About

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) provides outstanding educational, cultural, and social experiences to the citizens of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and surrounding areas. For nearly 30 years, BCCC has provided English language training to meet the critical needs of more than 5,000 refugees who have settled in the Baltimore metropolitan area and statewide. Its range of programs for refugees includes English language training, citizenship preparation, and job skills training. The Refugee Youth Project (RYP) is one of the College’s unique refugee programs.

The Refugee Youth Project began with one site and 12 children and has since expanded to three sites serving over 100 refugee children.

Since 2003, the Refugee Youth Project (RYP) has been providing quality after-school programming for refugee youth pre-K through 12th grades in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The RYP is committed to its mission of creating a safe environment for refugee children to improve their literacy skills, enhance their knowledge of American culture, engage in enriching extracurricular activities, and grow to be confident, caring children.

Goals of the Refugee Youth Project:
1. To provide a safe and nurturing after-school environment.
2. To facilitate the positive acculturation of refugee youth through their interaction with strong American role models.
3. To provide strong academic support to the refugees, especially in high-need areas such as reading and math.
4. To support the Baltimore City Public Schools’ ESOL curriculum, while simultaneously helping regular classroom teachers stay abreast of their refugee students’ backgrounds and needs.
5. To work in conjunction with resettlement agencies to identify the individual needs of each child and work to meet those needs in a suitable manner.
6. To provide enriching cultural and social opportunities to the refugees.
7. To provide opportunities for meaningful parental involvement.
8. To provide information regarding education beyond high school.
9. To provide opportunities for the youth to work toward their academic goals.
10. To provide opportunities for sensitive issues to be discussed in a safe and nurturing environment.
11. To provide an environment for refugees of all ages and ethnicities to interact with each other in a positive way.

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