Welcome Neighbor STL is offering an academic tutorial program to help immigrant and refugee middle and high school students with homework; however, the organization desperately needs volunteer tutors.
Tutors are needed to assist children in all subjects, especially math and reading. Volunteer tutors do not need to be experts in any subject because the nonprofit will provide access to programs so volunteers can familiarize themselves with the curriculum.
According to Jon Magruder, literacy coordinator at Welcome Neighbor STL, many immigrant and refugee students need help outside the classroom that promotes a positive learning environment.
“Many of their parents don't speak English or have very limited English, and so it's difficult for the parents to help their kids,” Magruder said. “There are also many, many people working second shifts, third shifts … so then these students don't have necessarily the same amount of support as, say, a suburban school district.”
Magruder, a former Kirkwood School District social studies teacher, modeled the tutorial program on an after-school program at his former school. Students would get help with academics after school for one hour. He said he noticed that the school’s refugee population needed assistance with schoolwork.
“It's a great opportunity for these kids who might feel isolated otherwise, who don't share a lot in common with their classmates who grew up here,” he said. “These students have experienced incredible challenges.”
Students can pick up new literacy skills and better understand all subjects from community members at 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Afghan Community Center at 3611 S. Grand Blvd. Most students who participate in the program are from Afghanistan.
The nonprofit also needs volunteers to drive students to and from tutoring sessions every week, as many immigrant and refugee parents do not have transportation or cannot take their children to classes because of work obligations.
Moving to a new country as a child from a war-torn country presents loads of challenges, said Haroon Safi, a program director at Monarch Immigrant Services St. Louis.
“Imagine arriving in a new country where the language is unfamiliar and the culture is different, the school system is totally different, that's kind of overwhelming those children,” Safi said.
He said many children who came to St. Louis in 2021 after the Taliban took over Afghanistan were emotionally unavailable and shy in class. Tutoring programs like Welcome Neighbor STL’s are a great way for children to get excited about learning again, he added.
Safi encourages immigrants and refugees who understand the struggles of newly arrived people to volunteer because working with people from similar backgrounds gives children hope and pushes them toward academic success.
“It's a good opportunity for children to be [tutored] by people from the same geographical locations. It gives them a lot of self-esteem and courage while sitting in class,” Safi said. “It will also help them improve their language.”
