Dear Friend,
In the spirit of giving you visibility into our work and conveying our appreciation for your support, I am sharing with you an update on the impactful strides our organization has made over the past months, thanks to your partnership and belief in our mission. As we embark on 2024, marked by an election that is undoubtedly influencing the national discourse on immigration and border policies, we find ourselves immersed in a sea of news that can often feel overwhelming and, at times, heavy. The dehumanization of our immigrant communities is rampant, and false narratives about those seeking home and safety in this country have shaped anti-asylum and anti-immigrant federal and local policies in states like Texas and Arizona.
Yet, it is through our direct work with immigrant children and their families that we discover a profound sense of purpose and feel a great responsibility to center their humanity in every aspect of our work. Their stories ground us and empower us to continue to expand our services, our advocacy, our partnerships and our efforts to reshape narratives through powerful storytelling.
In what follows, I share with you some of the progress and achievements we have accomplished with your partnership thus far.
We Are Expanding Our Child Advocate Services to Grand Rapids, Michigan
We are excited to announce the opening of our tenth site for our Child Advocate Program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This expansion underscores our commitment to serving more children in 2024 than ever before—nearly 2,000. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that our Policy Program, funded by private contributions from donors like you, played a crucial role in advocating for this expansion. In the past year alone, our Policy team met with over 140 Congressional offices to advise them on issues affecting unaccompanied and separated children. Through combined efforts, we secured this additional government funding, enabling us to reach and support more children and youth.
Our Technical Assistance Program is Forming Groundbreaking Partnerships
As you might remember, in 2022 the Young Center launched its new Technical Assistance Program (TAP) aimed at supporting children caught between the federal immigration system and state court systems. TAP offers multidisciplinary case consultations and training to children’s state court advocates and direct service providers. This program, initially funded with donations and grants from our supporters, has now entered its third year. Thanks to your support, TAP has formed a groundbreaking partnership with Casey Family Programs—the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care in the United States. As a result, TAP staff is receiving requests from state agencies and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges for training sessions aimed at helping professionals navigate the complexities of working with unaccompanied immigrant children.
We Are Launching Our Ethical Storytelling Framework
At the Young Center, we firmly believe in the transformative power of storytelling to reshape narratives and, over time, drive meaningful changes in policies. Because of that, this month we are launching a new framework that invests in creative, ethical, and safe storytelling initiatives in which immigrant children can engage. Our Ethical Storytelling Framework is rooted not only in our commitment to honor immigrant children’s voices but also in our responsibility to create tangible opportunities for children to share about their lives, experiences, and stories in their own words. Please stay tuned and follow us on social media so you can join us in amplifying their voices in months to come.
Lastly, we want to thank you again for being such an important part of our mission. We recognize that our work demands commitment, dedication, and trust from each member of our community. Together, we are actively shaping a more humane and safe future for immigrant children in this country.
