 |
In the Spotlight
 Support our Annual Campaign celebrating FIVE YEARS helping young refugees explore, learn, lead . . . and succeed! We have reached hundreds of youth in our first five years of programs--programs sustained by the contributions of generous supporters like you! Join PAIR's 2012 fundraising campaign by making a donation through July 31. Help us reach our goal of serving 450 youth annually by 2015! >>Click here to find out about sponsorship opportunities or to donate to our campaign.<< 
|
Mission & Vision
The mission of PAIR is to empower refugee youth to reach their highest potential by connecting them with college and community volunteers to build positive mentoring relationships and provide educational programs that offer academic enrichment, cross-cultural understanding, and the resources and motivation to pursue higher education and other opportunities. At the same time, PAIR provides its volunteers with leadership opportunities and experiences that increase their understanding of global issues and ability to work with diverse cultures.
The vision of PAIR is to work with nearly 450 refugee youth annually by 2015, helping them become adjusted, engaged, and self-sufficient members of society. PAIR's programs are part of an integrated series that follows students from shortly after their arrival in Houston in their middle-school years through high school and into post-secondary education. By supporting vulnerable youth during their critical early adjustment to their new lives in the Houston community, PAIR's programs allow youth to pursue an educational path that will improve their quality of life and fully develop their potential.
History of the Organization
PAIR began in September 2006, when several students at Rice University learned about the needs of a group of recently-arrived refugees. As the founders came to understand the system of refugee resettlement and to know the many refugees struggling to adjust to life in Houston, they expanded their efforts, organizing programs that involved additional Rice volunteers and that served greater numbers of those in need. In January of 2007 they formed an official student organization at Rice. PAIR quickly built a reputation within the refugee community, the Rice University community, and the community of organizations that serve refugees.
In May of 2007 PAIR's founders took an important developmental step by incorporating and receiving 501(c)(3) status for the organization. During the next two years PAIR involved more than 160 volunteers and over 200 refugee youth in a variety of programs designed to ease their adjustment to American life and equip them with the motivation and resources to succeed in the education system and continue on to higher learning opportunities.
PAIR's purpose is to equip refugee youth with the means to improve their own lives by assisting in their adjustment to American life, offering academic encouragement and assistance, and providing the information and resources they need to embark on a path to higher education, while fostering confidence, responsibility, and leadership. At the core of PAIR's efforts is the resolution to bridge the educational gap and foster economic mobility. For many of our refugee students, arrival in the U.S. has created the new and unexpected possibility of receiving secondary education and higher education. PAIR's work aims to assist refugee youth in taking full advantage of this opportunity and to allow these motivated students to pursue an educational path that will further improve their quality of life and develop their potential, ultimately leading to self-sufficiency, positive adjustment, and civic involvement.
PAIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas.
Please contact us at PAIR@pairhouston.org.
6440 Hillcroft, Suite 302, Houston, TX 77081 | (713) 771 - 1111
6440 Hillcroft, Suite 302, Houston, TX 77081 | (713) 771 - 1111