Fascinasians
Arizona raised, New York grown. Turning my rage into power!
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Posts tagged dream act
Every year, thousands of New York students graduate from high schools only to face closed doors. They are denied a higher education because of their undocumented status. Unlike their fellow classmates, they cannot afford to go to college because they do not qualify for federal financial aid, government loans or many private scholarships.
Korean Americans Organized for Reform and Equality (KORE) invites you to change this and help save a DREAM. Join us for our DREAM Benefit Concert and help us raise a college scholarship fund for DREAMers.
KORE is a group of MinKwon Center DREAMers working to raise awareness about our struggles and to push for humane immigration reform.
Ticket purchase: http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=5730
Featuring artists such as Taiyo Na, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Tereza Lee, Matt Longo, and more!
The Dream Fellowship Program is a semester-long leadership development program, initiated jointly by the New York Immigration Coalition and the Fund for Public Advocacy in 2011. In its first semester in the Spring of 2012, ten college-level DREAM Act eligible student leaders were selected for the fellowship, which included leadership development trainings, internships at community organizations and $2,000 scholarships toward tuition at City University of New York. The Korean American Community Foundation also provided supported for the program.
The leading impetus for the Fellowship was a vibrant and growing immigrant youth movement. With almost no paid staff, no lobbyists, and few financial resources, undocumented immigrant youth and immigrant communities galvanized a historical movement which peaked in 2010. Even as advocates successfully passed the DREAM Act in the House of Representatives, the legislation failed to pass the Senate by a narrow margin. In the aftermath of Congress’s failure to act, a new sense of urgency to rework a longterm movement and leadership emerged. However, DREAMers faced the challenge of continuing to fight for their rights, while still excluded from most of the educational, financial and leadership opportunities their peers had, simply because of their immigration status. To address this disparity, recognizing the tremendous talent and leadership potential of these young people, the NYIC and the Fund for Public Advocacy created the DREAM Fellowship, a program that combines financial assistance with leadership training and hands-on field work.
By participating in the DREAM Fellowship, the Fellows are able to further their personal dreams, strengthen the national DREAM movement and contribute their unique positive energy to the public debate surrounding immigration reform. To learn about the work our 2012 DREAM Fellows were involved in, click HERE.
This year, there is a unique and historic opportunity for DREAMers and the rest of the nation to respond to President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was a direct result of the previous years of advocacy for the DREAM Act. DACA provides DREAMers with an opportunity to request a renewable deferral of deportation and work permit for two years. Despite risks and uncertainties, many DREAMers see this as a life-changing moment, an unprecedented opportunity to come out of the shadows and access educational and work opportunities that were previously closed to them.
Because the affected population is well over a million people (in New York State alone, over 100,000 immigrants are estimated to qualify for this program), it will take a massive outreach and service effort to ensure that all DREAMers are informed about the program and can find the assistance they need to successfully file their applications if they choose to apply. On the first day DACA applications were being processed, over one thousand DREAMers and their family members lined up beginning at six in the morning to attend a legal clinic organized by the NYIC in the Lower East Side. The 2012 DREAM Fellows were at the heart of the event – speaking to media, interpreting, registering participants, and doing crowd-control.
Given the enormity of the opportunity presented to DREAMers by DACA, this year’s Fellowship proposes to develop the internship component of the Fellowship to directly assist with outreach, coordination, media work and formation of partnerships with dozens of government offices and non-profit organizations. We are excited to apply the talent and energy of ten outstanding DREAMers to this worthy goal of maximizing the positive effect of DACA to have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of DREAMers.
Goals of the 2013 Dream Fellowship
- To provide financial scholarships to a diverse group of immigrant students to pursue their educational goals;
- To foster Fellows’ leadership by providing intensive leadership development training and numerous on-the-ground opportunities to assume leadership roles (in advocacy events, press conferences, and in service project that directly serves DREAMers who qualify for Deferred Action);
- To empower the Fellows to help their communities and learn valuable professional experience though the internships provided;
- To add significant capacity to the current community response to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by deploying ten Fellows to become part of the citywide legal services and outreach campaign.
