Organization Profiles

Russian Community Association of Massachusetts (RCAM)
305-B Harvard Avenue, Boston, MA 02134
Telephone: 617-731-7789,
Fax: 617-731-6788
Contact: Mr. Sergey Bologov

Background
The Russian Community Association of Massachusetts, Inc. (Formerly North Shore Self-Help Association of New Americans) was founded in 1991 as a self-help organization to serve Russian-speaking refugees resettling in Massachusetts. RCAM's bilingual/bicultural board, staff and volunteers are themselves refugees and have years of personal experience in providing much needed services to the Russian refugee community.
Community estimates set the Russian-speaking population in Massachusetts at 95,000. This group is primarily comprised of Jews, who tend to live in the Boston area, and evangelical Christians, who have largely settled in the Springfield area. Both groups migrated since 1987 to escape from religious persecution. Many newcomers from the former Soviet Union are older than other refugee/immigrant populations and fairly educated.

Mission
To assist Russian refugees with integration into American society, to make bridges between new Americans and natives by promoting self-sufficiency and cross cultural understanding, and to maintain values in the community of origin.
To accomplish this, RCAM defines its goals: "To facilitate the acculturation and integration processes; to provide social service, economical and other community needs not being met by the resettlement agencies; and to enhance individual and family life in the community".

Services
RCAM has worked with the Russian community and other service agencies to provide social services, economic development, cultural celebrations and community advocacy.
Services include: Information and referral services, translating and interpreting, casework and advocacy, housing mediations and crisis counseling.
RCAM also publishes a free monthly magazine "The Russian Community Journal", with a circulation of 10,000 copies, and produces two Russian language weekly programs on public access television stations in Boston, Brookline, Newton, Swampscott, and Lynn.