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S E R V I C E S F O R Y O U T H A N D F A M I L I E S
Newcomer Program
(formerly named the "Immigrant and Refugee Program")
Last year, more than 3,500 immigrant and refugee youth took part in YES programs aimed at easing their transition to U.S. culture. Participants ranged in age from 5 to 18 and tend to be predominantly female (58%). More than 70% of participants were Latino/Hispanic, and they speak English as a second language.
One-third of YES' total clients are immigrants, refugees or ethnic minorities. This includes participants in the Newcomer Program, as well as our General Counseling, Drug and Alcohol Intervention, SUCCESS Mentoring, and other counseling and prevention programs.
According to a report by the United Way of King County, "Increased racial and ethnic diversity on the Eastside, and the language and cultural challenges this trend poses, is mirroring similar changes in Seattle. The proportion of people from Asian cultures now living on the Eastside… equals or exceed the proportion of people with Asian heritage in Seattle… Similarly, the proportion of people from Hispanic cultures (on the Eastside) equals or exceeds the proportion of people from Hispanic cultures in Seattle."
 The report goes on to say, "Third-culture teens on the Eastside — kids whose parents are first generation immigrants and whose peers are American teens - are a critical subset of the immigrant community. They often do not readily identify with their parents' culture, or their adopted American culture. This lack of cultural identity adds an additional element of stress to both the teens' and their parents' lives as they try to cope with the usual tensions of adolescence." |
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