ULEAD NETWORK MODULE: IMMIGRANT YOUTH ACTIVISM With generous support from the Ford Foundation
MODULE: IMMIGRANT YOUTH ACTIVISM P URPOSE In this module, we explore immigrant youth activism that has expanded over the past decade since the introduction of the Federal DREAM Act. Educators will have the opportunity to learn more about the origins of student activism as well as identify strategies to support student activism on their campus. B ACKGROUND Since the introduction of the Federal DREAM Act in 2001, activism among undocumented youth and allies has grown over the past decade. The numbers of undocumented youth, who are often referred as Dreamers, are significant. According to the Migration Policy Institute, it is estimated that there are 765,000 children between the ages of 13-19 who arrived in the US before their 16th birthday. An additional 360,000 undocumented youth between the ages of 18-24 would immediately be eligible for the Dream Act. 1 Although the DREAM Act has not passed, other policy directives like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) have offered temporary relief from deportation to undocumented youth. Without the passage of the DREAM Act, immigrant youth activists have become politically astute and have built nationally federated infrastructures to support their growing activism, most notably the National Immigrant Youth Alliance and the United We Dream Network. While tactics differ among youth activists ranging from traditional lobbying to civil disobedience that risks the detention and deportation of the participants, the Dream Activists have also used social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to help disseminate petitions and organize quickly around DREAM Act and Education not Deportation (END) campaigns. T HEORY OF P RACTICE A plethora of interdisciplinary tools and frameworks could be used to understand the emergence of immigrant youth activism in the last decade. Several of the pieces offered for further discussion and reading emerge from the legal, new media, and social science fields of study. Only a few readings and materials of a wide breadth of literature on the issue were selected to underscore the central role of undocumented youth as social change agents and protagonists of the issue. 1 http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/backgrounder1_dream_act.pdf ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 2
C OURSE D ESCRIPTION This course is meant to familiarize practitioners with the immigrant youth movement that has emerged over the past decade. The module uses a case study that highlights the story of institutional actors including state legislators and others who continue to support undocumented students despite a restrictive policy environment. The module closes with a discussion of how practitioners can implement some of what they learned about the immigrant youth movement in helping support undocumented youth. A CTIVITY Time: 50-60 minutes L EARNING O BJECTIVES To discuss how the immigrant youth movement emerged and tactics used by youth/students to attract attention to their cause To discuss why some youth have taken the step to be undocumented and unafraid To become familiar with resources to support student/youth activism as well as practitioner advocacy I NSTRUCTIONS Set up audio and video prior to the start of the discussion activity Print out copies of any of the recommended readings o Particularly the Hing piece: http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/12/dream_movement_profile.html o Middle State University case study: See Appendix C Multimedia Link 1: http://www.iyjl.org/audio-listening-to-three-years-ofcoming-out-of-the-shadows-stories/ Multimedia link 2: http://www.peterholderness.com/portfolio/iyjl.html ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 3
B ACKGROUND ( 15 MINUTES) Introduce the module by reading the background section. o Ask participants if they had previously heard about undocumented students and their activism in the news. o Read the learning objectives and take down any notes on questions people might have. Distribute and let participants read the Middle State University case study (see Appendix C.) Listen to the multimedia link(s) featuring undocumented youth from Chicago coming out for the first time and declaring their undocumented status. The clip(s) should take 7 minutes. G ROUP A CTIVITY ( 25 MINUTES) After listening to the multimedia features and after reading the case study, debrief in small groups of 5-7 people discussing some of your initial reactions. Use the following discussion questions to situate your reactions in the higher education context. o What challenges do undocumented youth face? How can educators support undocumented students? o What different tactics do undocumented youth use to bring attention to their issue? o What are your reactions to students Coming Out? What risks do youth face? What benefits? o How do policies at the federal or state level affect undocumented youth? o What organizational structures and programs supported youth/students to come out publicly and support other undocumented students? What resources/help are needed to continue to support undocumented students. After groups have discussed the questions, ask the groups to report back to the larger group. W RAP U P (20 MINUTES) Conclude the discussion by working on action items to support student activism. o Make a list of resources to share for students to become active. o What can we learn from other youth activists? o What new actions should we consider? ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 4
APPENDIX A: FURTHER READING Altschuler, D. (Jan 2011). What will Immigration Reform Advocates Learn from DREAM s Defeat [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/2089 Corrunker, L (2012). Coming out of the Shadows: DREAM Act activism in the Context of Global Anti Deportation Activism. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 19(1), 143-168. Galindo, R (2012). Undocumented & Unafraid: The DREAM Act 5 and the Public Disclosure of Undocumented Status as a Political Act. Urban Review, 44(5), 589-611. Gonzales, R.G (2008). Left Out But not Shut Down: Political Activism and the Undocumented Student Movement. Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, 3(2), 220-239. Hing, J (December 2010). How Undocumented Youth Nearly Made their DREAMs Real in 2010. Retrieved from http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/12/dream_movement_profile.html Zimmerman, A.M (2011). A Dream Detained: Undocumented Latino Youth and the Dream Movement. Report: Student Movements. NACLA Report on the Americas. Zimmerman, A.M (2012). Documenting Dreams: New Media, Undocumented Youth and the Immigrant Rights Movement. Media, Activism and Participatory Politics Project Civic Paths, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 5
APPENDIX B: USEFUL LINKS The following are links are to information, organizations and foundations that are committed to working toward an equitable outcome. Dream Activist: Undocumented Youth Action and Resource Network (National) Ø http://www.dreamactivist.org The National Immigrant Youth Alliance Ø http://theniya.org/ United We Dream Network (National) Ø unitedwedream.org/ Immigrant Youth Justice League (Chicago, IL) Ø http://www.iyjl.org/ New York State Youth Leadership Council (New York, NY) Ø www.nysylc.org/ Dream Resource Center (Los Angeles, CA) Ø http://www.dreamresourcecenter.org/ ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 6
APPENDIX C: CASE STUDY Middle State University (MSU) is a highly competitive land grant and state flagship institution in the Southeastern region of the United States. MSU generated programs to strengthen racial and ethnic diversity in recent years, and campus organizations dedicated to advancing college access for undocumented students became increasingly vocal in local and national efforts. Soon thereafter, the Governor requested an audit from all public state universities to ensure that undocumented students were not receiving in-state tuition pricing. Despite the Governor s stance, a state representative introduced legislation that would make certain undocumented students eligible for instate tuition at public state institutions. MSU and other public university presidents in the state voiced their public support for the bill. Groups on both sides of the issue encouraged the community to contact their elected representatives, participate in various forums, and issue editorials to local papers. Following six months of public debate and discourse, the legislation ultimately failed and public state institutions were still required to verify the tuition pricing of enrolled undocumented students. No state legislation was or has been adopted that specifically outlines postsecondary policies related to undocumented college students. ulead Module: Immigrant Youth Activism 7