SSF Blurb

For the past nine weeks with the Summer Service Fellowship, I have been fortunate enough to get to work with the Refugee Empowerment Program (REP). REP functions as an intermediary between the refugee community in Memphis and the greater Memphis community. Originally founded in 2002 by a refugee new to Memphis, she noticed the need for educational support among the refugee community as well as the need to integrate the refugee community with the greater community. Today REP has grown from its humble beginning to serve over 400 refugees, mostly from East Africa and Southeast Asia, and focuses on serving and empowering this community through education. By providing programs like afterschool tutoring, an ELS program and GED classes, these educational tools will best prepare and equip the refugee community to merge with the Memphis community. 

            At REP, I assisted with the summer school program for the elementary and middle school kids. The summer program ran from Monday through Friday from 9:30-4:30. Prior to the program starting we gave all the kids a diagnostics test based on what grade they were entering in the fall and the material they need to know in order to be successful in the school year. Focusing on Math, Reading and English, we divided the kids into 3 sections based on their score and grade level. I taught 3-5^th grade math and 6-7^th grade grammar and reading. On a typical day we had math and English in the morning, then after lunch we had reading and recess. On Fun day Fridays we took field trips to different places like the Children’s Museum, Sky Zone and roller-skating.

I chose to work with REP because I had been volunteering with their afterschool program during the school year and wanted to become more involved in this community. Prior to working at REP this summer, I noticed that I sometimes felt ineffective and disconnected from the kids I was working with. During the course of the summer, I have been able to create relationships with many of the kids, which has allowed me to be more effective when I teach them.

I noticed a common trend with many of the sites we visited that before any change could be done to alleviate a certain problem there needs to be a connection between the non-profit and the community. There needs to be trust and openness from both sides in order to accomplish the change the community wants. Service is more than just “helping” people but rather it is bridging communities together through a common goal. Through our weekly meetings and readings, Summer Service Fellowship has greatly opened my eyes and shifted my understanding of what service means and looks like. Although there are specific needs within Memphis ranging from educational needs to healthcare that seem daunting fix, it has been amazing to people who are dedicated to improving the needs of Memphis. I have really grown to love and appreciate the refugee community I have been working with and am so thankful for this eye-opening experience the Summer Service Fellowship provided me.