Qualifications to Apply for the 2013 DREAM Fellowship
- Must be enrolled as an undergraduate in an accredited City University of New York (CUNY) college
- Must be a college-level DREAM Act eligible student
- Must demonstrate excellent or outstanding potential in academic achievement
- Must have a passion for community service
- Must have leadership experience
- Must demonstrate financial need
- Must be able to commit to a once a month leadership development training at the NYIC and an internship commitment of one day a week for the duration of the fellowship
Interested in Applying to the 2013 DREAM Fellowship?
If you have any additional questions about the DREAM Fellowship, please call 212-627-2227 or email DreamFellowship@thenyic.org
To download the 2013 DREAM Fellowship application:
To fill out the application online, click HERE. [Please note, once you start the online application, you cannot save it half way through. Make sure to answer all the questions in the application first, before you prepare to submit it online. You can do that by looking through the questions online or downloading the application.]
The DEADLINE to apply for the DREAM Fellowship 2013 is Monday, November 26th, 2012. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
You can also submit completed applications by mail to: The New York Immigration Coalition, 137-139 West 25th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001. Or by email to DreamFellowship@thenyic.org
URGENT: Friends, start calling (919) 857-9103 and ask the Wake County Jail to release the Raleigh 3
Yesterday, the North Carolina DREAM Team went to the committee meeting at the Legislative Office Building of the North Carolina General Assembly. Undocumented youth stood up for their rights and fought back against the racist anti-immigrant bills and now are in danger of being deported. You can help by calling (919) 857-9103 and ask the Wake County Jail to release the three people who were arrested.
Last year, Representative Dale Folwell of Forsyth County lost all composure and confronted Jose Rico, an undocumented youth from Raleigh, North Carolina. Representative Folwell was upset because we, the NC Dream Team, released a media advisory alerting the press that the “cowards at the general assembly were attacking immigrant children” with a bill that would give school principals in K - 12 the authority to ask for a student’s immigration status. What Representative Folwell seemed to misunderstand is that school officials are there to mentor and advocate for their students and are not immigration agents. We refused to keep quiet about the matter. And we refuse to do so now. Close to 30 anti-immigrant bills were introduced last year and Represenative Folwell was one of several other representatives who sponsored these bills. This year, these same representatives have come together to form the House Select Committee on the State’s Role in Immigration Policy. Twelve representatives make up this committee. Eight of them are sponsors of anti-immigrant bills. We cannot remain silent as we watch these men instill fear in our undocumented communities. Last September in Charlotte, undocumented youth willingly faced the immigration enforcement machine. Since then, we’ve said that we will no longer remain in the shadows. We meant that.
You can check out the NC DREAM Team’s website for the event here. I hung out with them while I was in Durham for the ECAASU conference, please support them and CALL!
Myths & Facts about the NY Dream Act
Myths and Facts about the New York Dream Act (S4179/A6829)
Myth 1: The Bill would provide an incentive for people to come here illegally.
Fact: The New York Dream Act offers absolutely no reason for people to enter the country illegally. It does not legalize students nor does it provide benefits for immigrants who are not already here. In fact, the New York Dream Act requires students to come to the U.S. at or before the age of 18, graduate from a New York high school or obtain a GED in New York, and have resided in New York state for at least two years prior to enactment of the legislation.
Myth 2: It will be a fiscal burden and increase the strain on state educational systems.
Fact: The New York Dream Act would make money for taxpayers. State and local taxpayers are already investing in the education of undocumented students in elementary and secondary school. It would be economically illogical to bar students from attending college and developing their careers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, those who obtain a Bachelor’s degree earn $1 million more over his or her lifetime than those with a high school degree, contributing tens of thousands of dollars to New York State’s economy. The Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that undocumented immigrants paid $662.4 million in taxes to New York state in 2010, making it the state with the fourth highest revenue in taxes from undocumented immigrants.
Myth 3: Documented New Yorkers will lose spots in college due to passage of the New York Dream Act.
