Entering a new culture can be a daunting experience, especially for refugees who may have experienced trauma in their lives.
ALNF’s award-winning Refugee Action Support (RAS) program provides effective support for refugee students as they grapple with the language and literacy demands of the classroom.
We recognise the complexities that these young people face, and understand why it is so important to help them make a successful transition into Australian schooling.
Through the RAS program, we recruit, train and place skilled volunteers in schools with a high number of refugee students, to provide face-to-face learning support. Schools participating in the RAS program cover the Western Sydney, South Western Sydney and the NSW Riverina region.
The program involves a special three-way partnership between ALNF, the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and participating universities, so that students who are enrolled in relevant courses, such as education and speech pathology, act as literacy tutors in one-on-one and small group settings. In many cases, the university students gain course credit while working closely with primary and high school students.
RAS has been recognised as an exemplary initiative by the Refugee Council of Australia, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission and the MacJanet Prize for Global Citizenship.
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