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A month in review: February 2020

Check out what the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in San Diego has accomplished this February and celebrate client successes with us. 

Refugee youth adventure through UCSD's Team Odyssey Course 

Through the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Youth Programs, refugee youth participated in UCSD's Team Odyssey Course, which involved ropes, safety gear and climbing about 50 feet above ground. The day fostered teambuilding, personal growth, community building, goal setting, healthy risk taking, personal and group awareness. In addition, program staff worked to develop student communication skills, leadership development and creative problem solving. ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ students challenged themselves and worked together as a group, encouraging one another to get outside of their comfort zones and zipline to complete the course. 

VESL students celebrate Valentine's Day with workshop on healthy relationships 

In February, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ hosted a Vocational ESL (VESL) cohort for Afghan refugee women interested in starting childcare businesses. To supplement their job-training curriculum, program staff held a wellness workshop discussing the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Students shared their experiences and talked about the impact of feelings of culture shock and isolation. Workshop facilitators discussed exercises and activities the women could use to cope with stress and provided women with support in understanding and improving their relationships. 

̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ provides free tax preparation services for low-income San Diegans 

With the help of a community of volunteers, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ successfully kicked off the VITA Tax Program, a free tax preparation service for middle and low-income San Diegans. The services are available in City Heights, El Cajon and Mission Gorge for individuals with incomes less than $56,000. Language support is also provided. 

Refugee women explore careers in law enforcement 

Through the Safety and Wellness program, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ hosted two wellness workshops for Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi women, where several participants expressed interested in knowing their legal rights and exploring careers in law enforcement. The workshops were joined by Nadia Moshirian, San Diego County Community Relations Director and accompanied by Deputy Angela Lopez.