Through an ICDG service learning project, University of Georgia students have the opportunity to learn about other cultures while helping immigrant children adjust to their new home in Georgia.

Student volunteers are needed to work with refugee children and youth in an after-school program and summer camp in the Decatur/Clarkston area, about 60 miles from Athens. Most of the children are from Ethiopia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan.

The after-school program runs from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, during the school year. The summer program will start the first week of June. Students can volunteer as little as once a week or as often as four times a week. Consistency is required.

Volunteers scan serve as

• coaches (e.g., soccer, basketball, and other sports),
• creative activity leaders (e.g., music, drama, dance, and games),
• mentors for at-risk children and youth,
• helpers for new immigrant families (e.g., meeting and welcoming them at the airport, helping them to settle in their apartments, providing family literacy instruction, etc.), and
• public health aides (e.g., health screening for refugees [adults and children]; immunizations; home visits to provide education on nutrition, family planning, parenting, and breastfeeding; school registration and health screening for new refugee students [an ongoing activity since refugees are always arriving]; and organizing visits to the doctors).

Earning Credit
Students are encouraged to inquire about the possibility of earning credits for this service from their academic departments as a practicum, independent study, or internship.