Help me support immigrant students!
Donation protected
Hi everyone! My name is Eliza Brinkmeyer and I am a licensed social worker (LMSW), working at Morris Jeff High School, a an amazing, inclusive and diverse public high school in New Orleans. I am raising money to support my attendance to a month-long Spanish immersion program in Mexico during the summer of 2019. Morris Jeff has a significant and growing population of students newly immigrated to the United States, primarily from Central America. The majority of these students speak Spanish exclusively, or know very little English. Right now, I do not speak Spanish and it is virtually impossible for me to communicate with them past a greeting without the assistance of a translator (I am so lucky that we have two amazing Spanish speakers who help me communicate with students)!
My school, and I, do everything we can to ensure these students are supported, but the reality is that they do not have access to my services in the way that other students do because of the language barrier. I know from both first-hand accounts from those who do speak English, as well as conversations conducted through a translator, that these students have experienced significant trauma (including repeated exposure to violence, death of loved ones, and long-term separation from their families), making them some of the most at-risk students in the school. I feel that it is my professional responsibility to do everything I can to ensure that these amazing, brave young people get the same level of support from me as every other student does.
While I obviously will not be fluent when I return, attending this immersion program would allow me to have initial conversations with our students and would lay the foundation I need to grow my Spanish language skills in a meaningful way.
My fundraising goal would offset the cost of the classes, lodging and travel. Without your support, there is no way that attending this program would be financially feasible. The newly immigrated students at Morris Jeff High School inspire me daily with their bravery, humor, intelligence and resilience. Please help me gain the skills I need to support them as they navigate things that no one, let alone a child, should have to.
My school, and I, do everything we can to ensure these students are supported, but the reality is that they do not have access to my services in the way that other students do because of the language barrier. I know from both first-hand accounts from those who do speak English, as well as conversations conducted through a translator, that these students have experienced significant trauma (including repeated exposure to violence, death of loved ones, and long-term separation from their families), making them some of the most at-risk students in the school. I feel that it is my professional responsibility to do everything I can to ensure that these amazing, brave young people get the same level of support from me as every other student does.
While I obviously will not be fluent when I return, attending this immersion program would allow me to have initial conversations with our students and would lay the foundation I need to grow my Spanish language skills in a meaningful way.
My fundraising goal would offset the cost of the classes, lodging and travel. Without your support, there is no way that attending this program would be financially feasible. The newly immigrated students at Morris Jeff High School inspire me daily with their bravery, humor, intelligence and resilience. Please help me gain the skills I need to support them as they navigate things that no one, let alone a child, should have to.
Organizer
Eliza Brinkmeyer
Organizer
New Orleans, LA
