Roots of Education. Roots of Migration.

This Summer, Hope CommUnity Center’s College & Career Access Program (CCAP) offered college preparation skills to parents with kids of all ages. During the nearly one-month program, the CCAP team taught parents about the benefits of a college education, the college application process, and ways to support their child’s post-secondary journey.

For the final class of this summer’s program, Florida Immigrant Coalition of Florida (FLIC) and members of Hope staff offered a “Root Causes of Migration” workshop. Just as it is important for parents to lay roots early for their children’s academic success, the workshop stresses the importance of every human understanding their roots and their family’s migration story.

Isabel Vinent Grimany of FLIC said about the importance of knowing your own migration roots, “Addressing why people migrate is key to understanding what struggles people have to face to decide to leave their places of origin. In this training, the participants shared their personal stories of migration and realized their stories are intertwined and reflect patterns of global migration.” The conversation is relevant to college preparation and success because it helps the parents understand their roots, their barriers, and their goals for their children’s post-secondary success. Isabel adds, “The moms were able to connect their own personal story of migration to the group’s common experience to global causes of migration, and that connection allows them to teach their children about their roots and grow towards a double identity ‘from here & from there’ that will enrich their kids and this country.”

One of the facilitators, FLIC’s Stephanie Wall, reflected on the collaboration and openness she witnessed while cohosting this conversation. She says about Empower U, “The participants in the workshop shared experiences and connections with their past that helped the entire group realize that their strife is not alone. I was humbled to have spent this time with a group that carried with them energy and courage that will continue to empower us all to fight for our present and future.”

Thank you to FLIC, facilitators from Hope CommUnity Center, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps, and volunteers for making this conversation a success. Hope’s Community Organizer, Anallely Becerra, and Director of Donor Relations, Teresa Young, led portions of the workshop.  Thank you also, Saint Margaret Mary, for your generous grant that funded this summer program.