Youth and Leaders Living Actively (YALLA) San Diego

The Problem

The UNHCR High Commissioner, Antonio Guterres, has identified the Iraqi refugee crisis to be “the most significant displacement in the Middle East” since the dislocation of Palestinians 1948. A study report entitled "Iraqi Refugee Crises in the US" identifies approximately 25,000 of the 50,000 refugees resettled in the US since the 2003 Iraqi war have been placed in the city El Cajon (Georgetown Law School, p. 11). Strikingly, 50% of the refugees resettled in San Diego are children attending local elementary, middle and high schools. The city of El Cajon, located in East San Diego County, is home to tens of thousands of refugees, primarily from Iraq. The number of Iraqi refugees enrolled in the local school district has more than doubled in the past several years with: • 758 new refugees enrolled in 2007; • 1,380 new refugees enrolled in 2008; • 1,738 new refugees enrolled in 2009; • 4,702 EL (30% of CVUSD student population) as per March 2010; and, • 1,543 of the 4,702 are year 2010 new comers (10% of the CVUSD student population). California has the fastest-growing group of English learning students in the nation, while San Diego County has the fastest-growing group of English learners in California. Moreover, out of all the children in the Cajon Valley Union School District, 5 out of 10 English learners speak Spanish and 4 out of 10 English learners speak Arabic/Chaldean/Kurdish (Iraqi languages). The rate of refugee families arriving in San Diego show no sign of slowing down with the United States expecting to admit close to 20,000 Iraqi refugees in 2011 (Office of Refugee Resettlement). The expansion of YALLA activities would directly affect this influx of refugees. More specifically, the 150 YALLA coaches, refugee children, and hundreds of family members who this program impacts will benefit from YALLA’s services, as well as serve as a catalyst to reach more children and impact the well-being of the community. In addition to the participants already enrolled in the program, YALLA indirectly affects the community at large, providing positive options for youth and in turn creating a healthier environment for the community. While Cajon Valley Union School District educators and the state of California emphasize advancing the education of these refugees, YALLA works toward building the social and emotional foundations of this population. Because of their experiences with war, the refugee youth often suffer from mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The emotional dynamics of the refugees usually manifest as aggressive behavior during school, resulting in even greater alienation. With respect to a holistic treatment of these struggling youth, one of YALLA’s collaborations is with the Chaldean Middle Eastern Center (CMEC), a refugee organization that provides mental health assessments for children who were tortured in war. CMEC refers these survivors of torture to YALLA’s program to palliate some of their pain and suffering. Meanwhile, other refugee youth who have not been formally diagnosed, misbehave during school, a display of frustration with adjusting to a new language and unfamiliar cultural norms. At other times, the children assume a quiet role, staying speechless all day due to their lack of understanding English. This often taxes a child’s self-confidence.

