Migration Alliance at Yale

Our Mission:

We are an organization of undergraduate students passionately devoted to aiding refugees and forced migrants. At its core, that means supporting refugees resettled in Greater New Haven. It also means fostering awareness of the worldwide refugee crisis through campus advocacy.

Our Activities:

Translation and interpretation services for Spanish-speaking undocumented immigrants and asylum seek
One of MAY’steams, the Immigration Group, focuses on direct assistance and volunteer work in the greater New Haven area related to Spanish-speaking undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. Partnering with local community leaders and organizations (including CT Shoreline Indivisible), the Immigration Group provides translation and interpretation services, country conditions research, general legal research, and support to undocumented immigrants in the New Haven area facing ongoing deportation cases.

College and Career Readiness
The College and Career Readiness Team works alongside IRIS to provide refugee and immigrant youth with academic and career support. We work with students to guide them in the process of applying to colleges, internships, volunteer work, and jobs. During meetings, we often hold workshops on topics such as financial aid and scholarships, and we tutor students with homework and other assignments based on individual needs.

Student Leaders:

• Maheen Iqbal – Co-Coordinator/Co-President
• Selin Nalbantoglu – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Mission

We are an organization of undergraduate students passionately devoted to aiding refugees and forced migrants. At its core, that means supporting refugees resettled in Greater New Haven. It also means fostering awareness of the worldwide refugee crisis through campus advocacy.

Student Leaders

Allie Ruiz – Co-Coordinator/Co-President Fiona Chen – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Activities

