Support for Dunedin's young former refugees

12 Feb 2019

Funding Stories

Congratulations to all the young former refugees who graduated on Monday evening (11th February 2019) from Otago Polytechnic​ School of Social Services, English Language Centre.

The Otago Community Trust has been a funding partner of the summer learning programme over the last three years - provided an annual grant of $15,000 to support Dunedin's young former refugees.

The programme explicitly has been designed to address and help develop youth physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing, with focus on integration and acculturation. With strands of learning specifically focused on employ-ability and autonomy - gaining a drivers license, succeeding at school, volunteering, learning the language.

The great outcome witnessed over the last three years is that the schools of attending students have seen student confidence and improvement as a result of the programme. Positive changes include students going on school camps, succeeding in NCEA and volunteering in the wider community.

The programme is a wonderful collaboration of not only Otago Community Trust and the Otago Polytechnic, but the Ministry of Education and Red Cross Dunedin​

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/former-refugees-graduate

Photo: Former Syrian refugee Fouad Ghanam graduating from the Former Refugee Youth Summer Programme. Photographer: Gregor Richardson, ODT