Youth Education
Refugee children and youth often have a significant adjustment to life in their new community and schools. This includes language differences, not understanding how schools function, not knowing where to go for help, little to no familiarity with the curriculum or social mores, and difficulty making friends.
Our youth education programming seeks to equip the next generation with the support and skills they need to thrive in their new community.
Youth Programs
Middle School
Our after-school programs meet at McMurray and Margaret Allen Middle Schools. Through art therapy, academic interventions, and English as a Second Language lessons, our program staff work to mitigate the effects of interrupted education and cultural/language-based barriers.
High School
During the school day, our Youth Program Coordinators join classrooms throughout Nashville alongside Metro Nashville Public School teachers to provide direct support services. While our primary purpose is to aid often under-resourced teachers, NICE further enriches the learning process with our English as a Second Language, civics, and literacy curriculum.
Through our Refugee School Impact Grant (RSIG), NICE is able to provide an overview to all eligible students soon after they arrive in Nashville by introducing them to US-based schooling and equipping them with the required resources to be successful in K-12 education.
Our Culture Exchange Program provides cultural awareness training designed to equip teachers and school administrators with background information about specific cultural groups from the refugee/immigrant communities
Youth Mentorship
NICE’s community-based youth mentoring program is designed to encourage and support mutually beneficial, long-standing relationships between adult role models and New American children ages 6 to 18.
”I started mentoring Nilab over a year ago and have always been impressed by her hard work and eagerness to learn. It has been a true gift to get to know her and her family, who are kind and hospitable.
SarahYouth Mentor
