Immigrant Children's Experiences: April 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Immigrant Child Advocacy Project

The children come to the United States without their parents, from all corners of the world. They’re fleeing political upheaval, extreme poverty, child labor and abusive homes. In some cases they’ve come to be reunited with family members who preceded them here. The children are trafficked into the U.S., transported by hired smugglers, or make the dangerous journeys on their own. Sometimes they’re too young to understand why they’ve been sent to the United States.

In 2008, more than 8,000 unaccompanied immigrant children were taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities. They were caught at the borders and at the airports, and then sent to shelters throughout the country where their stay can range from a month to as long as a year.

Through the Immigrant Child Advocacy Project, multilingual law students, social work students and lay volunteers are trained to serve as friends of the child or Child Advocates. Their role is to figure out what brought the children to the United States and advocate on their behalf. The Advocates get to know the children, help sort out their stories and help identify their eligibility for asylum or special protective visas. The Advocates help ensure the best interest - safety and well-being - of these vulnerable children, whether they are eligible to remain in the United States, or return to their home country.

To find out more about the project, visit http://www.immigrantchildadvocacy.org/index.shtml

Get The Facts!

Immigrant Children Come Together!

Getting Immigrant Parents Involved!

“Imagine sitting at a table in a classroom with your child's teacher. He's talking to you while holding a report card and folder with your child's name on it, but you don't understand what he's saying. You're uncomfortable maintaining eye contact with him and want to say something, anything, but you don't know what. So you're silent and can only nod. About 15 minutes later, you walk away feeling confused and frustrated; the teacher, likewise.

One parent group at Hollifield Station Elementary PTA (the county's largest school population of nonnative English speakers) with the help of district coordinators, organized an event called American Culture Night. It was so successful that immigrant families are connecting with the school—and getting involved in the PTA.

By July, they had crafted a night of activities and presentations covering topics as varied as school policy, curriculum, holiday celebrations, the code of conduct, tardiness and attendance policies, and even bus procedures. Specifically, Dombrowski says, "The goal of the evening was to help parents feel connected, comfortable, and confident with the education their children were receiving."

Many parents took the first step toward greater involvement: They provided suggestions. Topic recommendations for future events included raising children to be independent, leadership in American society, and dealing with misbehavior driven by cultural differences.”

Source: http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/298-connect-with-immigrant-parents

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Interview with Jessica Furtado from Brazil

1. Q: How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

A: “I was 7 years old.”

2. Q: What was your first impression/thoughts of where you had moved?

A: “I was excited and a little scared to live a different life.”

3. Q: Did you often think about wanting to go back to your native homeland?

A: “Yes, my first year I cried every night wanting to go back.”

4. Q: What was your hardest battle as an immigrant child?

A: “Knowing that you’re not living in your country and you don’t have the same rights as everyone else. Being a different ethnicity was very hard.”

5. Q: What was the process for your family to come here?

A: “My mom came first, no she did not jump the border. She came with a visa. Then I came to the U.S. 2-3 years later with my godmother.”

6. Q: How different were you treated when you arrived in the U.S.?

A: “Very different. I didn’t have many friends because I couldn’t speak English. I also felt bad that I couldn’t do some activities the other kids were doing.”

7. Q: What is the most help you received throughout your journey and from who?

A: “I received a lot of help from my ESL teacher and also my tutor helped me a lot.”

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Little About Me

I am an immigrant child myself. My parents and I along with my younger sister moved to the United States many years ago. At first I was terrified and so anger at my parents for taking me so far away from my friends. I kept reminding myself that these new people around me were never going to be my friends. I had this set image of what my friends looked like and none of my classmates fit that profile. I only knew the few words my mother had taught me including bathroom and water to be able to communicate with my teachers in school. Within a few months, I was speaking English so well that my ESL teacher bought me new pencils and notebooks and took me to a college that I can't remember the name of. There she asked me to read aloud to her from a book and I read with just a high voice because I was filled with pride. Having friends from different backgrounds and some who are immigrants themselves has had the greatest impact on my life. They've showed me that with support, self confidence and hard work, you can accomplish anything you set your mind too even if there are people out there who might reach your goal much faster. If it takes you twice as long as your friend to read a book in school, take your time and focus on the story. Don't even pay attention to others around and pay attention to the skills you have rather than the ones you lack. Being an immigrant only means that you have seen the world from a different perspective and that you have moved to a new country to establish a different lifestyle. Be proud that you are an immigrant or have immigrant parents!

