V4A Youth Unbound to Infinity (YU2I) held a leadership meeting last month involving Immigrant youth leaders in North County and South County. The purpose of the meeting is to promote unity in the region and to create an environment for youth to learn from each other. The group discussed various challenges facing them as immigrants and possible solutions. One of the major issue with Congolese community is language barrier especially the parents. Since many of them cannot take driving test, they buy vehicles for their teens and rely on them to drive them to and from work. This not only affects their academic performance but also their relationship with the parents. This contribute to low high school and college graduate in the community.
This summer the group launched a new program to give back to the community. Youth Group Support Group to the Community does home visit to the sick and pray with them, organize youth forums and activities and provide mentorship for middle school students.
In addition, the group work with other local organizations in North county as volunteers to earn community hours. Last week the group volunteered at St. Louis Help to clean and repair medical equipment’s at their warehouse in Olive. STLHELP provides anyone in need access to free home medical equipment through a recycle and reuse program, enabling them to live as independently as possible and remain contributing members of the community.
Other advantages of YU2I is that it helps promote leadership, teamwork and career development among the youth. High school students volunteering in the program will earn community hours. This is also another great opportunity for our youth to interact and seek advise from adults.
