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Refugee Spotlight
Refugee Volunteer Ibrahim Balah
Translates for Other NewcomersIbrahim Balah was resettled to the United States from Sudan in July 2005. Balah was unable to work in his former profession as a mechanical engineer due to diabetes and partial blindness, but that hasn't stopped him from making a valuable contribution to his new community.
Wanting to ensure that others had access to World Relief's job readiness class, he offered to translate the workshops for other Arabic speakers. Course instructor Laurie Bower describes Balah as "very giving and very delightful to be around." His enthusiastic support for the program has reminded World Relief staff of the vital importance of employment education for newcomers, and has encouraged them about the value of the job readiness program.
World Relief's Job Readiness Class
Gold, silver and bronze. Typically these colors bring to mind the medals earned at sports events, but for refugees resettled in Boise, Idaho, gold, silver and bronze represent their ability to navigate the financial realities of their new community.
Thanks to the creative employment staff at World Relief-Treasure Valley, this "Financial Olympics" event is one of 12 two-hour workshops included in World Relief's popular job readiness class. Required of all employable refugees, the series is conducted on a rotating cycle, enabling new arrivals to enter at any point. Weekly topics range from preparing for an interview to managing employment income.
As Vocational ESL Instructor and Job Upgrade Counselor Laurie Bower explains, refugees who complete all 12 workshops earn a certificate of completion; however, the medals are reserved for the special session on financial management. In her words, "We spend the week before discussing budgeting and counting money in class. The next week, [the Olympics] gives refugees the practical application of the lessons learned. It is a good budgeting tool. It helps them prepare for unexpected expenses and to appreciate how much things cost in the U.S."
At the beginning of the event participants receive an envelope containing fake money and a list of expenses they should expect to pay in America—rent, utilities, travel loan, groceries, clothing and so on. The goal from there is to make decisions on how best to budget their money. They travel to various "pay stations" around the room to complete transactions for living expenses, and along the way must also deal with unexpected expenses such as a traffic ticket, and make decisions about purchasing such items as computers and televisions. Participants are also encouraged to put their money in savings accounts. At the end of the event, participants who have completed all their tasks with no mistakes earn a gold medal, one mistake earns a silver medal, and two, bronze. Every one of the Meskhetian Turks recently resettled by World Relief proudly earned a gold or silver medal.
The benefits of the job readiness workshop series are plentiful. From Bower's perspective, "I think it is very important to take advantage of the short time you have with refugees before they are employed. They have a lot of things to learn. It is a shame not to use this opportunity to teach them what the American workplace will be like. Before this class was organized, we saw a higher turnover in employment among clients. This course really prepares clients for work."
In addition to equipping the new arrivals with knowledge about the American workplace, the class also gave Bower and her colleagues valuable insight into each client's work ethic, attentiveness and ability to retain new information. With this knowledge, the staff has been better able to communicate their clients' strengths to potential employers and make more successful employment matches.
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Ibrahim Balah
OTHER REFUGEE SPOTLIGHTSAn Iraqi Physician's
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