Education Group, Henna and Baklava Direct Service Education Group wishes to host an event that they came up with the students they worked with at IRIS (IRIS- Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services). Using the IRIS student’s knowledge of using henna, a hand dye that is used in West Asia, we hope to adorn willing volunteers and IRIS students and have a fun time learning the body art of henna. Alongside henna, we also wish to bring baklava, traditional cuisine from West Asia that fits our theme of the event, and eat together as we approach the end of the academic school year. Education Group, Basketball Event Direct Service Inviting the cohort of students from our affiliate partner, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, to experience and watch D-1 basketball. As the predominant cohort of students are children of recent migrants and refugees, we wish to provide them an experience into American sports with inviting them to Payne Whitney and watch a local basketball team, the Yale Bulldogs, play basketball. Education Group, Mental Health And Art Supply Direct Service This event is planned with IRIS’s adult female refugees. We are interested in building a common space to both lecture on the importance of mental health as well as providing a potential outlet in helping with mental health through the use of art supply. Education Group: Henna and Snacks Event Direct Service Suggested by a student from our IRIS cohort, we would like to host a Henna+Snacks event at IRIS. With members of our Education Group, we hope to provide snacks and henna for our IRIS students. Our IRIS cohort is predominantly Afghan, and we want to host a culturally enriching event where they can use henna to artistically express themselves and bond amongst themselves and with out volunteers in a relaxed environment after-school. We hope this event could be a fun social event where our volunteers have the opportunity to learn more about Afghan culture from our IRIS cohort and can get themselves Henna tattoos as well. Donation Drives Direct Service Student volunteers will collect donations, such as books, cleaning supplies, toiletries, diapers, and winter gear, for CIRI, Elana’s Light, Junta, and Havenly Cafe. After School Tutoring at IRIS Direct Service Student volunteers at MAY will volunteer with IRIS?s Youth Leadership Program to connect young migrants with undergraduate students. Through cultural enrichment activities, group discussions, outdoor excursions, art creation, English learning, and college and career preparation, we help foster leadership skills necessary to pursue their interests. Volunteers help organize activities, lead workshops, and provide homework help while creating a safe environment for the students to explore their identities. Students will also engage in hosting athletic activities, such as sports events, and arts and craft events with the youth at IRIS. Secretarial Internship at JUNTA for Progressive Action Direct Service Students would get the opportunity to work at the front desk of JUNTA to help with walk-ins. Interning at New Haven Legal Aid Association Direct Service Interns will compile and maintain packets of materials (news articles, government notices, etc.) on the conditions in certain countries for asylum cases Interning at Apostle Immigrant Services Direct Service Interns will commit about 4 hours per week to assist in legal preparation. This will include legal translations, country conditions research, document writing and collecting, and various tasks helpful to the organization. Students will also be allowed to sit in on client meetings and gain a better understanding of the legal process for immigrants Conversation Club at CIRI Direct Service Volunteers would play games and support other activities designed to practice and build English vocabulary. Volunteers would also provide child care support during the program. Legal Case Management at JUNTA for Progressive Action Direct Service Students will help Junta?s legal case manager with reporting change of address and change of venue to immigration court and with requesting remote hearings. Students who are available may also help with court accompaniment at immigration court hearings. After School Tutoring at CIRI Direct Service Student volunteers will assist with after-school programming for refugee youth, such as a homework club or English practice. After School Tutoring for Junta for Progressive Action Direct Service Student volunteers would help with volunteering at an after-school program for immigrant youth. Rapid Response Networks with Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) Direct Service Students would regularly volunteer with ULA to help develop a rapid response network within New Haven, which includes developing red folders workshops and serving as ICE watch for community members. Workshops and Trainings with the Youth Justice Project Direct Service MAY volunteers would work alongside the YJP to offer migrant youth in New Haven access to Know Your Rights trainings, constitutional law workshops, and other civic education spaces. IRIS 5K Walk Direct Service IRIS’ Annual 5K run and walk will go towards supporting refugees and immigrants. Students at MAY will be attending this event in support of IRIS. Elena?s Light Lighting the Future Direct Service Student volunteers will assist with setting up this annual award ceremony for Elen’s Light. They will also help with room reservation and outreach for this event. Payne Whitney Gym Event Direct Service Since the previous semester, Migration Alliance at Yale has helped provided access for children of refugees from IRIS to become familiar with American sports by renting Payne Whitney. We plan to offer the students the ability to play soccer, volleyball or basketball. We hope the session will teach them the importance of becoming fit. Education Group, Football Event Direct Service Tentatively, we would like to invite our cohort of students from Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services to come Yale and Lehigh play football on October 19th and have ability to check out the Yale Bowl. Continuing our program from last year where we invited our students to watch a Yale basketball game, we wish to continue by inviting them to a football game. We hope that the event will allow children of refugees to gain exposure to with American sports and provides a bonding activity between our volunteers and the children. We hope to instill in them an interest in the sport. Education Group Budget Allocation for Snacks Direct Service To be brough by our cohort of students working at Havenly throughout the semester as a part of our Education Group. Snacks will be distributed among the volunteers and the local students the volunteers work with at IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) weekly and distributed during the beginning of our sessions before we provide tutoring help and/or teach. We hope these snacks will continue to encourage the people we work with