What Schools and Service Providers Need To Know About Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors and How To Support Them

Format

Workshop

First Presenter's Institution

One Degree Hire - Cornell University

First Presenter’s Email Address

bet23@cornell.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

A transnational Chicana and proud mother of two, Blanca Torres is a seasoned human services professional, college instructor, and social researcher who is passionate about serving, advocating for, and educating about, unaccompanied immigrant children using culturally responsive, strengths-based, and trauma informed service delivery, teaching, and research frameworks. Blanca Torres has an extensive trajectory in the social service/non-profit sector working with children in foster care, unaccompanied immigrant minors, and youth experiencing homelessness. In addition, since 2016, she has worked as an adjunct lecturer of Anthropology at Kennesaw State University, teaching a variety of courses addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion from an anthropological perspective. Currently, Blanca Torres serves as a Regional Supervisor for the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Home Study and Post Release Services Program at Church World Service, an international non-profit organization and is also the co-founder of One Degree Hire, an equity-centered coaching and consulting firm dedicated to enhancing academic stability, reducing barriers, and holistically supporting children and youth from vulnerable communities.

Second Presenter's Institution

One Degree Hire

Second Presenter’s Email Address

murrayenichole@gmail.com

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

As a community builder, social justice champion, change agent, and lifelong learner, Nichole is committed to equity and giving back to her community. She received her undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University. After working in the medical field for several years, Nichole enrolled in graduate school at the University of Georgia. She earned a Master’s in Educational Psychology and a Doctorate in Social Foundations of Education. Nichole has taught in traditional and nontraditional education settings, including a youth correctional facility, the University of Georgia, and a non-profit organization for youth experiencing homelessness. For over ten years, she has researched, written, and presented on homelessness, race, and education. Currently, she implements school-based anti-bias and bully prevention programs. Nichole is also the founder of One Degree Hire, an equity-centered coaching and consulting firm dedicated to enhancing academic stability, reducing barriers, and holistically supporting children and youth from vulnerable communities.

Location

Session Eight Breakouts (Sloane)

Strand #1

Hands: Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Home: Family & Community Engagement

Relevance

This workshop primarily relates to Strands 1 and 2 (Safety & Violence Prevention and Family & Community Engagement) because it deals with creating safer and more culturally and socially receptive environments for unaccompanied immigrant children in schools and in other service and community organizations, engaging families and communities at large in the process, which consequently decreases the vulnerabilities of this tender population.

Brief Program Description

This workshop provides an overview of the challenges faced by unaccompanied immigrant minors, as they navigate their complex realities as new members of U.S. communities, to then provide attendees with practical recommendations—and best practices--on how to support immigrant children by creating welcoming and safe spaces using culturally responsive and trauma informed models, in learning how to connect them to essential community resources and services, and in knowing under which federal laws unaccompanied immigrant minors are protected.

Summary

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines an unaccompanied immigrant child as someone with no lawful immigration status in the United States, who is under 18 years of age, has no parent or legal guardian in the United States or no parent or legal guardian in the United States is available to provide care and physical custody. The humanitarian crisis in Central America has long deprived youth of their safety, dignity, and childhood. Children originating from Central America’s Northern Triangle experience extreme push and pull factors that drive their large migration flows to the U.S. Since 2013, U.S. authorities along the southern border have taken over 600,000 unaccompanied children into custody (Department of Homeland Security 2021). Children arrive to the U.S. seeking protection and often reunification with a family member they may not know well or from whom they have experienced an extended separation. They are often placed in unstable households with limited resources and knowledge of how to access essential services and protections. As unaccompanied immigrant children are released into U.S. communities, they are faced with complex and often bleak realities in which they must grapple with multiple forms of trauma (old and new), economic and social insecurity, cultural alienation, and many other vulnerabilities. Unaccompanied immigrant minors possess all the characteristics and challenges seen in refugees but count with none of the government protections and supports granted to officially recognized refugees. This is why schools and other social service providers play a critical role and are uniquely positioned to be able to provide much needed support, safety, and relief to these vulnerable children. Drawing in over a decade of field experience as service providers, researchers, and educators working with unaccompanied immigrant children and youth, the presenters will provide a comprehensive overview of the humanitarian crisis surrounding the mass arrivals of unaccompanied immigrant children to U.S. territories to then offer practical recommendations—and best practices—for schools and service providers on how to support immigrant children by creating welcoming and safe spaces using culturally responsive and trauma informed models, in learning how to connect them to essential community resources, and in knowing under which federal laws unaccompanied immigrant minors are protected.

Evidence

Presenter is a social service practitioner, researcher, and educator with over 10 years of field experience.

Migration Policy Institute

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

National Immigrant Justice Center

American Psychological Association

U.S. Department of Education

Dettlaff, & Fong, R. (2016). Immigrant and refugee children and families : culturally responsive practice (Dettlaff & R. Fong, Eds.). Columbia University Press.

Ellis, B. H., Abdi, S. M., & Winer, J. P. (2020). Mental Health Practice With Immigrant and Refugee Youth: A Socioecological Framework. American Psychological Association.

Learning Objective 1

Create more welcoming and safe spaces for unaccompanied immigrant minors using culturally responsive and trauma informed models.

Learning Objective 2

Learn how to connect unaccompanied immigrant children to essential community resources and services.

Learning Objective 3

Identify the federal laws under which immigrant minors are protected.

Keyword Descriptors

Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors, children migration, immigrant integration, undocumented students

Presentation Year

2023

Start Date

3-8-2023 9:45 AM

End Date

3-8-2023 11:00 AM

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Mar 8th, 9:45 AM Mar 8th, 11:00 AM

What Schools and Service Providers Need To Know About Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors and How To Support Them

Session Eight Breakouts (Sloane)

This workshop provides an overview of the challenges faced by unaccompanied immigrant minors, as they navigate their complex realities as new members of U.S. communities, to then provide attendees with practical recommendations—and best practices--on how to support immigrant children by creating welcoming and safe spaces using culturally responsive and trauma informed models, in learning how to connect them to essential community resources and services, and in knowing under which federal laws unaccompanied immigrant minors are protected.