RISE: Refugee and Immigrant Student Education

Our Mission:

We seek to connect, engage, and empower New Haven's refugee and immigrant populations and the local communities to foster inclusion and tolerance through weekly in-school and in-home cultural lessons and monthly community outreach events. RISE works with these local schools, families, and communities to create cultural awareness through our aforementioned activities.

Our Activities:

Tutoring at New Haven Schools (through IRIS placements) Direct Service In-home and after school tutoring with IRIS New Haven RISE provides tutors for IRIS New Haven for students at local New Haven public schools in the form of in-home and after school tutors as well as early childhood care through the Family Literacy Program. After-School and In-Home Tutoring at IRIS RISE partners with IRIS for Yale students to serve the local New Haven refugee community. As IRIS tutors, Yalies provide after-school and in-home tutoring, mentoring refugee youth and helping IRIS staff facilitate their integration into the surrounding communities through engaging learning and enrichment activities. Mental Health Education Panel Advocacy or Activism This panel will focus on how refugee and immigrant communities and students can gain access to mental health education, access, and resources. This panel will bring in speakers from the local New Haven community to discuss how many refugees may come from backgrounds which had extensive conflict and strife, and how it is vital that local resources are provided to help cope with this. Also, how mental health education and resources should be culturally aware and sensitive will be discussed. Tutors will gain a better understanding of the communities that they serve and will be more equipped with engaging with situations involving mental health and means of providing resources to local schools through their work. Annual FALL East Rock Tutor x Student Families Picnic Advocacy or Activism Picnic at East Rock (our largest event of year) for our Yale College student tutors, Yale affiliated volunteer partner groups, and also the students and teachers that they directly work with in New Haven. We will have a talk by RISE leadership and teachers of the school about how RISE tutoring has positively impacted the community and advocate for continued service by Yale College students with the local refugee and immigrant communities to uplift their voices and help students adjusting to the US. Will be held at East Rock on 10/25/2024.

Student Leaders:

Aleena Gul - Co-Coordinator/Co-President

How others get involved:

Volunteers seeking to get involved with tutoring through RISE may sign up to join our mailing list by emailing ilham.abdelkadir@yale.edu or aleena.gul@yale.edu. Volunteers will be sent onboarding material to be able to volunteer in specific school sectors with IRIS. We also have a GroupMe that those interested may join to get updates on upcoming community events and opportunities.