Homework Tutoring
Our dedicated volunteers provide in-home weekly homework tutoring to refugee schoolchildren & youth.
“It has been a pleasure to be a part of SBATA and to get to know the Mberwa family and Somali Bantu community. Tutoring for SBATA has been one of the most enriching and meaningful experiences of my life.” –Melinda Englert
Refugee Families: Call (520)881-4373 to place a request to have a homework tutor assigned to help your children!
Why do refugee youth need tutors?
Unfortunately, due to disruptions in their native country, many refugees have had little or no schooling. Older children in particular are at a major disadvantage, as their classmates are often more advanced at many school subjects and classroom sizes do not provide for as much individual attention as they need. Although teachers do their best to provide support for these students, ESL (English as a Second Language) assistance is also limited.
IOM (International Organization for Migration) officials estimate that 5% of all Bantu have ever been formally educated. Pre-literate learners come from areas where there is no written language, or where learners have not been exposed to it, such as Hmong from Laos or Bantu from Somalia. Somali Bantu youth are especially in need of tutors because most of their parents are unable to read or write and are therefore unable to assist their children with their homework or to check over their work.
What happens at a typical tutoring session?
SBATA tutors visit their refugee family once a week (at least) to help with their English needs, spoken and written, with reading & understanding mail, to complement their formal learning at school, or just basic conversation with a native English speaker. Such support is intended to facilitate refugees’ self-sufficiency & their integration into American society.
A typical tutoring session consists of the tutors assisting family members with English conversation, reading and writing, with correspondence, with advice, or with homework. Tutors generally assist the parents based on the needs and priorities of the family. Tutors also answer questions about American life, such as explaining how to make a doctor’s appointment. When families have questions that the tutors are unable to help with, we assist our tutors to link the family with the appropriate community resource.
For many members of our families, particularly adults and very young children, the tutoring session may be the only opportunity each week that the person has to practice their English. We encourage tutors to make the session fun, by including activities such as games with their students which can also be very beneficial for learning, or by sharing information about each other through conversation.
