Check out one of the following exciting programs!
- Visit our store to buy an RLP T-shirt or Storybook telling the life story of a local refugee.
- Join us at our weekly Community Table, where we enjoy a potluck dinner and build community with our refugee friends.
- Help a refugee meet their goals through our Mentorship program;
- Serve as a teacher during one of our daily English classes.
- Visit us at the PLACE, our refugee-focused multicultural community center.
- 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 to ensure 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.
Follow us!
We're on Facebook and Instagram,
and you can find some videos on our YouTube channel.
Are you an organization in Texas that is involved in adult or family literacy/ESL? Literacy Texas the statewide literacy coalition, connecting and equipping adult and family literacy programs through resources, training, networking and advocacy. They are a wonderful organization and we have attended their annual conference and regional symposia. One of the ways they provide great resources, training and support is by keeping a great pulse on statewide needs and programs. If you are involved as a volunteer or program administrator, would you take 5 minutes to fill out their needs assessment? Tell them what support YOUR students or program needs. Because of last year`s needs assessment, they brought in a stellar presenter to this year`s conference that provided timely, practical and concrete training to our team. Once you fill out the survey, go ahead and sign up to receive their emails so you can take advantage of their wonderful resources! Link in bio.
We did not post a book for August or the first half of September - apologies! This book is a bit long, so we`ll take the rest of September and October to read it. Solito is a memoir written by Javier Zamora about the 3,000 mile journey he took unaccompanied from El Salvador through Guatemala and Mexico to the USA as a 9 year old. You might have a Spanish dictionary nearby, or Google translate, as there are portions that would require a good knowledge of Spanish to understand. Let me know if you plan to read along!
---
Do you like to read? Join me! I`ll post a book recommendation at the beginning of each month and if you want to join me in reading the book, grab a used copy from your local bookstore, borrow from a friend, or head to the library. If you have a book suggestion, drop it in the comments below!
How do you like to connect? Through prayer or through play? We have both! All are invited to step into these weekly rhythms as a way to connect and grow with us. We pray on Wednesdays at 12:30 in the RLP conference room and we play ultimate frisbee on Saturday nights at West Hills Park at 6:30. (Was 7 PM previously, but now it`s getting dark earlier!) Join us for one or both!
There is STILL time to sign up for the Refugee 101 class happening tomorrow night from 6-8 PM. Send an email to John and reserve your spot. We`d love to see you there and answer your questions about RLP, get you plugged in and equip you for the work of welcoming refugees!
A few weeks ago, one of our staff members got a lesson on how to prepare grasshoppers for dinner. Which part would you agree to do - catch, gut, or eat? Drop your answer in the comments below or take the poll in our stories! 🦗🦗🦗
Our team has loved being all together in our new office space next door to The PLACE. Renovations in the back classroom (pictured), kitchenette and bathrooms are almost finished! As you may remember, we moved in to the office space over the summer after previously being split between two locations. Unfortunately, renovation costs have exceeded our initial budget, so if you would like to help offset some of those costs, please consider giving by clicking the link in bio. Stay tuned for a video tour of the new space and a chance to come and pray over the new RLP offices this Fall!
September 2023 - Roundtable Roundup :: Read this month`s e-newsletter to hear a report on the Regional Refugee Roundtable. Also check out the dates for weekly prayer times, ultimate frisbee, the next Refugee 101 and the upcoming The Panhandle Gives fundraiser campaign! Link in bio.
Refugee 101 is happening again on September 12th! Tap through to get all your questions answered and find out how to sign up.
New school year, new ESL classes and new little ones coming to play while mom or dad comes to class!
The @rhpna Regional Roundtable was a smashing success! We had ESL student panels, teacher panels, presentations on linguistics, honor-shame cultures, mental health and more. There was time to connect, discuss and reflect together. So many thanks to @swccamarillo for hosting the first ever event like this in Amarillo!
Still smiling about our Roundtable last week. 😁 It was such a time of encouragement and community building. Thanks to everyone who made it possible!!
August 2023 - The Final Countdown - The Regional Refugee Roundtable is in 2 days! You can still register and join us at the first ever gathering of this kind in Amarillo! Read our August e-newsletter for all the details. Link in bio.
@bettyreyesmedina and I are in College Station this week for the annual @literacytexas conference! I`ll be sharing in a few sessions about collaboration and community partnerships. This will be my second year in attendance, and I am looking forward to another fabulous year at this standout conference.
Join us tomorrow evening, Saturday, July 29th, for another round of ultimate frisbee at West Hills Park! Bring a lawn chair and bug spray and watch if you aren`t up for playing, or have little people to tend to. There is great shade, a playground, a walking trail around the park and we`ll have a good time. Hope to see you there!
We are delighted to have Lyly Zothang join our team as Community Partnerships Coordinator, and are grateful that our Board of Directors had a chance recently to hear her heart and vision and pray over her. We will be sharing more about Lyly`s plans and gifts in the coming months! Welcome, Lyly! 👋
The PLACE & Amarillo Police Department will be hosting a Community Table next Tuesday, July 26th at Margaret Wills Elementary School Park from 6-8 PM. Bring some food to share and kids that have parent permission will be eligible to receive a bike! Questions? Send a DM to The PLACE! See you there!
Have you been seeing our advertisements for the Refugee Regional Roundtable August 10-11 and scrolled right past because a conference sounds like a place for professionals? Well guess what? It`s for YOU! The volunteer, church member, neighbor and friend of refugees in our area! Listen to our Executive Director share about this exciting event then hop on over to refugeelanguage.org/roundtable to register. Link in bio.
Ultimate Frisbee tomorrow night at 7 PM at West Hills Park!The field is spacious and perfect for frisbee, there are tons of shade trees on the perimeter for people to sit in chairs and watch, and it`s a great time of evening to be outside! Come join us! *Not pictured: adults in their 30s laughing at how much harder this is than when they were in college 😂
Join us tonight! West Hills Park, 7 PM, Ultimate Frisbee and general park hangout.