Fact: The small number of students who will be impacted by the New York Dream Act is not significant enough to affect the opportunities of others. Moreover, allowing undocumented students to access financial aid will generate revenue for colleges and universities. While the cost of attending CUNY is $5,130 per year, the average TAP award is $2,764, the difference usually paid to the universities.
Myth 4: The New York Dream Act is a form of amnesty and would reward people who come here illegally.
Fact: The New York Dream Act will not legalize students. The bill is focused on expanding undocumented students’ access to New York’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). The requirements to qualify for the New York Dream Act are extensive and it will not serve as an amnesty of any sort. These students are here to stay and we should provide them with the tools to become outstanding members of New York.
March 6, Albany! Be there or be…just be there.
Higher Education and the APIA Community:
As some of you know, I am extremely involved with the higher education campaign (especially in New York). The organizations I work with most, Save Our SUNY and New York Students Rising, focus on the public education systems in New York City and New York State. When I was at the White House AAPI Initiative briefing earlier this month, I asked the higher education panel about how the failures of America’s higher education institutes affect the APIA community. The response I mostly received was that “higher education is an American issue, not solely an Asian American issue”.
I don’t think that’s right. As I replied back to the panel, the issues of college affordability, program cuts, financial aid, and the quality of the education we receive is very much an APIA issue. By blanketing problems as “American problems”, the crucial factors of how race and ethnicity play into the situation are ignored.
Let’s think back on this year: we’ve had students deliberately not marking ‘Asian’ in order to get into college. We’ve had anti-affirmative action bake sales. We found out that Asians are statistically the most bullied in schools. Asian American studies programs are being cut nationwide.
Speaking on what I know best, the fight to preserve funding for New York’s state schools is just as much about preserving an accessible education for communities of color. By raising tuition in an institution (City Universities of New York for example), blocks out potential students from low income communities. CUNY, which used to be free, was and is sometimes the only chance for people to go to college. The same can be said for California’s CSU system.
Education is a right, not a privilege. It shouldn’t be something that we have to fight for, but reality shows that the road to education access is long and hard. We have great legislation like the DREAM Act that challenges existing notions of who “deserves” an education and fights for our people.
So now let me turn this question to you: do you think higher education is purely an American issue?
Open your eyes. Learn, get involved, and MOVE.
Seeking Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2012 - The DREAM ACT
“So the Iowa caucus happened, and we didn’t learn much about who’s going to win the GOP nomination. But we did learn something about how the Republican candidates intend to try: by pandering to the most extreme voices in their party.
Case in point: Over the weekend, Mitt Romney told voters in Iowa that he would veto the DREAM Act if he got the chance. And today he actually called the DREAM Act a “handout.”
Romney’s been moving to the right on this issue for years, but this is the first time his position has been so clear.
The DREAM Act is common-sense legislation that has been fought for by millions of Americans in both parties, designed to help smart, motivated young people that pursue higher education or join the Armed Forces earn a path to citizenship. Allowing talented young people to fully contribute to our society would only make our country safer and more prosperous.
So it’s important that we speak up now. Stand up and fight for progress like the DREAM Act.
All of these candidates seem to think that opposing the DREAM Act will make good politics for primary season — and that’s just the start.
Ron Paul has called for repealing the citizenship clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Mitt Romney says he would kick out every last undocumented worker in the United States. And in a telling slip-up, Rick Santorum once called the Latino electorate the “illegal vote.”
When they say they oppose the DREAM Act, they’re talking about denying kids who grew up here — who know no other home, who have learned in our schools and volunteered in our communities — a chance to give back to the country they love. These kids have worked hard for a shot at the American dream, just like their peers.
And if we give them the opportunity, they will help build a stronger future for our country.
Join me in fighting for the DREAM Act, and immigration reform that works for everyone:
Presidential DREAM-Act Petition”
Taken from an e-mail I recieved from Adrian Saenz, Latino Vote Director of Obama for America.I know it sounds like the usual annoying emails you get about supporting a campaign but this is an important topic that is not been discussed enough and has been misunderstood by its opposers. For more information on the DREAM Act click here.
THIS IS IMPORTANT.