in Education Group to consistently come to our sessions this semester. Immigration Group Request for Rideshare Access Direct Service We request a budget for Immigration Group to set aside if our volunteers need to travel to meet with their clients across the Greater New Haven area where busses aren’t accessible. Advocacy Group, Apartment Drive Direct Service Members of the advocacy group will be volunteering to help out immigrants with moving in to their brand new homes throughout New Haven County with Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants. One of our leaders own a car and we would like gas money for the day to reimburse them as they make several 15-minute drives throughout the day to help the new families CIRI Internship Direct Service One of our volunteers will travel to CIRI’s Bridgeport Office for an internship. Interning at Apostle Immigrant Services Direct Service MAY volunteers will be interning for Apostle Immigrant Services. Donation Drive for CIRI Direct Service MAY will be hosting a donation drive on behalf of CIRI. We will be collecting clothing from students around campus. MAY Speaker Event with IRIS Direct Service MAY will be holding a speaker event to host Omar Yacoub, IRIS Associate Director of Education, to speak about IRIS. Education Group, Budget Allocation for Snacks Direct Service Snacks distributed to the local students at IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) weekly and distributed during the beginning of our sessions before we provide tutoring help and/or teach. We hope these snacks will continue to encourage IRIS students to look forward to our education sessions and consistently come this semester. Immigration Legislative Advocacy Advocacy or Activism Students will volunteer to participate in door-knocking with the New Haven Immigrants Coalition (transportation, water bottles, food). Immigration Group, Know Your Rights Trainings with Yale Law School Students Advocacy or Activism Tailored to the broader Yale Community to get people interested on the topic of human rights, immigration law, and advocacy. Working with Yale Law Students, we hope to share a program surrounding “Know Your Rights” that we hope can be disseminated to the broader New Haven community as well as the communities of where Yalies call home. Syrian Speaker Panel Advocacy or Activism The Migration Alliance at Yale will be hosting a speaker event and fundraiser in order to shed light on the current events in Syria. Advocacy Group, Human Rights Forum Advocacy or Activism Event open to the Yale Community to learn more about the work that Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants is providing to refugees within the Connecticut Area. We hope to have a speaker who is able to talk about the pro-bono work, translation services, and education opportunities they provide as well as insight to issues that refugees and migrants face locally. Open to all, we hope students take from the speaker event new insight and ways to aid the organization. Advocacy Group, Speaker Event with CIRI Advocacy or Activism Event open to the Yale Community to learn more about the work that Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants is providing to refugees within the Connecticut Area. We hope to have a speaker who is able to talk about the pro-bono work, translation services, and education opportunities they provide as well as insight to issues that refugees and migrants face locally. Open to all, we hope students take from the speaker event new insight and ways to aid the organization. Advocacy Group: Baked Goods Event Fundraising We want to do a week-long tabling event across the university campus to encourage students and faculty to donate to our Winter Clothes Drive. Working together with Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, we hope to run a clothes donation drive for refugees as we approach the winter season. In crucial demand are coats and gloves. Specifically, we will be tabling across the residential colleges and encourage students to head back to their dorms and donate winter clothes that are in good condition. To entice students, we wish to provide festive desserts to encourage them to visit our table and raise the clothes needed for our fundraiser. Bake Sale Fundraiser for Freedom for Immigrants Fundraising Migration Alliance at Yale will be hosting a bake sale to fundraise for Freedom for Immigrants, an immigrant-led, abolitionist organization devoted to freeing immigrants from the bonds of jails, prisons, and detention centers. Charity Showcase for World’s Children Day Fundraising In honor of World Children’s Day coming up, this November 19th, we have organized a community-wide charity showcase, in collaboration with Yale’s incredible performance groups (Steppin’ Out, Baile Folklorico, Mariachi, Dzana, Low Strung, Proof of the Pudding), in support of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a humanitarian organization expanding medical treatment to injured/ill children lacking adequate healthcare access. The theme of this showcase is “Resistance and Solidarity through the Performing Arts.” We would love to see you come out for a time in community, where we may show support and solidarity for children who have lived and are currently living through violent times. We would also greatly appreciate it if you could share this flyer with your colleagues and students! The event will begin at 6:00pm in Dwight Hall Chapel and light appetizers will be available prior to its commencement. Advocacy Group, CIRI Education Supplies Drive Fundraising As we reach the end of the academic school year, we understand that Yale students may have extra school and stationary supply items left over. Working with Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants which need new school supplies for both their current and new cohort of refugees within their system to prepare for the upcoming school year. This event will occur through out the semester and encourage Yale students to donate their supplies. Tentatively, we plan on hosting a one-time trivia night to get both cash and school supply donations as well as using the event to introduce the Yale community to the work CIRI does. Speaker Panel with the Yale School of Public Health Social/Cultural/Team-Building Migration Alliance at Yale will be partnering with Professor Kaveh Khoshnood to host a panel discussion on Resettled Refugees and Forced Migrants in the USA. MAY Volunteer Bonding Event Social/Cultural/Team-Building This event will be hosted to ensure that the Migration Alliance at Yale members are staying consistent with their perspective projects and to make sure they are meeting all project requirements. This will also be an event for Migration Alliance at Yale members to interact with individuals from other subgroup and develop meaningful connections that will keep our members involved in the work for a longer period of time.

How Others Get Involved

Sign up to join a mailing list at: migrationallianceyale@gmail.com