Refugee School Impact Program

World Refugee Day 2022 (Video)

Refugee School Impact: Offers academic and socio-emotional support to refugee children and families in San Antonio. The Refugee School Impact Program offers homework assistance and English language support through an After-School Tutoring Program and Summer Programming. The program addresses significant barriers refugee students face adjusting to school and the community upon arrival to the United States. Our goal is to improve refugee students' school performance and enhance their socio-cultural skills. 

 Summer Program- Aims to help refugee youth prepare for the U.S school system. It consists of six weeks, three days a week, focusing on English, Math, and Social Emotional learning. With hands-on lessons and on-on-one support, Refugee School Impact staff and volunteers aim to ensure the program success. 

Parenting Program- This component aims to educate refugee families about their new community in San Antonio. It offers group and on-on-one classes, as well as parent engagement activities, to provide comprehensive support to families. 

What skill sets will you enhance while volunteering?

Ø  Working with children

Ø  Time Management Skills

Ø  Organizational Skills

Ø  Prioritizing

Ø  Working in a diverse cultural setting

Ø  Communication Skills, 

Ø  Critical Thinking Skills 

Ø  Creativity

Ø  Patience

Refugee School Impact Volunteers 

• Dedicate one day to help shape the young minds of refugee children develop the following skills.
• Influence and encourage refugee student to achieve long term academic success.

Before volunteering, all volunteers above 18 will need to complete a background check and 3 online OVASE trainings.  The trainings will take about 2 hours to complete, but after completion, volunteers will be cleared for 3 years. When you sign up to volunteer at an event, you will be approved to volunteer when all pieces have been completed. The clearance can take 2-3 weeks, so please plan accordingly.

Your background check is included in your Catholic Charities volunteer application through Givepulse.  You can also access it here: The volunteer registration also includes directions on how to complete the OVASE training.

Once you are approved, you will receive an email with the exact location and additional information about the tutoring sites.

Thank you!

*For the safety of our students, we will send you the address and specific location information for the tutoring program after you are approved and cleared.

*For the student's protection, please refrain from taking pictures of students while volunteering.