Creating culturally relevant and linguistically accessible materials for unaccompanied minors

Community education for immigrant youth

Location:

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA

In the spring of 2018, I completed a second internship at Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, this time with the Community Education Program. In this role, I facilitated legal orientations in Spanish for unaccompanied minors who had recently been released from immigration custody to their adult sponsors. Part of each orientation involved explaining the various forms of immigration relief that they might qualify for, such as asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), the U Visa, or the T Visa. Then, we would individually conduct an intake interview with each child, assessing potential eligibility and providing referrals to legal aid organizations.

Through conversations with my supervisor, Mercedes Nuñez Roldán (Program Manager for the Released Youth Program), we realized that there was a need for accessible, engaging, and age-appropriate educational materials for younger children. Together, we wrote two children's books in Spanish, "La historia de Josefina" ("Josefina's Story") and "La historia de Juan" ("Juan's Story"). We solicited the help of Rony E. Chox, a local high school student and former client of Esperanza, to create the illustrations. The books tell the stories of two fictional characters who flee their home countries to seek safety in the United States. Each ends with a short reflection guide to help children think about their own story in preparation for a consultation with an attorney.