Mentoring Immigrant and Refugee Youth

A Toolkit for Program Coordinators

General Considerations

• Purpose of the toolkit

• Key definitions– Immigrant youth– Culture– Ethnicity– Race– ESL

Understanding the Need

• Immigrant families live in every region and state

• At least 80% of immigrant youth are legal U.S. citizens

• The language barrier

Challenges Faced by Immigrant Youth

• Stress related to exclusion

• Stress related to poverty

• Stress related to separation

Assets and Strengths

• Family and community bonds

• Bilingualism

• Resiliency and flexibility

• Cultural competency

• Value of education

General Recommendations

• Recognize and support both cultures

• Recognize and build programming around strengths and assets

• Provide leadership opportunities for youth

• Provide tutoring opportunities

General Recommendations

• Involve, support and draw resources from caregivers

• Familiarize yourself with other resources in your community

• Recognize and respond to unique stressors

• Engage immigrant families in program design

Program Design

• Conducting a needs assessment– http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/partners/

state_coordina.htm#MI

Program Design

• Defining program parameters– Target populations– Potential goals and outcomes– When, where, and how often?

Program Design

• Identifying stakeholders

Program Management

• Cultural competency

Program Management

• Management structures

Program Management

• Professional development– www.brycs.org

Training Activities

• Ready-to-use training activities

Case Studies

• Contextualized examples

Resources

• Federal Government

• National Agencies

• International Agencies

Mentoring Immigrant and Refugee Youth

• Free Download!– http://www.mentoring.org/find_resources/immi

grant_toolkit/– Or visit www.mentoring.org and search for

“Mentoring Immigrant and Refugee Youth”

Mentor Michigan Staff

Amber Troupe

MM Program Coordinator

troupea@michigan.gov

(517) 241-3493