The New York State Youth Leadership Council is organizing a day of action in Albany, New York to push for immigration reform in the form of the DREAM act. Thousands of undocumented youth are denied the daily opportunities that so many take for granted. Join us on March 6, 2012 as we rise up together to bring change to a flawed system!
Buses from New York City will be provided by NYSYLC, so spread the word!
The NYSYLC will be having buses leaving from NYC, if you’re interested please REGISTER HERE:http://bit.ly/nydaalbanyaction
Every year thousands of undocumented youth graduate from New York high schools and face an uncertain future because of their immigration status. For years the federal government has failed our communities by refusing to pass the DREAM Act. This has left undocumented youth in NY without any form of relief. As a state with one of the largest immigrant populations, NY should be at the forefront of progressive immigration policies, pushing back on the tide of national and local anti-immigrant policies.
The NYSYLC will be having buses leaving from NYC, if you’re interested please REGISTER HERE:http://bit.ly/nydaalbanyaction
If you are interested in coming to the Albany Day of action and live outside of NYC please go ahead and REGISTER, we will be contacting you to make arrangements.
California DREAM Act is a go!
The DREAM Act movement strives to provide citizenship to undocumented students pursuing a higher education. Previously, we wrote a post on the national DREAM Act, which failed to pass through Senate last December. Though a state-level act cannot grant citizenship to such undocumented students, the recently passed California DREAM Act will grant undocumented students access to state funds to aid in their schooling expenses.
After former Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill three times, current Gov. Jerry Brown passed the two acts going into the state level DREAM Act for California. Put simply, this Act has two parts: AB130 and AB131. AB130, which was passed this past July, allows undocumented students to attain privately funded scholarships. The more recently passed AB131, which Gov. Brown signed into action this past Saturday, allows students to state funded financial aid programs.
AB131 is naturally more controversial and complicated, as many of those opposed to the DREAM Act will argue that undocumented students should not receive state-funded support, especially when the debt-ridden California budget is cutting back on education expenses.
However, the significance of the California DREAM Act is much bigger than that of allowing undocumented students more funding in California, although that is quite a noteworthy feat in and of itself. The bigger picture is that the California DREAM Act could create momentum to eventually bring up the national DREAM Act once again, so that citizenship can then be guaranteed under the conditions described in the bill.
In the aforementioned post from the past, I talked about a friend I knew for whom the DREAM Act would have changed his entire life. There are many people I know who also would and could benefit from this DREAM Act. No matter what arguments could be made for or against this piece of immigration legislation, I find the DREAM Act to be a personal issue because it (or the lack of it) has not just changed the lives of “undocumented students,” but the lives of my friends.
18 notes (via generasian)
As if the threat of deportation wasn’t enough. As if it weren’t enough that we have watched as undocumented youth after undocumented youth is placed in deportation proceedings. As if it weren’t enough that our entire communities live in fear and often times are targeted by law enforcement officials simply because of the color of their skin. Oh, North Carolina has yet to leave behind its past of Jim Crow laws. This is why, on Tuesday, September 6, undocumented youth will risk it all to take a stand against backwards policies that seek only to keep us in the shadows.
If you’re undocumented, it’s time to drop the fear. Your silence will no longer protect you. You don’t have to apologize to anyone. You don’t have to be ashamed of your status. You are not alone.
We’ve got news North Carolina: WE WILL NO LONGER REMAIN IN THE SHADOWS!
Currently, North Carolina’s community colleges admissions policy states that “students lawfully present in the United States shall have priority over any undocumented immigrant in any class or program of study”, leaving us as undocumented youth to choose from the leftover courses.
If you’re an ally, we need your help too. We need you to stand with us, side by side, as we risk it all for our families, for our communities, and for ourselves.
Join us next Tuesday, September 6 at Central Piedmont Community College at 1 PM for a Coming Out Rally. RSVP here! If you can’t make it out, but want to help, consider making a $5 donation here. For more info, visit http://ncdreamteam.org. Thank you for your support!BE THERE!!!!!
18 notes (via reallifedocumentarian & ncdreamteam)
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