Building Bridges Through Education and Community Engagement

Gonzaga University Partners with Spokane's International Rescue Committee to Support Refugee Youth

Gonzaga University's School of Education recently launched a new partnership with the Spokane’s International Rescue Committee (IRC), creating opportunities for Gonzaga students to engage with refugee and immigrant youth and young adults while deepening their understanding of global displacement and resettlement.

The collaboration was sparked by conversations between Gonzaga Professor James Hunter and a former colleague. They saw a natural alignment between the IRC's mission and the goals of the “Immigrant and Refugee Perspectives” course. Previously, the course partnered with a local community college program, but increasing logistical challenges and limited placements prompted the search for a more sustainable and impactful solution. The IRC’s flexibility and shared values made it an ideal partner.

This semester, the partnership reached a new milestone: the entire class, taught this fall by Jonas Cox, was onboarded as IRC volunteers, working with their youth team to provide tutoring and mentoring onsite at the University. These activities fulfill the course’s Community Engaged Learning (CEL) requirement and offer students direct experience with refugee populations.

Students were onboarded through activities that included a “Refugee 101” presentation from IRC during class where students learned about refugee statistics and the admissions process, as well as the resettlement experience, challenges of resettlement and services provided by IRC to refugees and newcomers.

Gonzaga students tutor and mentor refugee young adults helping them build English language skills, confidence, and future-oriented goals related to college and careers.

From Gonzaga’s perspective, the partnership offers students a critical opportunity to understand the lived experiences of refugees and immigrants.

IRC hopes that students will come away with a deeper appreciation for the value newcomers bring to the community - their culture, perspectives, and resilience. By engaging directly with refugee youth, students are expected to develop a stronger sense of empathy and awareness of the barriers these individuals face.

For the youth involved, the program offers more than academic support. Through tutoring and mentorship, they gain language skills, confidence and social connections. The IRC also hopes these interactions will help youth set and pursue goals for their education and careers, fostering a sense of belonging and possibility in their new environment.

“All in all, this is a great partnership,” Cox says. “This is the population we want our students to work with. IRC has been incredibly flexible in meeting our students’ scheduling needs, and our students are having a critical experience interacting with different cultures.”

This partnership demonstrates Gonzaga’s commitment to serving the local community and global citizenship, offering students and newcomers alike a chance to learn, grow, and build bridges across cultures.