Public Service Clinics Topics
East African Community Services
Agency/Program Overview
East African Community Services was born in 2000 out of a growing need to offer refugee support service in King County. EACS, dedicated to improving the well-being and quality of life of refugees and their families, has established a strong record of service in King County through culturally-specific advocacy, information, referral, and direct service. EACS helps clients successfully adjust to their new life in the United States while preserving their own diverse cultural heritage.
Specific Research Question
How effective is East African Community Services at positively impacting the lives of East African refugee families? What processes can be improved on or implemented to make EACS' service delivery sustainable in line with the Strategic Plan?
Additional Project Background
EACS is eager to determine the impact of its many programs on East African refugee clients, including Youth Development programming, Afterschool Tutoring, ESL Talk-Times, and Computer Literacy Classes. Though the agency was formed in 2000, educational programs are relatively new over the last two and three years and provide dynamic tools for serving a very vulnerable population in King County. This moment in EACS' growth is particularly critical as it has undergone steady and significant growth in recent years and a new five-year strategic plan was drafted in summer 2009. This project with an Evans School student will formalize and systematize the steps ahead for EACS to most efficiently serve East African refugees.
Key Steps
The student will review the draft five-year strategic plan with EACS executive staff. With a full understanding of the strategic vision, the student will develop or improve on existing assessment tools for key programs to determine impact on participants and alignment with strategic plan. Finally, the student will perform a program budget analysis to assist EACS in formalizing existing program systems for sustainable, impactful service.
Additional Research Resources
Draft EACS 5-year Strategic Plan; EACS program files and client archives; Youth Survey of Supports and Opportunities, by Youth Development Strategies, Inc.
If you have questions about this topic or would like more information, please contact Melody Waring, Resource Development Coordinator.