Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program

When you join the PA Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program as a foster parent, you  become part of an inspiring team promoting positive, planful development toward adulthood for refugee youths who entered the country on a permanent basis, but without parents.  It is our privilege  and responsibility to provide safe, stable, supportive foster care and  Semi-Independent Living placements for these youths.  All services are delivered all in the context of a structured, culturally sensitive, treatment environment. This is truly a lifesaving mission, and we need many more foster parents to carry it out. 

Compassionate, proactive, individualized case management services are the hallmarks of the Bethany staff. Many young people classified as Unaccompanied Refugee Minors arrive in the US determined to make the most of every opportunity presented them. Together with your family's case manager, you will help to heal painful memories and channel the hopes, talents, and energies of these remarkable youths, creating a path to new-found happiness and truly bright futures.  

Foster parents are central to our overall mission to provide quality services to these deserving young people. Youths typically enter they program between the ages of  ages 13-17  and may elect to remain in care until age 21. Support for postsecondary education and Medical Assistance coverage may continue until age 26. 

Being a tutor for the URM Program is about more that helping your student learn English and succeed academically.  You will also help them adapt to the challenges of daily life in the United States.  As a tutor, you share not only your language skills and cultural knowledge, but your support and encouragement as well.

Unaccompanied Refugee Youth come from all over the world with a range of academic backgrounds and English ability. Some have attended little formal schooling and others have  attended schools with high academic standards. Regardless, most refugee students do not speak English when they arrive. Although English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) services  are provided at school, the services are not extensive enough to ensure that every student is truly getting the support they need to thrive. Therefore, we lean upon tutors to help refugee student build the necessary language skills to progress academically alongside their peers and to open doors to further educational and vocational opportunities.

We are accepting teachers, college students and graduates to provide ESL and homework assistance. Tutors receive $22.00 per hour for a four hour plus a week time commitment.