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The Arizona Refugee Community Center (ARCC) is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which has been dedicated to helping the refugee community in Arizona since 1993, and became a non-profit in 2000. We are also a registered certified charity in the State of Arizona (Qualifying Charitable Organization). We coordinate projects and services to assist all refugees to become fully integrated and self-sufficient in their new communities. The refugee community we serve is very diverse and includes people from Vietnam, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Cuba.
We provide several programs for refugees of all ages including English classes, employment development, homework assistance for youth, and support for elderly refugees and for victims of torture. The ARCC has assisted many members in the community to gain employment, obtain affordable housing, and have opportunities for youth to gather. We also provide assistance with translation and advocacy for 'daily living', doctor's appointments, school appointments, and other situations where language or culture may be a barrier.
The Arizona Refugee Community Center uses 71% of its funds for its programs and 29% for administrative and Center overhead costs. This means that the majority of your contribution goes towards the programs and people who need it most. We are a very small but efficient organization.
See our listings on:
 idealist.org
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Arizona Refugee Community Center - Board of Directors
Rosalind Rivera - President
Mark Joraanstad - Secretary
Tracy Lenartt - Treasurer
Sophie O'Keefe-Zelman - Board Member
Arizona Refugee Community Center - Staff
Sarab Al-Ani - Program Director
Barry Black - Citizenship Teacher
Batool Shamil - Rio Salado Teacher
Tho Tran - AARP Receptionist
A brief history of the Arizona Refugee Community Center
The ARCC started out as an association founded in 1993 by a group of Iraqi refugees to assist refugees to become self-sufficient in their new community. The Iraqi Association of Arizona, as it was named, joined the Arizona International Refugee Consortium, Inc. (AIRCI), volunteering many hours teaching and providing services for the refugee communities. Unfortunately, the AIRCI closed its doors in May 2000. So in October 2000, the Iraqi Association of Arizona opened a new center to keep the dream of the Arizona refugees alive and to assist the whole community in their resettlement process. The first English class in the new center was begun in January 2001. In February 2002, the name was changed to Arizona Refugee Community Center to demonstrate our inclusion of all refugees. Refugees from Iraq, Bosnia, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Liberia, Russia, Serbia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somali, Vietnam, Burma, and Cuba currently attend our centers' activities and receive services and assistance.
Creating an Inclusive Community Center
The Arizona Refugee Community Center is dedicated to assisting the refugee community in Arizona to become self-sufficient by providing them educational opportunities, services and advocacy. Our services vary depending on funding opportunities, however, the Center has provided Life Skills classes, job readiness, job placement and a computer lab. We've held workshops on citizenship, domestic violence, health and nutrition, women's health care, and crime prevention. We developed a youth group - the International Youth Club. Our Center is now located on the edge of Bethany Glen Apartments, which are section 8 apartments. We provide English classes in collaboration with the Glendale Adult Education Gary Tang Center. We have collaborated with Catholic Social Services to provide therapy and services for victims of torture or trauma. On Fridays, we provide dance therapy for these clients with the help of ASU Professors.
The Arizona Refugee Community Center welcomes refugees from Iraq, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somali, Vietnam, Burma, and Cuba to attend our centers' activities. The plight of the refugee is overwhelming. Many have fled countries that were torn because of civil wars, poverty, drought, or ruled by dictators that have no respect for human rights. The refugee communities have many needs in common yet backgrounds and beliefs that are very different. We have identified some strategies that have helped us to be successful in creating an inclusive community center.
1. We offer programs that address common needs of the refugee community.
Examples:
- English classes
- Citizenship classes
- Orientation Workshops
2. We are consistent in our efforts to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
Examples:
- Therapy groups insist on privacy for the women who participate, many like to take their 'hijab' or head scarf off, the therapy is held in the largest room of our center, a sheet covers the doorway into the hallway and the center is closed for that one hour to any man.
- English classes location of the classes the students can just walk to our center, variety of class times.
- We greet the client according to their cultural greeting, the Iraqi and Afghani women will generally greet you, if you are a woman, with a small kiss on each side of the face versus the Vietnamese man or woman will slightly bow and nod.
3. We create an environment of appreciating cultural diversity.
It starts at the top, the Program Director demonstrates respect and expects respect from the staff and the refugee community.
Examples:
- Each person who comes to the center is welcomed and encouraged to join center activities.
- The staff doesn't show preference to any one person or group,
- The refugee clients are encouraged to bring in food from their country or teach us words from their language.
- We take many pictures at every event and activity and display these pictures on the walls of the center.
4. The center is creative in its methods of communication.
Examples:
- Afghani refugee who speaks only Farsi needed to communicate with English only staff person. There was no Farsi interpreter available. We asked a gentlemen who spoke only Farsi and Arabic to translate to an Arabic and English speaking person who then translated to the English only staff member,
- We have board members who are willing to come to the Center to interpret or to take calls and interpret over the phone, when possible we have on staff people who were refugees themselves.
5. The center creates opportunities for the refugee community to express their cultural differences.
Examples:
- The Friday night youth parties - we have food, drinks and games. The Iraqi youth played and danced to their Iraqi music then the Afghani youth played their music.
- The Executive Director took a picture of the morning students, about 30 of them, each student held a card in front of them with the name of the country they came from. We posted this picture on the wall.
- Every year the women attend the International Day celebration at ASU West. Everyone is encouraged to wear their traditional dress from their country.
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