Pitt students have been volunteering their time for the past two years to help acculturate and… Pitt students have been volunteering their time for the past two years to help acculturate and tutor Somali refugees, but they say their work is nowhere near done.

So where does the program go from here?

Tutors held a kick-off dinner Monday for the Somali children and their families in honor of the new program they are initiating called “Keep It Real.”

The purpose of “Keep It Real” is to sustain the tutoring program for as long as it is needed.

The Collegiate YMCA has a definite interest in partnering with volunteers to continue the program, according to program director Melissa Tomei. She said the YMCA wants to keep the program as close to the original as possible.

According to Tomei, the YMCA likes that the tutoring program is student-run and wants to keep it that way.

“Students have a lot of ideas to improve the program,” she said. “So we’re just going to build off of those.”

The YMCA will serve as supervisor of the program. They will help recruit and review applications, but the students will essentially decide who is hired. She said the YMCA would like to keep the program alive as long as it is needed and there are students interested.

Ibrahim Muya, who is in charge of the Somali Bantu community, said there is still a real need for the tutors. There are 43 families and some with many children. He added that it is virtually impossible for the parents to help their children with homework and studying because of the language barrier, so the tutors are a tremendous help.

Senior Alexa Born said she has seen a vast difference in the students’ reading and writing abilities over her two years volunteering in the program and would like to see it continue. She said it is rewarding to watch the students progress and to realize what she is doing really helps.

“They’re all so incredibly welcoming and thankful because they’re so happy to be here,” she said.

When asked about her experience with the tutors, sixth-grade Somali student Fatuma Muya agreed that she has learned a lot.

“We learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and George Washington and a lot about America,” she said. “We have lots of fun. I really like my tutors.”