What We Do

ARISE and Shine SSPA Representatives collaborate with African students, parents, and schools to fill the gaps that hinder student ‘success, enhance students’ learning motivation and support their learning style.
 

The School Student and Parent Advocacy (SSPA) Program works with African immigrant and refugee students in different settings. With their families, classroom, and school environment, and in a wide-raging community we work to maximize each student’s potential and address resistance factors. We provide tutoring and mentoring support for each student to address students’ needs and potential barriers that students face. We collaborate with school personnel and families to address students’ progress and barriers to ensure students’ success.
 

Most of our SSPA Representatives are immigrants or refugees themselves. They truly understand the struggle of our school-aged immigrant and refugee students. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring students’ academic needs are addressed and appropriate support is provided.
 

Our goal is to reduce the factors that place students at risk of non-completion, explore the causes and possible solutions to each student attrition, and improve the graduation rates of immigrants and refugees students and their sense of belonging. We believe in the power of unity and collaboration. With the engagement and cooperation of the school, student, parent, and community support, we believe it is possible brighten the future for our students.

Challenging factors hindering immigrant and refugee success in school include:
 

• Low school attendance,

• Poor educational standards background,

• Gaps between age and grade,

• Linguistic barriers,

• Peer pressure,

• Social-economic factors

• Lack of moral guidance

The SSPA Program supports African refugee and immigrant youth in closing educational gaps, overcoming educational barriers, and enhancing motivation.