Interview with Abri Chinasa from South Africa

Q: How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

A: “I was 16 years old at the time.”

Q: What was your first impression/thoughts of where you had moved?

A: “I was scared and excited at the same time. I barely knew the language and there were foreign faces all around me. Not only were the people new but they were a mixture of all different cultures.”

Q: Did you often think about wanting to go back to your native homeland?

A: “In the beginning I constantly wanted to return home. Everything I did felt incorrect and I thought I would never fit in. People gave me strange looks at first because of the way I dressed. I kept thinking that no one was going to like me. I was proved wrong as I made more and more friends.”

Q: What was your hardest battle as an immigrant child?

A: Getting a part time job was probably my hardest challenge. Native citizens were usually offered the jobs I had interviewed for and I was constantly striving to reach their level. It felt that no matter how hard I tried, they would always have an advantage over me.

Q: What was the process for your family to come here?

A: It was a very long waiting process. The paper work was very complicated and they constantly kept finding some sort of error in them to send us back. My parents had to spend every cent they had saved to get people to sign papers and approve our request to move over seas.

Q: How different were you treated when you arrived in the U.S.?

A: Aside from the strange looks I got, I felt as if I was treated unequally and as if I was up to no good. Since they could barely understand me, they acted as if I had no idea what I wanted or that I knew what I was talking about.

Q: What is the most help you received throughout your journey and from who?

A: This man who lived up the street from us became very close with my

father and helped him find a job. He would also bring treats and dinner

over that his wife had made since we barely had enough money for food. I

am extremely thankful that we had met him and his family.

What is the Dream Act?

"The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation ‒ pioneered by Sen. Orin Hatch and Sen. Richard Durbin that can solve this hemorrhaging injustice in our society. Under the rigorous provisions of the DREAM Act, qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service."

When will it be passed?
"Every congressional session we hear the same thing - "This is your year! The DREAM Act will pass!" So far, it hasn't happened. We have grown to understand that this will be our year if and only if you take your future into your own hands and pressure our legislators to address the issue by making the DREAM Act bill into a law. We count on your support."

Source: http://dreamact.info/

Interview with Shagufta Naz from Pakistan

Q: How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

A: “I was 11 years old when I first moved here.”

Q: What was your first impression/thoughts of where you had moved?

A: “Well I thought it was pretty lonely because there was snow outside and no one was outside. I felt like it as an abandoned town. There were no welcoming neighbors. It was very different from my hometown. Especially the landscape and set up of town.”

Q: Did you often think about wanting to go back to your native homeland?

A: “Yup, all the time. My mind was literally back home; it wasn’t adjusting to the move. I constantly thought about the next time we would be visiting.

Q: What was your hardest battle as an immigrant child?

A: “I’d have to stay culture and blending in. The language was also a struggle because I couldn’t communicate and make friends. And I couldn’t ask for help when I needed it. I felt like I was basically lone aside from my family members.”

Q: What was the process for your family to come here?

A: “Lots of money, paper work and stress! We had to sell each and every little thing that was in our house that we owned and eventually had to sell the house. At first the government was only allowing half the family to move to the U.S. Eventually they ended up allowing everyone in the family to go.”

Q: How different were you treated when you arrived in the U.S.?

A: “I don’t remember very well but I’m sure they gave us strange glances and were extra careful to watch our moves of everything we did. We were basically strangers that people didn’t know if they could trust since we were foreign.”

Q: What is the most help you received throughout your journey and from who?

   A: “There was this lady we meet at the Children’s Hospital
   who was from our country and she helped us with
   communicating in English and eventually she filled out paper
   work for us and informed us of job openings and other
   opportunities.”

Quote from an Article in The Salt Lake Tribune

By: Jill Biden

First published Dec 08 2010

"Every day, I witness people all across this country making extraordinary efforts to improve their lives — and the lives of their families. However, too many motivated young people who grew up in America, today find themselves in a black hole after graduating from high school and seeking to take the next step. Every year, 65,000 students, many of whom have excelled academically and have been part of their community — in high school athletics, in student government or academic clubs, and as volunteers — find out that they were brought to the United States as children, but never gained legal status. Their dreams, and their talent, are put on hold.

This means their potential contributions to our economy and our nation are put on hold too. Future doctors, scientists, EMTs, health care workers, teachers, and entrepreneurs are waiting in the wings.

An astounding 35,000 of those service members today are not U.S. citizens and about 8,000 permanent residents, who are not yet citizens, enlist every year. These service members are prepared to make the greatest sacrifice for our country and have earned the right to be called Americans."