Moving into 2025
Please click here to view an infographic on Refugee & Immigrant Transitions’ preparations for 2025.
RIT Annual Report 2023-2024
With a budget of $2,776,000, Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT) delivered educational programs for adults, youth, and toddlers; provided client-centered family support and wellness; partnered with community leaders and volunteers; and fostered community partnerships in the San Francisco Bay Area.
RIT served 2,000 refugees & immigrants from ~40 countries:
Top countries of origin: Guatemala, Afghanistan (top 2), Yemen, Honduras, El Salvador, Ukraine, Eritrea, Burma, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba.
In cases when individual level data on country of origin was not available, RIT made an estimate based on program site demographics.
64% of RIT clients resided in Alameda County and 23% in San Francisco County. Clients also live in Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Sacramento, and a small number in other Northern California counties.
Adult students outperformed California goals for English learning:
690+ adult students attended adult classes including: English language, Vocational, Citizenship, Afghan Women's Classes & California DMV Knowledge Test Preparation.
Total: 51,466 instructional hours. Teachers use real-life learning contexts for students to navigate their new community, such as: employment, health appointments, parent/teacher conferences, etc.
RIT classes are multilingual and multicultural: Instructors speak Dari, Pashto, and Spanish. Classroom assistants speak Arabic, Mam, Spanish, and Tigrinya.
Multilingual instruction/ Translanguaging provides a pathway to acquire English while maintaining and sustaining students’ other languages. Translanguaging helps students increase their comprehension of the subject matter so that they can participate in class. In addition, "translanguaging indicates a stance of respect for and cultivation of students' full linguistic and cultural repertoires" (García & Kleyn, 2016, as cited in Bajaj et al., 2023)
RIT students’ English reading gains outperformed California adult learning goals in all 4 of our class levels: Beginner Literacy, Low Beginner, High Beginner, and Low Intermediate.
As a California Dept. of Education grantee since 2001, RIT formally pre- and post-tests students with the nationally recognized California Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS). Gains are defined by % of pre- and post-tested students who achieve the rigorous goal of advancing to the next language level (according to the National Reporting System). State goals and averages are set for adult schools, community colleges, and community-based organizations.
Adult students enhanced community navigation skills:
87% of adult students who took RIT’s self-efficacy assessments, passed. These tests assess real-life topics that include filling in a job application, demonstrating successful job interviewing techniques, making inquiries at a bank, or calling the school to inform them of their child’s absence.
RIT reduced childcare barriers to education:
RIT's childcare program welcomed 52 tots while parents attended RIT's English classes!
The program focuses on 6 pillars: (1) supporting whole families; (2) building verbal fluency and growing foundational skills for literacy; (3) providing structure and freedom for kindergarten readiness; (4) honoring students' languages; (5) respecting cultural heritage; and (6) connecting kids to nature.
RIT Childcare Program
Multilingual team helped clients navigate community:
RIT's multilingual case management team provided interpretation, navigation, and linkage services to 364 newcomers.
2,000+ case management meetings (many clients seek support with complex issues).
Case management team speaks clients' most common languages: Burmese, Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian.
90% of clients had 1 or more issue successfully resolved, or goal reached.
Top 5 issues:
Education: referrals to adult education, school enrollment/registration for clients’ kids.
Public benefits enrollment, troubleshooting, support with vital documents (social security number, employment authorization, etc.)
Immigration: navigating process and paperwork.
Employment resources linkage.
Affordable housing referrals.
Women accessed wellness and built community:
157 adults, mostly Afghan Women, engaged in Psychoeducational Workshops and 8-week Support Groups led by a multilingual team.
Clients and family members also participated in 4 large-scale community gatherings: Women's Day, Eid Celebration, Year-end Celebration, and World Refugee & Immigrant Day.
RIT Team at Eid Celebration
Youth engaged in academics & mentorship:
539 youth attended RIT's School based academic support at our partner public schools (reducing student/teacher ratio):
San Francisco International High School: Advisory Tutoring (1-1 or small-group tutoring) + Daytime assistance in 25+ classes including Math, English, Science, History, Coding.
Fremont High School (Oakland): After-school Tutoring + Daytime assistance in 30+ classes incl. Math, Science, English, Art, History, Ethnic Studies.
NEW program! Visitacion Valley Middle School (San Francisco): Daytime classroom assistance - pilot program that is being expanded in 2024-2025!
56 youth and young adults received 1-1 support from RIT youth program staff or trained/vetted volunteers. Support focused on youth- and family-defined goals and issues, from school enrollment and advocacy, to academic support and mentorship. Students achieved successes including: high school graduation, enrolling in college, accessing student aid, finding a job.
Including: newcomer Afghan youth enrolling in our new partner district: Mount Diablo Unified School District (Contra Costa County).
NEW program: Skill-building workshops! Based on goals identified by students themselves, RIT piloted youth workshops: DMV Knowledge Test Preparation and (with partner 1951 Coffee) Barista training.
RIT Youth participating in Youth Barista Training hosted by 1951 Coffee.
Youth grew leadership skills:
Based on their leadership skills and initiative to contribute, 10 newcomer students were recruited to participate in RIT’s Youth Leadership programs. These are paid internships that build job and leadership skills:
Peer Tutors at Fremont High School (Oakland): 4 youth provided tutoring/mentoring in RIT's after-school program. Together with RIT program staff and volunteers, the team tutored 134 students. Three current RIT staff on the East Bay Youth Program Team, are former Peer Tutors at Fremont High School!
Wellness Ambassadors at San Francisco International High School: 6 youth provided community outreach on priority topics as identified by California state. They led 4 campaigns that each reached at least 300 community members. Topics: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, Extreme Heat, Water Conservation & Covid.
RIT staff members (former RIT Youth leaders), with current RIT Youth leaders
Wellness Ambassadors speaking at RIT’s Community Fundraiser
Scholarly article by Jane Pak, Jyoti Gurung, Amy Argenal (RIT Staff & Board Team): “Refugee and Immigrant Youth Leaders: Strengths, Futurity, and Commitment to Community”
This study explored the Youth Leadership/Peer Tutoring program at RIT. Bringing together works on Community Cultural Wealth (with the addition of Migration Capital) and Critical Refugee Studies collectively as a conceptual framework, this study highlights three themes: (a) commitment to community, family, and giving back; (b) encouraging communication and cultivating a pan-newcomer community; and (c) leadership as commitment to community and positive, collective futurities. Data support a strengths-based framework when working with refugee and immigrant youth as they transition and adjust to their new school environments and communities. The study included 12 participants who all participated as youth leaders/peer tutors in RIT’s Youth Leaders/Peer Tutoring program. Countries of origin included Burma (Karen), Bhutan, Nepal, China, and El Salvador.
Our hope is for this study to reveal possibilities for extending welcome and mutual support through a strengths-based lens within diverse newcomer peer learning environments.
RIT supported Mam speakers in Oakland public schools:
RIT assisted 450+ Mam and Spanish speaking youth and family members with school enrollment support, interpretation, and connection to community resources at 30+ school sites in Oakland Unified School District.
Speakers of Mam (an Indigenous Mayan language group from Guatemala) are the 2nd most common group of newcomers arriving in Oakland public schools (after Spanish speakers).
Volunteers contributed 2,600+ hours of support:
Our impact is collective, including not only staff, interns, and other community members, but also 69 volunteers. They worked as Tutors, Mentors, and Adult class assistants, contributing 2,600+ hours.
Last year's cohort included 9 rock star volunteers who have been with RIT for 10+ years, with a lifetime total of 13,300+ hours!