City-Wide Program for Refugee Elders
Refugee elders often face a different set of challenges than their younger counterparts. Adjusting to the ‘youth culture’ of the United States is a challenge many elders do not expect to face as they begin their new life in a new country. Elders often struggle with isolation as their children and grandchildren may find it easier to integrate into the mainstream community. Many refugee elders have not been given the opportunity to attend any kind of formal education at any point in their lives and are illiterate in their native language; when these factors are added to the realization that many ESL and Citizenship classes are targeted to younger populations, refugee elders can easily become overwhelmed at the prospect of learning English and preparing to take the citizenship examination. Passing the US citizenship test is of utmost importance in securing financial assistance for elders and the opportunity to become fully participating members of their community through rights and responsibilities available only to US citizens.
Refugee elders want to learn English, to become citizens, and to learn how to become an active member of their community. Together with Migration and Refugee Services of Catholic Charities, KRM provides the city-wide Refugee Elder Program, aimed at assisting refugee elders in achieving all three of these goals. Staff and volunteers are dedicated to helping the elders increase their English level, prepare for the citizenship exam, and to become a contributing member of their local and national community. The Refugee Elder Program also brings in area speakers who address other important issues and concerns typical of elders, including health, safety, finances, and crimes against seniors. Throughout the year, the elders participate in field trips in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area to experience their new-found community of Kentuckiana.
The Refugee Elder Program has been recognized by the Center for Applied Linguistics as a model program. But we need your help to continue to provide these outstanding services and opportunities to the refugee elders of the Louisville area. Below you’ll find a list of needs, as well as information about volunteering with the program.
This program is made possible through a grant provided through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services, administered by the Kentucky Office for Refugees.
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Urgent Needs
3-Ring Binders Loose-leaf Paper
Notebooks (able to put into a 3-ring binder) Folders (with pockets)
Gift Cards (to help purchase snacks and supplies) Pencils and Pens
Chalk and Dry Erase Markers Dictionaries (monolingual or dual-lingual)
Reading Glasses (available from dollar and grocery stores)
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Volunteers
Volunteers are a vital part of the Refugee Elder Program’s success; volunteers can serve in a variety of capacities, including in-class ESL tutoring, at-home mentoring, assisting with transportation, and oral history interviewing. If you would like to volunteer with the Refugee Elder Program or with a refugee elder in any way, please contact Jenny Heineken Johnson, Services to Older Refugees Coordinator, at (502) 479-9180 ext. 36 or jjohnson@kyrm.org
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