco City College, leave public aid, attain better jobs, and pass the U.S. Citizenship exam.  With these achievements, our clients have increased their self-esteem and have become confident to participate more fully in U.S. society.  In 1999, Refugee Transitions expanded its services into the Lower San Antonio neighborhood in Oakland to serve the Bosnian and Southeast Asian refugee communities, and the Latino immigrant population. The agency currently serves 50% of its clients in Oakland. In 2003 the agency expanded its services to Fremont to serve Afghan youth.

Refugee Transitions has also earned both local and national recognition for its excellence, innovation and effectiveness. In 1994, the agency was awarded the National Award for Excellence in English by the New York based English-Speaking Union. The San Francisco Chronicle and the Volunteer Center of San Francisco honored the home-based programs of Refugee Transitions as “unusual and exceptional.”  Refugee Transitions volunteers have also been featured on the cable television program “Everybody’s Angels,” which honors outstanding volunteers in the Bay Area.  In 2004 the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Argus newspapers featured stories about Refugee Transitions’ Bridge 2-Success Refugee Youth Development Partnership and KCBS AM-740 included an interview about the agency on their weekend news programming.

Refugee Transitions serves refugees and immigrants from all over the world. In the past year, agency clients have been from: Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burma, Cambodia, China, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guatemala, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, Liberia, Mexico, Pakistan, the former Soviet Union, Somalia, Tibet, Vietnam, and Yemen.

 

► Our Students

Refugee Transitions Students are: ▪ 100% low income ▪ 100% limited English proficient ▪ 27% non-literate in their native language ▪ 75% women ▪ adults, youth, and families ▪ Among the most technologically and socially isolated members of the immigrant and refugee communities. ▪ Successful - with over 80% of adults advancing at least one level on state English tests and over 80% of youth improving their grades.  Other benefits include even greater language improvements, increased access to community resources and job opportunities, better understanding of the school system, and the ability to form healthy relationships.

► What We Do  ► What Makes Us Unique   ▪ Provide home-based English language and civics education instruction across the Bay Area. ▪ Match volunteers with recent refugees and immigrants to provide 50-75 hours of individualized home-based instruction. ▪ Serve an average of 250 clients per year ▪ Run the only home-based tutoring and mentoring program designed specifically for refugee youth. ▪ Train over 150 volunteers per year and provide them with materials, curriculum and ongoing support.     ▪ We provide excellent training for our volunteer teachers, making them highly effective and very comfortable in their role as tutors and mentors. ▪ We are the only home-based ESL program. This flexibility allows us to reach students who cannot be reaches by other programs and provides a richer experience for our volunteers.  All of our programs give priority to adult students who are unable to attend regular ESL classes. ▪ We are the only home-based tutoring/mentoring program specifically designed for refugee youth. We give priority to youth who are struggling academically or emotionally due to language issues and/or post-traumatic stress. ▪ Volunteers develop a close personal bond with their students.  We encourage teachers to get to know their students personally and weave that knowledge into their teaching.