A public service organization run by high school students in Rye is making a big difference. A group of 30 Rye Country Day School seniors partnered with Hearts & Homes for Refugees to assist in offering refugees education opportunities through New Roots, Brighter Futures. Students for Refugees clubs are organized by Hearts & Homes for Refugees in nearly 20 high schools and colleges throughout Westchester.
The student-led organization, which is a Rye Country Day School Students for Refugees-affiliated club, runs three programs: Hearts & Homes for Refugees Summer Camp, refugee tutoring, and moving services.
Because of its affiliation with Hearts & Homes for Refugees, New Roots, Brighter Futures is connected with refugee families who are in need of help. One of its biggest accomplishments is helping run a summer camp for the past two years.
Half of the volunteers for the summer camp were recruited by New Roots, Brighter Futures from Rye County Day School. The other counselors were recruited by Hearts & Homes for Refugees from other Students for Refugees clubs from their high schools in Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, Harrison, and Bronxville.
Hearts & Homes for Refugees’ mission is to be a local solution to the global refugee crisis by inspiring, educating, and equipping volunteers and community partners to resettle and rebuild their lives with hope and dignity. The summer camp wouldn’t be possible without program co-directors Jaymin Ding from Rye Country Day School and Olivia Naporano from Harrison High School.
Naporano is a senior at Harrison High School and began working with Hearts & Homes for Refugees a few years ago by organizing winter clothing donations, helping with moving, and even hosting a family for three weeks in her home. Since her sophomore year, she tutored two children from Afghan refugee families and realized, naturally, that they needed individualized attention to assist with the new education system and language.
She was inspired to create a program that would offer personalized tutoring to other refugee children throughout Westchester County. For the New Roots, Brighter Futures camp, Naporano spent hours printing and creating lessons catered to each kid’s academic level and recruited campers and volunteers to grow the camp.
“Simply seeing the kids’ excitement for learning was without a doubt the most fulfilling aspect of this program. Each day, they came in and asked what science experiment we were going to create, what book we were going to read, or what games we would play outside,” says Naporano.
Ding’s passion for teaching began when he volunteered for students in a STEM group that set out to support low-income students from surrounding schools with hands-on activities and experiments.
“I’ve been a leader, teacher, and participant in that for the last few years,” says Ding. “But there is a need for a lot more programs like this, especially ones that help marginalized groups.”
That work is even more impactful for refugee kids.
“They had to flee their home country and, in doing so, they missed out on educational opportunities,” notes Ding, who is a child of immigrant parents himself. “We are not only filling in gaps to provide educational opportunities, but we are helping them resettle in their new homes here in America.”
Over the summer, the organization runs three one-week sessions for refugee kids from places including Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Syria. The sessions are hosted at the New Rochelle Library, which lends its facilities including conference rooms, a computer lab, an outdoor park, and an auditorium. Throughout the day, the kids enjoy educational activities, try hands-on STEM experiments, and complete English and math workbooks. There is a big focus on learning English as a second language as well.
“Our summer camp program is comprehensive,” says Ding. “It’s especially important because we are not only providing education during the summer, but we are taking the kids off their parents’ hands, who rely on school to make sure the kids aren’t home alone. A lot of parents have expressed their thanks.”
Each camper is paired with a counselor for the week. The one-on-one program allows an opportunity for counselors to teach and guide the kids through all activities and help with any special needs, providing an overall better educational experience for each camper. This summer, the number of campers ranged from 11 to 17 throughout the weeks, with ages spanning from four years old to high schoolers.
On top of running the camp in collaboration with local student leaders, the group also set up a GoFundMe that raised over $5,000. Combined with additional fundraising from volunteers, it had $6,200 to buy supplies and science kits and host a pizza party every Friday.
Other funds went to ensuring each camper left with a backpack, organizing bin, and miscellaneous school supplies to start the year off on the right foot. During the year, Hearts & Homes for Refugees also hosts afterschool tutoring.
Come spring, Ding will be gearing up for graduation. Instead of just thinking about his life after Rye Country Day School, he has one more thing on his agenda: making sure New Roots, Brighter Futures continues on with success. He hopes to help the organization expand beyond just helping the Westchester area and plans to continue to attend events as his schedule allows.
“Education is a tool of empowerment for these kids,” says Ding. “It not only helps them resettle, but it gives them an opportunity to take these educational opportunities and learn. My hope is they can use education as a tool to lift themselves up.”
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