Phong Au-Hong, Donald A. Strauss Fellowship Recipient

Phong Au-Hong, a student from UCR and Glocally Connected’s Project Management Director, was awarded the Donald A. Strauss Fellowship. With the Strauss family's mentorship and financial support of $10,000, we will be able to initiate one of the many engaged projects that utilizes UCR resources for the greater good of our community.

The project and intended goal of the award is outlined below via straussfoundation.org:

Project Title: Project 51- The Refugee Empowerment Project 

Named after the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, Project 51 aims to empower refugee women through two approaches. (1) Addressing the women’s need to learn English, Project 51’s Language and Cultural Immersion Course will offer a conversational partner program, which pairs refugee women with UCR students or Riverside community members to practice English and exchange culture. (2) Addressing the need of health literacy, Project 51’s Learning Circle will offer group discussions among refugees and community members to talk about topics concerning refugee’s well-being such as managing health and coping with race-related stress. In collaboration with on-campus academic departments and off-campus nonprofit organizations, Project 51 will cultivate strong relationships between the refugee community and local community. As the first UCR refugee support program, the project hopes to provide the resources needed for refugee women to empower themselves and their families as they start their new lives in the United States.