At iACT, we have great appreciation for the wonderful volunteers who make our service work possible! In this Volunteer Spotlight, Ali Sait, who interned with our Summer Refugee Youth Program (iLearn), tells us a little more about himself.
Q:Where are you from? How long have you been in Austin?
A: I was born in Austin and have lived here for all of my life.
How long have you volunteered with iACT?
I have volunteered with iACT for a little more than a year. I originally started as a volunteer in June 2017, and I ran the Saturday Tutoring program this school year. I also enjoyed being an intern for the iLEARN summer program this year.
What made you want to volunteer with iACT?
I wanted to start volunteering with iACT because I heard about the work they were doing to help refugee youth as they start school. iACT in particular stood out to me because they are committed to creating prolonged relationships with refugees in the area that will ultimately allow them to succeed.
What do you enjoy the most about working with refugee youth?
I enjoy working with the kids and being able to see them become confident about their English skills. In the span of just one year, I‘ve seen many kids go from knowing almost no English to being able to read books and write full sentences.
What’s the most challenging thing about working with refugee youth that you have experienced?
I would say that the greatest challenge has been dealing with the discipline issues that arise in the classroom. Many of the discipline issues that our students possess arise from past traumatic experiences, which are completely out of their control. Furthermore many feel insecure asking for help. Even though we know the reason for the behavior, we still need to correct it, which is often difficult.
What’s the most rewarding thing about working with refugee youth that you have experienced?
The most rewarding thing about working with refugee youth is truly the improvements I have seen the kids make. It’s critical that these kids learn English so that they can succeed in the future, and iACT makes that happen. Whether it’s seeing a little kid remember the sequence of the English alphabet or seeing a little kid confidently express his/herself in English for the first time, the impact iACT makes is visible and long-lasting.
Why would you encourage others to perform similar volunteer work with iACT?
Not only does volunteering with iACT allow volunteers to lift up a severely marginalized community, but the experience will, without a doubt, impact on the volunteer as well. The changes one will see being made will make any volunteer more aware of the issues in our world and will allow them to join the global effort to improve the human experience.
