The African Community Center - Denver, CO - Helping Refugees and Asylees From All Countries Integrate Into the Denver Community

The Refugee Youth Outreach Program

Mission Statement

The Refugee Youth Outreach Program seeks to raise awareness of refugee issues as we provide empowerment and leadership skill programming for refugee youth to facilitate their academic and social integration in Denver.

After School Programming

Homework Assistance:

The ACC Youth Program runs an after school program daily for youth to come and get assistance with homework, academic, and any social programming needs. Our program is focused on reading, writing, and an overall improvement in English language skills. All students will receive one-on-one tutoring to improve reading skills along with any educational assistance needed. The after school program is held Monday-Thursday from 4 – 6 pm at the ACC Learning Center. There is no cost associated with attending the after school program, and transportation fees will be accommodated by program staff. It’s a great way to learn from other newcomer youth and to constantly improve academic skills.

Life Skills Lessons/Art Projects:

The ACC Youth Program provides Life Skills workshops to refugee youth from a variety of community centers and youth programs. The workshops provide educational support on topics such as teamwork, self-esteem, anti-bullying, anti-drugs/alcohol/tobacco, conflict resolution, and a variety of topics relevant to newcomer and immigrant youth to the United States. The ACC Youth Program has collaborated with middle and high schools from DPS to provide these classes and has served over 65 newcomer youth during the 2007-08 school year. The program is offered to schools, youth programs, and community centers looking to improve the social development of individuals and overall environment. The Life Skills classes are provided free of charge to all whom are interested in the services.

Field Trips/Other Highlights:

The ACC Youth Program has provided educational/ socially stimulating field trip opportunities to refugee youth that include: the Butterfly Pavilion, attending professional soccer games, ice skating at DU, camping at Buffalo Creek, Elitch Garden’s Amusement Park, picnics at City Park, trips to the local library, and music/artistic events. The goal of these field trips is to not only show refugee youth their new home, but provide new experiences that might intrigue and develop interests for their development into adulthood. These field trips usually occur during breaks from school, or during the summer months.

Girls Program:

In June 2007, the Youth Program built programming specific to the refugee girls. The program is specified to empower girls, predominantly of Muslim faith, to give them opportunities to spend time solely with other girls. The program provide opportunities for them to do community service along with exciting art projects, fashion design, and simply time and a space to meet and have a good time. The program is a perfect way for teenage refugee girls to meet and learn from one another’s experiences in Denver. The girls asked for this time away from their male counterparts and the Youth Program thought it was a perfect way for them to feel acknowledged and understood.

ACC Youth Soccer Program:

The ACC created a new youth soccer program for refugee youth ages 8-18. The program began in early March 2007 and has been an excellent tool for supporting the integration and Life Skills workshop concepts for our youth.. Currently, the program has a U-11 and a U-14 soccer team that supports approximately 30-40 youth on a regular basis. Most importantly, the boys have a great time playing together and have found the soccer program to be a great way to make friends and practice their English.

Other Programming/Collaboration

Merrill Middle School / South High School Newcomer Center:

The ACC Youth Program works closely with the Merrill M.S. and South H.S. Newcomer Centers. The schools are the magnet schools for refugee youth in Denver, and support the majority of the ACC Youth Program participants with education and social support. The collaboration with the Newcomer Centers began during the 2006-07 school year and has included Life Skills workshops and a variety of social programming. There are over 60 youth who participate regularly in the centers and there has been over 50 collaboration hours offered. The Newcomer Centers also work closely with the ACC Youth Program to register newcomers into the school district and to maintain communication throughout the school year to provide parents and families with needed information.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance School:

During the winter and spring 2007, the ACC Youth Program spent two days/ week at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Schools after school program. The program consisted of social integration between African, African-American, and Mexican-American youth accompanied by a variety of workshops that included: dance, music making, drawing/ painting, poetry, and drumming. Including the Cleo Parker youth, there were approximately 30 youth participants. The youth whom attended had a great time at “Cleo” and are anxious to return in the fall.

Bennie E. Goodwin Community Center:

The Bennie E. Goodwin Community Center offered a summer reading program to ACC Youth Program youth. There were 15 African youth that attended the reading program Monday through Thursday for the entire month of June. They worked on the phonetics of reading and were also involved in different social projects that the center offered. The opportunity to work alongside the fabulous teachers at the Bennie E. Goodwin Community Center has been great for our youth as they were able to meet interesting local youth, while improving their English skills.

COME JOIN US….LEARN…..HAVE FUN…..MEET NEW PEOPLE…..

Refugee Education for Awareness, Change, and Hope©

REACH© (Refugee Education for Awareness, Change, and Hope) is a unique curriculum designed to educate America’s youth about refugee experiences and refugee-related issues. REACH© challenges youth to think critically about refugee-related issues, encourages empathy toward refugees and their experiences, and motivates youth to “REACH out” and befriend peers who have undergone refugee-related experiences.