Some make the choice to leave their homes; others are forced into migration. The UN Refugee Agency estimates that nearly 89.3 million people fall into the latter category, a scattered population big enough to match that of California, Texas, and New York combined.
Impacted by civil unrest, climate catastrophes, and political collapse, individuals and families that flee their homes face a number of barriers—with language being one of the biggest challenges. Having basic proficiency in a nation’s dominant language increases the likelihood of gaining employment opportunities, achieving financial stability, accessing legal resources, and receiving community support.
To continue supporting the social and economic integration of displaced persons around the world, Rosetta Stone has renewed its partnerships with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). With the help of these dedicated organizations and Rosetta Stone’s vital learning resources, refugees around the world are able to master key language building blocks and settle more easily into their new homes.
What makes the HIAS and Rosetta Stone partnership so impactful?
HIAS, the international Jewish humanitarian organization, is the world’s oldest refugee agency. HIAS’ founding members began their work in the late 1880’s, providing crucial services—including meals and shelter—to New York City’s fast-growing Eastern European Jewish population.
Since their official establishment in 1902, HIAS has resettled refugees across decades of turmoil, from World War II to the 2021 invasion of Ukraine. Today, HIAS takes a truly global approach to the people they serve, working to facilitate resettlement from destabilized areas in Kenya, Latin America, the Caribbean, Afghanistan, and more.
Across 16 countries, the HIAS provides a myriad of vital services to refugees and asylum seekers, including:
- Refugee resettlement
- Legal support
- Risk reduction, response, and prevention of gender-based violence
- Strengthening community-based mental health care
- Promoting economic inclusion
- Rights advocacy
- Emergency response
By partnering with Rosetta Stone, HIAS provides global refugees and staff with free, lifetime access to lessons in all 25 languages on the platform. The most popular languages HIAS learners practice are English, French, German, Spanish, and Arabic.
Unlike other learning platforms, Rosetta Stone immerses refugees in real-world scenarios so that they can learn a new language naturally, regardless of their level of proficiency in their target language. Learners build their understanding through audio and images, and they can complete lessons at their own pace. The platform is also attuned to a wide range of learners, regardless of age or educational background, so that parents can use it as a valuable instructional tool for themselves and their children.
At HIAS, language support goes both ways. Staff members—from attorneys to case workers—use Rosetta Stone to increase their speaking skills in a variety of languages. In this way, they can provide targeted support in languages their clients feel most comfortable with.
Patrick Fogarty, a care worker for Refugee Services at Jewish Family Services of Western New York in Buffalo, primarily works with Ukrainian immigrants, and uses Rosetta Stone regularly to help him better communicate with clients.
“I know that my clients appreciate it when I can speak to them in one of their native languages,” Patrick said. “I feel that I’m able to connect with them on a deeper level than if I was solely using a Russian interpreter.”
With a digital-first platform like Rosetta Stone, refugees are guaranteed easier access to learning resources that they can use on smartphones or tablets. For many refugees, there’s a relief in knowing they don’t need a permanent home or classroom to access the learning tools they need.
“Rosetta Stone has proven transformative in enabling our program participants to overcome language barriers and actively participate in their new societies,” said HIAS Senior Vice President of Programs, Raphael Marcus.
“We are deeply thankful for the support of Rosetta Stone, as their contribution has played an instrumental role in empowering our program participants and fostering a more inclusive and cohesive community for all.”
How are IRAP and Rosetta Stone supporting refugees?
For over two decades, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), a global human rights organization, has mobilized free legal aid, litigation, and systemic advocacy initiatives to facilitate better futures for displaced people.
Their mission statement is simple: Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there. To accomplish its goals, IRAP builds solutions for a variety of issues, including:
- Special Immigrant Visas: Works to ensure that SIV programs established in 2006 are upheld, so that Iraqi and Afghan allies can safely resettle in the United States.
- Complementary pathways: Supports and provides legal assistance for resettlement pathways that fall outside of traditional, government-run resettlement programs.
- Family reunification: Advocates for improved family reunification systems and protect the rights of/litigate for those who qualify under existing systems.
- Private sponsorship: Helps clients navigate private sponsorship pathways, which allow refugees to settle within active, supportive communities.
- United States refugee settlement: Works to protect and expand the United States refugee admissions program.
- Asylum and detention: Advocates for the rights of US asylum seekers, which includes providing remote legal aid to highly vulnerable asylum seekers at the El Paso-Juárez border.
- Climate displacement: Promotes expanding legal protections for climate refugees, whose population now exceeds those displaced by violence or armed conflict by three times.
IRAP uses donated Rosetta Stone lifetime subscriptions to facilitate better futures for their refugee clients. Since 2019, their partnership with Rosetta Stone has helped hundreds of clients and staff members improve their communication skills and bridge the language gap. By learning a language on Rosetta Stone, displaced persons can better advocate for themselves, share their experiences, and tell their own stories.
IRAP Policy Director Sunil Varghese emphasized that Rosetta Stone is an important professional development resource for both the IRAP team and the organization as a whole. “IRAP works with refugees and partner organizations from around the world,” Varghese said, “and language capacity is a key component to our success.”
What steps can you take to support resettlement efforts?
It takes a village to support successful resettlement for an individual, let alone entire cities and nations. On that point, there’s reason for optimism. From legal aid to in-home sponsorship, there are ample opportunities to support and learn from displaced individuals as they settle into their new home.
HIAS is focusing their efforts on family reunification, calling on federal administrators to make family reunification pathways more efficient, equitable, and transparent. You can provide support to HIAS by:
- Making a donation
- Volunteering, including various types of mentorship, cultural orientation support, ESL tutoring and English conversation, and interpretation and translation
- Forming a welcome circle
In partnership with IRAP, you can take action by:
- Making a donation
- Contacting your elected officials
- Sponsoring arriving refugees
- Sharing legal resources
If you’re eager to work directly with individuals that have been displaced, learning their native language is a great place to start. Check out www.rosettastone.com for lessons in 25 languages, and start making an impact today.
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