The Somali Bantu Community Association of Vermont, Inc. (SBCAVT) was first established in 2007 with the express goal of facilitating the resettlement and integration of the refugee and immigrants communities in Chittenden County Vermont. The Association provides educational, cultural, and life-skill training programs in an effort to promote self-sufficiency within and among the individuals and families comprising all refugees, immigrants, and low-income families and individuals in need of service. The Association has focused on education as a means of “bridging the gap” for refugees and as such provides a full range of workshops and classes to meet their needs.
The creation of the Community Association represents this community’s first opportunity for self-advocacy. As such the Association, its programs, goals and mission are a direct result of community input and leadership. With the express goal of empowering and supporting each community member to achieve economic and social independence and self-sufficiency, the Association is focused on equal access to and opportunity for advancement and personal achievement. The Association is committed to breaking down the barriers created by race, class, cultural background, religion, and sex. In addition, the Association is focused on addressing and helping the Somali Bantu refugee community overcome the patterns associated with a mindset of generational subjugation.