Connecting young refugees with employment, training and education.
In the summer of 2016, GtD was commissioned by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta to evaluate its “Connect to Success” program, a pilot program designed to fill a gap in services for out of school youth and young adult refugees aged 16-24 who are being resettled locally. With funding from a local foundation, the program will, over the next three years, provide young refugees with services designed to connect them with their individual educational and career goals. These services will include developmentally appropriate case management, job readiness training and placement, and concurrent educational programs.
By connecting young refugees to education and career opportunities, the program aims to promote long-term gains in the participants’ sense of empowerment and self-efficacy. GtD’s evaluation is building on similar work that we have undertaken in England but we are looking forward to the opportunity of contributing to the learning here in the U.S. Over the next three years we will develop and support a bespoke Performance Information Tool. It will collate data on interventions and outcomes and generate reports. These will be central to the completion of the program and outcome evaluations. In addition to measuring the program’s formal outcomes, our evaluation is designed to take a role in the development of the Connect to Success program. It will also contribute to the knowledge base of “what works?” to empower young refugees to succeed economically and socially in their new home.
