Georgia Refugee Youth Program 2009-2010 service analysis

Define Issue:
Due to the current economic downturn, it is essential that government resources are maximized. This analysis will determine the overall effectiveness of contracted Youth Program Services for the past year.

GEORGIA REFUGEE
YOUTH PROGRAM

Description:
From 09/30/09 09/29/10 the State of Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Refugee Program provided funding for Youth Programs to serve refugee children, who have been living in the United States (US) for up to 5 years. There were 2 agencies that provided these services, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Refugee Family Services (RFS). Both agencies conducted a 10 month afterschool program and a 2 month summer camp program. IRC served youth ages 12 -21 and RFS served youth ages 5 13. IRC's students were mostly high school and RFS students were elementary and middle school.

2009 -2010 SERVICE ANALYSIS
Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
Georgia Department of Human Services
Division of Family & Children Services
Refugee Programs Unit

Within both programs a total of 271 (unduplicated) refugee children were served: 127 males and 144 females. This fiscal year the services were reduced by 2% from previous year due to a loss of funding for youth programs. From 09/30/2009 09/29/2010 a total of 896 school-aged children were new refugee arrivals: 484 males, and 412 females. The largest groups were Bhutanese, Burundi and Burmese. The total number of potentially eligible refugee children that could have been served in the Refugee Youth Programs for the past 5 years = 2,843.

Funds Allocated:

Table 1

Total IRC RFS
Total IRC RFS

Afterschool Program Cost per Unit = $125.00

Units

Funds

Units

Allocated Allocated Expended

1,269 $158,723.75 1,269.79

390

$48,750.00

390

879.79 $109,973.75 879.79

Summer Camp Cost per Unit = $300.00

Units

Funds

Allocated Allocated

Units

232

$69,600.00

232

128

$38,400.00

128

104

$31,200.00

104

Funds Expended $158,723.75 $48,750.00 $109,973.75
Funds Expended $69,600.00 $38,400.00 $31,200.00

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Graph 1
Youth Program Expense Comparisons

$38,400 $48,750

$31,200

$109,973.75

Total cost of Sum m er cam p
Total cost Afterschool

IRC

RFS

Total Social Service (SS) Funds available for contract year, 2009 - 2010 was $ 1,702,464.00. Total SS funds spent in the Youth Programs was $228,323.75, which equaled approximately 13%.

Program Participants:

New arrivals (school age children)
Children Served

Table 2
Total Males 896 484
271 127

Females 412
144

Program Analysis:

IRC offered a 3-hour, five-day-a-week

afterschool program throughout the

academic school year to 75 teenaged

refugee youth and an additional 65 during

the months of June and July. The program

featured intensive tutoring, academic

support vocational and career counseling to

help students develop skills and knowledge

they need to succeed in the educational

system and their communities. Program

components

included

afterschool

programming at Clarkston High School

(CHS) and the International Student Center

(ISC), an internship program, and an

academic summer camp and enrichment

program, all of which aid refugee teens to

succeed in school and achieve on-time

graduation. During this program year

refugee teens were also able to participate

in assorted recreational and educational

field trips. Some noteworthy trips included a

day-long college visit to Emory University's

Oxford College, attending a performance at

the Fox Theater, an Atlanta Hawks basket

ball game at Philips Arena, and a tour of the

Georgia Aquarium. This increased their

exposure to mainstream activities,

encouraged social interaction which

establishes a foundation for career

exploration. Within the summer camp

enrichment program, 19 teens took part in

the summer internship program which was

an opportunity for participants to be involved

in community volunteer service projects to

bridge the gap between academics and the

future world of work.

In May 2010, 16 program participants received high school diplomas and/or certificates of completion with a median grade point average of 84.7 percent. Also, 8 former program participants enrolled in college for the fall of 2010. Moreover, the Salutatorian for the Class of 2010 at Clarkston High School was also an IRC youth program alumnus.

RFS offered a 3-hour four-day a week afterschool program which served 100 elementary and middle school refugee children. All students received homework assistance, of which 3 lessons were based
2009 -2010 Refugee Youth Program Analysis

on the Georgia Performance Standards Test. New arrival students were provided a specialized literacy curriculum. Those students with extra academic challenges also received one to one tutoring services in English, through a partnership with tutors from Mercer University. The one to one literacy sessions are called DEAR (Drop Everything and Read). Also, computer literacy sessions are offered to all students, plus fitness activities are built into the daily schedule, as well as enrichment activities. The RFS Summer Camp served 56 refugee children with literacy and enrichment activities and participated in field trips to various venues in the Atlanta area, such as the Atlanta Zoo, the Aquarium, and museums. Additionally, activities included arts/crafts, gardening, swimming, health education and fire safety. Students participated with the Reading A-Z curriculum. In the summer of 2010, 50% of the students increased their knowledge in reading and reading comprehension skills. Overall, classroom leaders strived to encouraged community building and teamwork. Many RFS students attending the summer program also attended the afterschool program so there was a continuum of learning.
Methodology/Benchmarks:
This analysis was comprised from the following sources: The Annual Comprehensive Monitoring Review, the Service Provision Guidelines Performance Expectations/Outcomes and the Trimester Reports.

Performance Outcome Results:

Graph 2
Afterschool Program

120.00% 100.00% 80.00% 60.00% 40.00% 20.00%
0.00%

82.29% 91.07% Attendance Rate

98.88% 99.36% IRC RFS
Goals Met

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Graph 3
Summer Youth Program

98.00%

97.20%

96.00%

94.00% 92.00%

91.67%

90.00%

88.00% 86.00% 89.13%

IRC RFS

84.00%

86.57%

82.00%

80.00%

Attendance

Rate

Completion

Rate

Recommendation:
On their own, schools are not capable of providing the needed level of support to refugee youth. Due to the unique needs associated with language differences and acclimating refugee children to a vastly different educational system, the Department of Human Services/Division of Family and Children Services/Refugee Program Unit has provided funding for afterschool and summer camp Youth Services. These services primarily focused on promoting academic success and have yielded successful outcomes for refugee youth. By providing the educational support needed and assisted refugee students to become acculturated to the United States Education System. Therefore, it is recommended that the Georgia Department of Human Services/ Refugee Programs Unit continue funding the Refugee Youth Program, as it provides an invaluable experience that improves and enhances the education of refugee youth.

2009 -2010 Refugee Youth Program Analysis

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