RCP Bridge Builders featured in the Journal of Refugee & Immigrant Studies

The Bridge Builders (BB) program is an initiative implemented by Refugee Community Partnership (RCP), an organization that centers refugees. This program matches volunteers with refugee families in reciprocal relationships, facilitating integration and social support. Sixteen volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews that elicited their views on the BB program. Volunteers valued the relationship-based model and its interrogation of power structures. They highlighted challenges in accountability and navigating boundaries with their matched families. Volunteers expressed desire for increased opportunities to connect with other volunteers and the broader RCP community. Findings show strengths and challenges of relationship-based approaches in refugee resettlement and integration.