Helping young refugees find their voices

Imagine being uprooted from your home, likely separated from family and friends, arriving in a new country with little or no knowledge of its language and culture, and carrying traumatic memories of what you left behind. Now imagine doing all that as a child or teenager. You need help. Fortunately, in Cleveland, you can turn to The Refugee Response.  

Community Solutions is pleased to announce that The Refugee Response is the winner of this year’s prestigious $25,000 Anisfield-Wolf Memorial Award.  

This annual award, named after Edith Anisfield Wolf, honors a nonprofit organization for outstanding service. It’s particularly appropriate this year to honor The Refugee Response as it strongly reflects Mrs. Wolf’s concern about paying attention to the voices of people at the margins, and in building a more just community.

 The Refugee Response’s Teen Response program helps them find their voices.

The last couple years have been extremely difficult for young people as they’ve had to cope with the pandemic, on top of the usual stresses of growing up. For young refugees, it has been, in many ways, even harder.  

The Refugee Response’s Teen Response program helps them find their voices. By connecting young refugees with others facing the same challenges, providing tutoring, and showing opportunities available to them, Teen Response helps refugees become confident, independent young adults.  

Proof of the program’s success is two-fold.  

First, it can be seen in academic achievement. Students’ scores on the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment increased. Graduates have been admitted to continuing education of various types.  

Second, but just as important, Teen Response has changed the lives of students and their families by helping them adjust to a new home, a new culture, a new language—a new life—and equipping them with tools they can use on their journey into a brighter future.

 In the coming year, the number of refugees moving to Cleveland is expected to increase significantly.

In the coming year, the number of refugees moving to Cleveland is expected to increase significantly. The work of The Refugee Response will be even more important. We’re confident the Anisfield-Wolf Award prize will help the program reach more families, and continue the legacy of Mrs. Wolf—building a more just community, in this case, one young person at a time.  

Join us in honoring The Refugee Response and learning more at the virtual 2021 Celebration of Human Services on Friday, October 22, 1p.m. Register today!