Check out one of the following exciting programs!
- Join us for our weekly Table Talk program, featuring a potluck dinner & informal conversation;
- Connect with a refugee through our Face to Face mentorship program;
- Buy a book from our exciting Storybook Project, which creates illustrated books from the life stories of refugees;
- Serve as a teacher during one of our daily English classes;
- Visit us at the PLACE, our new refugee-focused multicultural community center; or
- Book our Translation Services to meet an upcoming translation need.
Learn more about how these programs get us to our vision of the flourishing of refugee communities.
Refugee Language Project exists so that individuals from refugee communities in the Amarillo area are increasingly flourishing as they confidently interact with the world around them, enabling them to honor God with their lives. RLP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Amarillo, Texas. Launched in 2017, we became a standalone organization in 2020. We are funded primarily by monthly recurring donations, alongside generous one-time gifts and strategic grants. Learn more about our team here.
Understand the broader context from our 2021 Amarillo Refugee State of the Union.
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and you can find some videos on our YouTube channel.
What's the Objective? :: October 2022 E-newsletter :: How can we engage with our refugee friends in strategic ways that not only meet their goals but also equip them for greater impact in their community? Read this month's e-newsletter to gain a deeper understanding of our vision for leadership development while also catching a sneak peak of the next storybook at the printer now! Caves and Cages: Memories of Myanmar is available for pre-order! Link in bio.
This week at Table Talk is Music Night! Come enjoy our usual potluck meal then sit back and listen to some musical performances. This is a great event to bring your international friends to. Please bring some food to share!
Last night we grazed on yummy food and talked with old and new friends about how to creatively engage refugees we have relationships with, pulling them from stranger to leader and equipping them to be the bridge in their community that we can never be as Americans. It was a night for sharing ideas, hearing stories and encouraging each other to do the hard yet fruitful work of cross cultural relationships! Thanks to everyone who came out! 🙂
6-8 PM at @theplaceamarillo for Table Talk tonight. Bring some food to share at our potluck dinner then stick around with your refugee friends for a bike safety class and bike giveaway courtesy of APD!
Tomorrow is the last day to register for the RLP Community Gathering! Anyone who has been involved in the past, is currently serving in some way, or social media stalkers who wants to see what this RLP thing is all about are welcome! We'll have a light grazing table, coffee and dessert, and would love to see you there to connect, encourage one another and talk about what is happening in our city and community. There will be no childcare. Please RSVP to jennifer@refugeelanguage.org
Tonight is poetry night at Table Talk! Bring your own original poetry and some food to share, and encourage your refugee friends to do the same. We'll have a pot luck dinner before we feast on words! 6-8 at The PLACE.
Many refugees in our community have strong backgrounds in agriculture. What better way to connect with them than by harvesting corn together to benefit our local community? Tell your immigrant and refugee friends to join the SnackPak4Kids 10th annual Aww Shucks Corn Harvest THIS Saturday, and invite them to be participants in community with you! Share experiences make for great bonding time, language learning and just plain fun! Be sure to register you and your friends online! Register at signup.com/go/DRVDHma
Did you know that @brickandelm, Amarillo's excellent monthly magazine, did a beautiful piece about the diversity of our city, written by the talented @jasonboyett ? Did you know that some of our favorite people were featured? And did you know you can read it for free online thanks to @palacecoffee? Well, now you know, so what are you waiting for?! Amarillo is so much more than you expected...
Today we celebrate National Literacy Day! In ESL class today we played a reading and writing game and the higher level students worked on finishing their bios. Celebrate the ability to read and encourage those in your life who are taking steps to become better readers! #nationalliteracyday #refugeesread
Table Talk Kickoff tonight 6-8 PM @theplaceamarillo. Bring a friend and a plate of food to share!
Our e-newsletter hit your inboxes this morning! Here's a sneak peak of important dates this month. You also don't want to miss the story inside called "Wide and Narrow Windows." Drop a comment below if you read it! Link in bio.
Wide and Narrow Windows :: We hope for long-term, meaningful connections between Americans and refugees – our mantra being depth over breadth. Mentors are typically asked to commit for 6 months so that the relationship has a chance to grow roots. In reality though, those connections don’t always materialize into something long term. Read this month's e-newsletter for some perspective on the windows of opportunity we do have, then save the RLP calendar for September! Link in bio.
These ladies show up and work hard each week in class. They come from all different backgrounds and have various academic, social and emotional intelligences to share with the world. What a joy to spend Tuesday and Thursday mornings with these friends that have lived lives as teachers, farmers, mothers, seamstresses, and bakers. They have known both immense joy and deep tragedy, yet are still learning, smiling and taking new risks. I am inspired weekly by our students. Who in your life inspires you?
What do you think "mentorship" looks like with RLP? Sometimes it looks a lot like this. Kid in tow, working on GED prep at The PLACE, marveling at the brilliance and courage of a mentee who is motivated to press forward. These two ladies just started meeting, and while they worked on GED materials this time, they planned to watch a movie and discuss it next week. Mentorship can take on many shapes and sizes, just like any friendship or relationship. Interested in hearing more about this program? The next mentor training is coming up on September 19th. If you would like more information, reach out to our mentorship coordinator for the next steps: jennifer@refugeelanguage.org
Looking for something to do today? Head out to 1001 N. Eastern for the 72nd Anniversary of Karen National Martyr's Day and Karen Traditional Wrist Tying Ceremony. There are soccer and volleyball tournaments as well as food, music, dancing, and traditional games.
Things to Do in Amarillo :: Karen edition - There are two ways to dive into the Karen culture this month in Amarillo. You'd be missing out if you didn't drive over to Don Harrington Discovery Center and see their gorgeous new exhibit honoring the Karen people! See traditional instruments and rice harvesting methods and let the little ones dress up in authentic Karen clothing. Then mark your calendars for Karen Martyr's Day and join in the festivities! Read this month's e-newsletter for more. Link in bio.
Emily and I (Crystal) are in College Station tomorrow and Tuesday to take part in the Literacy Texas Conference! I will be presenting in a breakout session about the PLACE and the Heritage Language Storybook Project, and we can't wait to soak up all the ideas and inspiration from the fabulous list of speakers this year. #LitTexas2022
You guys HAVE to check out this incredible new exhibit at the @discoverycenter !! With input from the K.C.A. "Karen Community Of Amarillo Texas" and RLP, the incredibly kind and talented team at DHDC has put together a remarkable display of Karen history and culture as the pilot installation of their new series of cultural exhibits called "Beyond". Kids can play in a replica house on stilts, dress in Karen clothing, use a traditional rice harvesting machine and listen to recordings of authentic Karen music. Be sure to stop in and see for yourself, and learn more about the story of this strong community of people that now call Amarillo home! Way to go, DHDC!! 👏👏👏 Head over to their IG page to see more pictures and read about the exhibit.
No Table Talk tonight! As our staff prepares for the Fall semester and evaluates all we are doing at the PLACE, we are taking the rest of the summer off from Table Talk. Stay tuned for updates and find other ways this summer to connect with your refugee friends!
Read this inspiring story of a former refugee from Vietnam who attended Eastridge Elementary and Travis Middle School. In September, Amarillo's own Lo Van Pham will become the first Asian-American official in the NFL. Read his story online through @BrickandElm
https://brickandelm.com/earning-his-nfl-stripes/
