Youth Wellness Program for Refugees and Immigrants

The Village Exchange Center (VEC) Youth Wellness Program completed its first academic year on May 24th, 2018. Renamed the “International Kids Club” by youth participants, the program has developed into a thriving afterschool program, serving up to 30 young people per day, four days a week, and aiming to meet the wellness and academic needs of children from diverse and international backgrounds.

Although the program initially targeted middle school students, (due to the lack of safe and affordable after school programming for this age group in North Aurora), VEC soon identified a significant demand among local elementary school students and their families for after school support as well. As such, the program was expanded to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, and additional volunteers and tutors were brought on board.

VEC’s after school program provides healthy snacks, wellness and social enrichment workshops, tutoring and homework support, STEM workshops, karate classes, dance classes, drumming workshops, cooking workshops, and field trips. While the program maintains a health and wellness focus, it became clear mid-year that many students required additional academic support and the allotted time for homework, reading and structured learning activities was increased. Our base of regular volunteers also grew throughout the year, allowing for more one-on-one interactions, mentorship and support. A new dance teacher specializing in Bollywood dance co-developed routines with participants and led a group of our students in their first public performance at a local Cinco de Mayo festival.

During winter and spring breaks, daytime alternative programming was also provided at VEC in partnership with Aurora Youth Options, another youth-supporting organization. Field trips in 2017-2018 included trips to the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, rock-climbing classes at an indoor climbing gym, swimming at a local recreation center and roller-skating. VEC staff and volunteers also provided daily transportation home for kids whose parents work late hours.

In June 2018 we held a summer camp jointly with Write Our World, a non-profit that works with young people from international backgrounds to write and publish their own bilingual ebooks in an online library. Over the course of the three-week program, kids wrote, illustrated and narrated their own books, while also taking sports, dance and art classes. Some 20 young people participated in the summer camp, and the ebooks published covered topics from personal family histories to discussions around culture and identity.

The families of the children in our youth programs come from some 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, Somalia, Syria and Tanzania, as well as from the local hosting community. The program values and activities were developed with input from children and their families and are built around the importance of community engagement, healthy relationship building and respect for one another. We are especially pleased that outreach conducted with families has also led to parents’ and relatives’ participation in other programs and services offered at VEC, including English and citizenship classes, health workshops and food pantry services.

Based on end of year feedback received from participants, parents and teachers, VEC plans to further strengthen academic enrichment activities in 2018 by adding more STEM-related workshops and by working with local schools and teachers to provide supplemental learning activities that directly support what is being taught in the classroom. At the request of youth participants, VEC will also add Hip Hop dance, outdoor sports and new field trips during the 2018-2019 school year.