Bridging the Gap, a community service organization that recently attained CIO status, has become one part of a larger relief network for African refugees now living in Charlottesville.
The group, founded by fourth-year College student Clay Broga, is a mentoring program for refugee children, many of whom Broga said are not yet proficient in English or fully adjusted to life in Charlottesville.
While helping the children to more fully develop their own cultural understanding of America, volunteers provide numerous needed services, such as tutoring (particularly in reading) and transportation to activities such as soccer practice, third-year College student Bobby Corrigan explained.
The children are not needy in the literal sense, Corrigan said, pointing out that food and clothing are not the issue.
Rather, they are "needy in terms of stimuli and coming out and doing things," Corrigan said.
With many parents working multiple jobs at inconvenient times, mentors often help fill in the gap, Broga explained.
Broga said he wants to help the parents instill the values of education and morals, hoping to ultimately see many of these children become college or job applicants.
"It's Parenting 101," Broga said, referring to how he had to learn to handle the emotional ups and downs and realize occasional mean behavior does not translate to a lack of appreciation.
Corrigan said he likens the organization's goals in some ways to a relatively casual version of Big Brother Big Sister, with the more specific task of serving as a segue between life in Africa and America.
Bridging the Gap is unique in that it addresses "a pocket of the population that is largely ignored," Broga said. "People don't even realize it exists."
Broga said he discovered the refugee community while volunteering as a soccer coach. Three of the children were on his team at the time, and Broga said he realized one child "was particularly having a rough time adjusting."
The child was often angry or unresponsive, Broga said, adding he would fight or "shut down" when he did not get his way.
After inquiring into the situation, Broga discovered the Somali child had spent time in a Kenyan refugee camp before his family was relocated to America by the International Rescue Committee.
Broga said he discovered the child's story of transitions was a typical situation, although some children do fare better than others.
"They are all incredibly happy, grateful kids, [and] they're smart," Broga said. "They just need some help; They're so far behind in language, and it's such a culture shock."
Broga also said particularly boys who have trouble adjusting risk falling in with the wrong crowd.
Working with these children as a tutor and mentor over the summer, Broga said he discovered the limitations of the support provided by the IRC.
While the committee provides some services to the relocated families for around 18 months, they are generally left on their own after six. The idea behind this is, "if you help them after that, you're 'enabling' them," Broga said.
Broga pointed out, however, the children do not learn the language or acclimate to the area in just half a year.
Not wanting to give up, Broga said he modeled Bridging the Gap after the work of Debra Beale, a Charlottesville resident who had been providing extended support through transportation and companionship to the refugee families outside of the IRC's efforts.
"My wife and I have been dealing closely with a lot of the African kids in the community for the last two years," said Debra Beale's husband, Sonny Beale, recycling program superintendent at the University. "It kind of started with the Somali Bantu kids that were in my wife's fourth grade class two years ago."
Sonny Beale said three children currently spend time in his house six days a week for help with homework and other needs. He added he and his wife also like to meet with the families to see how things are going.
"We classify them as our family members -- our extended family," Sonny Beale said.
By assigning three student mentors to groups of two children, organizing clothing drives and other fundraisers and planning group events, Bridging the Gap has expanded the sense of camaraderie and acceptance offered to the refugees.
"They have been a great help to my wife and I," Sonny Beale said. "I'm actually amazed at what they've done and the level of commitment the volunteers have gotten together with this."
Sonny Beale said he was pleased to see University students taking the children ice skating, practicing sports with them, going to the movies and just sharing their time.
When Sonny Beale discussed the opportunity to find a mentor for a new participant's child, he said the parent "was very enthusiastic about the whole idea of somebody being able to spend time with him."
Overall, the parents have been very happy about the program, Sonny Beale said.
Currently, Broga said the group consists of about 50 student volunteers from Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Chi Omega and Alpha Phi. Now that the group is a CIO, Broga said he hopes to attract more of the general student population.
"Our goal right now is to make it sustainable," Corrigan said.
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