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The main mission of CrossingBarriers is to work toward improving
the quality of education immigrant students receive in our local
public schools through English Language Learners programs (ELL) and
mainstream education. We work with students and groups of students,
activists and their families to address difficulties they are
facing accessing quality education. We are working toward
eliminating and overcoming barriers to structural exclusion and
inequities in education for immigrant students.
We provide
information and awareness about the barriers to school success and
addresses these barriers. We work with youth and community
activists to advocate for change at the local school district all
the way at the state to bring about long term systemic change for
education policies that will eliminate structural exclusion for
immigrant students. Nourishing of our young students is the
foundation of creating healthy, vibrant and productive communities
which will strengthen the quality of our labor force and economy in
the long term.
Community Organizing to
Advocate for Change
* We work with student leaders and activists to address issues
they are facing in their local schools and districts.
* The leaders identify the challenges they face in the
schools.
* We learn about how the system works and take strategic
actions.
* We continue to take action until we see improvements and
changes are made.
* Assist parents to help them understand the education system of
their local schools in order to empower them, their children,
eliminate miscommunication and strengthen the power of immigrant
parents.
Immigrant Student Activists
from Eden Prairie School District
Immigrant student activists and advocates from Eden Prairie,
Minnesota have been working in their community to improve the
quality of education immigrant students receive in the public
schools. These student leaders are working on shifting the
perception mainstream community has about immigrant population and
new arrivals in the community. They are bringing together school
administrators, students and parents in order to address systemic
problems that are affecting the quality of education and its
environment. As a result, they have been successful organizing
the students and empowering thiner voice to improve the quality
of education for the future of our students.
Immigrant Education Rights
Project
In 2004, immigrant students and their parents who attend Abraham
Lincoln High School began working with CrossingBarriers to advocate
to receive better education services in this school. It is located
in Minneapolis and is over seen by the alternative programs of
Minneapolis Public School and directly managed the non-profit
called the Institute of New Americans.
After several community organizing initiatives, CrossingBarriers
facilitated students complaints to higher level of management in
the State and local District. Currently, the students took charge
of their own advocacy to improve the way ELL students are receiving
education in this school. As result, the school district is
pressured to make significant structural changes to improve the way
immigrant students especially those in ELL are educated.
Research and
Advocacy
We developed partnership with School of Education and Human
Development in the University of Minnesota to conduct research and
advocacy for immigrant students.
Through this research, we conducted focus groups with African
students from Somalia female and male groups to learn about their
education experience attending public school in St. Paul and
Minneapolis. The goal of this research is to advocate for the needs
that have been ignored by the school systems and to create
awareness of the issues facing immigrant students. This was also
for new upcoming teachers to understand issues facing our students.
In order to provide improved and customized education services,
advocacy and support system for the students. The students have
been forthcoming about the structural exclusions they have faced by
the administrations of the public schools they have attended. Many
male East African students complained about mistreatments and
profiling by the local police. As a result, we helped organize
workshops with local police officials and African student unions to
address concerns of the students, improve communication between the
youth and police and for the youth to learn about their rights and
responsibilities. This initiative had impact on the community
police and students as they became more comfortable to talk about
the challenges they face with each other and how to overcome it.
This has lead to more meetings between student leaders and
community policing to work on developing better relations. In
addition, we continue to work with the youth to learn about their
rights and responsibility as community members.
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