SAFRN??? What does this mean??

We in the Refugee Program would like to take some time to thank Erin Carkner who is leaving Catholic Charities to pursue her education. Erin was the Refugee Youth Advocate for the SAFRN, a collaborative program based in all three of Oregon’s resettlement agencies: Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), Ecumenical Ministry’s SOAR (Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees) program and the Catholic Charities’ program. Erin’s last day with us was January 11^th  and with a large good bye party, we showed how much we’ve appreciated her work and how much we’ll miss her.

Erin Carkner is on the far left

SAFRN stands for “School Assistance for Refugee Newcomers.”  Funded by the federal government, the SAFRN program provides much-needed support to newly arrived refugee youth entering Portland’s school system.  Most of these students speak little or no English, and many have had no exposure to Western styles of education.  SAFRN also offers educational support to schools heavily impacted by new refugee arrivals.

Erin, like her colleagues in the other two resettlement agencies, carried a large caseload of new refugee students.  She worked with students throughout their first year in this country, helping register them for school, learn to ride the bus, understand what their teachers expected of them, and how to socialize with their peers.  She also organized parent workshops, and helped Portland teachers recognize and address the special challenges newly arrived refugee youth face.

Erin also started what is now an annual program: the Refugee Youth Summer School, where refugee students in first through fifth grade can practice their new English, math and reading skills, and newly arrived students discover what it means to attend an American school.

 Assimilation is a very difficult task for all our refugees. With SAFRN, the challenge becomes a little easier for refugee youth and their families. We extend our thanks to the collaborating agencies, and to you, our volunteers, who also help pave the way to a new life for refugee youth.

 

Shopping??? Why Yes I will.

A Look Inside a Shopping Trip to Deseret Industries

For the past five months I have had the privilege of accompanying our clients on a shopping trip to Deseret Industries (DI) located on SE 82^nd Ave. The information below is a glance at what the average trip entails as well as the barriers and laughter that weave themselves in the experience. 

Upon arrival at the DI store, our clients are briefed on what to expect. For many, this is the first clothing store they have walked into for quite some time. Furthermore, the main point we have to communicate is that this shopping trip is free for them, provided through the generosity of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The amount of money allowed depends on family size, need and what items they might require in addition to clothing. Once those minor topics are explained, the fun begins.

For many of our refugees, clothing and shoe sizes don’t match up to what we have come to know here in the United States. Depending on the country or regions from where they came, they may have different notions of how to gauge size. Therefore, trying to find out each client’s size has come to be a rather intriguing process.

I have seen the patented hold-it-up to-my-body method, the check-my-pants-tag method, and the rarely used method of using the dressing room to try the clothes on.  There is always laughter that breaks out when pants are way too small or shoes way too tight, or when the cart overflows or gestures are misinterpreted.

My time spent shopping with our clients has been one filled with a grateful outlook.

I have come to know a lot of the employees by name, and they have always greeted us with a smile and a helping hand, knowing full well that there will be many translations lost in the experience. Through Deseret Industries we have helped over 135 of our clients obtain necessary clothing, books and household supplies. We would like to thank them for their constant support and flexibility during the first year of our grant, and we look forward to working with them in the future.

If you are working with a family that needs clothing please feel free to give me a call at 503-688-2684. 

Happy New Year, 

Shane Young