What We Do
At ASILI Center, we use a social justice youth development (SJYD) approach when working with African immigrant and refugee youth. The vision of SJYD includes youth agency, collective action, and organization towards change in the community.
SJYD principles assert that:
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1) young people are entitled to basic human rights
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2) youth have the capacity to create change, not only be affected by it
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3) we should understand young people by looking at economic, political, and social contexts, and
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4) we should view the development process of youth as a group effort to address the social exclusion of young people.
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ASILI Center incorporates the principles of SJYD in all programs. We focus heavily on the importance of youth-initiated and led spaces that authentically center youth voices and needs. We also understand the importance of the collective in supporting young people throughout adolescence and young adulthood. Because of this, ASILI Center takes a holistic approach to youth development, one that intentionally creates opportunities for forming relationships, community building, and power-sharing between youth and adults.
programs
Worldwide Youth Program
Worldwide Youth Program serves male African immigrant and refugee youth between the ages of 14-24. The program provides opportunities for participants to build critical consciousness and positive self-identity through community. As with all ASILI Center programs, youth voice is key. Football (soccer) remains an important cultural cornerstone for many Africans. Because of this, football is used as an engagement strategy and programmatic element for Worldwide Youth Programs.
yab (youth advisory board)
The Youth Advisory Board serves to inform the programming and research conducted by ASILI Center and The Center for Social Justice Youth Development Research. Youth participants are between the ages of 15-24 and represent neighborhoods facing historical disinvestment and exclusion. We understand that structural and systemic racism and oppression prevent positive development of youth and young adults. We adopt the SJYD approach to actively engage in resistance and foster transformational change in the field of youth development and beyond. The YAB positions youth as the authority on their lived experiences, understanding the best solutions come from those most impacted. The YAB engages in youth participatory action research that includes social action projects.
The action project for the 2023-2024 can be found here:
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