Plan of Action

YALLA’s mission is to empower immigrant families and children, guiding their community through soccer, art and eco-therapy to develop the knowledge and confidence to pursue their physical and intellectual goals. We work to cultivate a healthy disposition, honesty, and hope in refugee youth as they learn the merit of commitment and grasp the dynamics of leadership. YALLA is committed to changing the lives of refugee youth. In the past year we have seen our commitment through by: • Serving over 150 youth: YALLA has impacted the lives of over 150 refugee youth through the vehicle of soccer, academic responsibility and community engagement. • Providing over 150 soccer scholarships: In 2010, YALLA provided over 150 refugee children with soccer scholarships. Practices for scholarship recipients are held twice a week for two hours a session and league play is held on Saturdays for all the participating teams. YALLA uses the motivation that soccer gives the refugee youth as a catalyst in learning English-their new language, reflect on their identity through writing, acclimate to their new culture, to feel more empowered in school and giving back to their community through service. In addition to rigorous soccer training, all the youth are instructed in YALLA’s unique curriculum that teaches them math and language fundamentals while playing soccer. • Enrolling over 80 refugee youth in tutoring programs: Because of the current success YALLA enjoys with the refugee youth, as well as growing interest within the refugee community. YALLA has implemented measures and academic requirements for all participants to adhere to in order to ensure the most dedicated youth are selected to participate. To accomplish this goal YALLA has established several key partnerships with refugee advocates in the community. One of the recent partnerships is with the YMCA Boys & Girls Club of El Cajon, which serves as the location for the YALLA players’ tutoring sessions. In addition to the Boys and Girls Club, YALLA has collaborated with the American Center for Education (ACFE), a free tutoring program provided by the No Child Left Behind Act. ACFE provides 25 hours of one-on-one tutoring for all low-income children. However, due to language barriers, many refugee families have missed out on the services provided by ACFE. YALLA acts as a liaison; to ensure every YALLA youth is enrolled in the ACFE program. • Building social capital and spaces for community building: YALLA understands the importance of creating a sense of community for the refugee families of El Cajon. Throughout the year YALLA builds social capital amongst families by coordinating barbecues and outings that include activities for the entire family. This is a rare venue for Iraqi’s from different religious and ethnic backgrounds to come together and unite around the success their children are having with YALLA. • Organized Gala fundraiser: YALLA organized a gala that attracted close to two hundred community members. The idea of the night was to organize the talents of the refugee community and showcase their talents in an effort to empower them to take the lead in advocating for their own. YALLA commissioned avant-garde Iraqi refugee artists to create authentic Middle Eastern dresses for a fashion show. The gala also included refugee musicians, Arabic folklore dance and other culturally relevant performing arts. • Community Service Days: YALLA organizes several service days throughout the year focused on environment-related activities; this helps build community pride and facilitates healthy interactions. • Organizing weekly park clean ups: YALLA participants are required to conduct weekly park clean ups after soccer practices/games. YALLA’s holistic program addresses the specific needs of the refugee youth as they begin the long road to acclimation. Using soccer as the motivating vehicle, YALLA offers a venue for the children to demonstrate their leadership skills and to develop their much-neglected social and emotional education that go well beyond soccer. The expansion of the Green Access Eco-Therapy Program would facilitate YALLA’s ability to broaden its capacity and reach among refugees in the greater El Cajon community, as well as to integrate initiatives focused on the needs of refugee children and their families. Developing the Green Access Eco-Therapy program will enable us to impact 150 more children over the next year in addition to the ones currently enrolled in the soccer program. More specifically, the Green Access Eco-therapy Program will impact the refugee community by making access possible to the following: Sponsorship by REI has given YALLA access to camping equipment to enrich the eco-therapy program. Healing from the trauma of war through nature and outdoor activity: A significant number of the refugee youth in the YALLA program have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others suffer from PTSD but have not been formally diagnosed with it. YALLA is committed to ensuring that children in the program engage in eco-therapy activities by promoting education and therapy provided by nature as well as team-building activities. Becoming part of and contributing to the El Cajon community through service activities and civic engagement: For successful acclimation to occur, the refugee youth must find venues to take ownership of their community. To create a sense of community, children must feel valued within the community, and this feeling of empowerment will lead to the desire to contribute to their new neighborhoods and homes. YALLA currently partners the middle school and senior high school participants with elementary-aged YALLA players to cultivate positive relationships. Creating environmental stewards through leadership opportunities and activities: The more kids play in nature the better caretakers of nature they will become. YALLA values the importance of a clean and healthy environment, not only for the YALLA children to be able to play soccer, but also for these children to thrive. YALLA believes it is part of its mission to create the next generation of environmental stewards to care for natural spaces in San Diego that the community has worked so diligently to preserve. To assure that children understand the benefits and value of their environment. Successfully acclimating to a new culture, home, school and neighborhood: This initiative is a catalyst for learning English (their new language), reflecting on their experiences and identities, acclimating to their new culture to feel more empowered in school, giving back to their community through service, and most importantly beginning the healing process through access to nature and eco-therapy.