I am very happy to report that overnight, I received $1,300 in donations for the new tutoring program I am working to create for six members of the RISSE soccer team – refugee newcomers – who urgently need tutoring in English Language Schools. Initially, I was asking for a few hundred dollars to help pay graduate students at a nearby college to tutor these young men, starting with Ehdiesoe, an immigrant from Thailand who may be held back from moving up to high school because he is not yet familiar with English.
Ehdiesoe has been in America less than a year, his family came her from Thailand.

In the RISSE after school, there are  teachers available to teach English to young refugee children, but the soccer team goes to school in the Albany Public School system, and they are struggling to get the attention they need as they face urgent requirements for writing essays, finding employment, applying to colleges.

Ehdiesoe, a sweet and eager young man, has been identified as needing English language skills.

Five other members of the team, including one young woman, is also in need of tutoring, according to Ali, their school teachers and families. I don’t choose the children in need, but I do know these young people, and they are hard workers and eager to progress and succeed.

The request has generated more money than I expected, so this will enable me to structure the program differently.

I am looking for tutors in the Albany area who are experienced at tutoring refugees and immigrants and young people with language problems. I think this will cost about $15 to $17 an hour, and the classes will be once a week or as needed.

My idea is to tutor these kids one at a time, but some of the tutors tell me they can be very effective teaching all six at once. We could use one of the RISSE classrooms. (The kids and their families are all graduates of the RISSE after school or members of RISSE, but RISSE does not support the soccer team specifically. We do that.)

I am talking to five or six tutors and tutoring organizations. I will try to negotiate the best and fairest price.

The RISSE staff has repeatedly asked for help in providing tutoring and language skills for the older children, whom they know well. Time is important when it comes to helping these kids, as they move into high school, the need for these skills intensifies

All donations send for tutoring will go to tutoring, the more money I get, the more the program can be expanded in terms of time and focus. We’re starting with these six children. The teachers tell me that the girls develop language skills much more quickly than many of the boys, so the list will be mostly male, i expect.

I like the idea of professional tutors experienced in this work. Because the pay scale in academia is so poor right now, many skilled teaches are available, I find, and this work can be helpful to them as well as the refugee children.

So thanks for your support, you can contribute to this program by sending a contribution to The Gus Fund, c/o P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, jon@bedlamfarm.

I am very excited about this program, and am grateful for your support. This is as direct and meaningful as help gets.