If you are in High School and you want to make a difference in your community and in the world, start a Teens At The Door Chapter. Help and guide teen refugees and newly arrived teen immigrants in your town or city in a way that only teens can help and guide other teens.

A chapter is a group made up of you, maybe some of your friends if you want, and of course teen refugees and immigrants who have recently arrived in your area, or in a town or city close by. Maybe these new members of the community have already started or are about to start going to your high school or other schools close to you.

The teen refugees and immigrants in the chapter are usually from the same country or area of the world, and all speak the same language. For example, you might want to start a Chapter for Teen refugees and immigrants from Guatemala. Or maybe you want to start a Chapter for Spanish-speaking teen refugees and immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and other countries from Central and South America.

Chapters meet all together on a set schedule. Most of the time it’s just to hang out and talk about school, friends, and work; maybe listen to each other’s music or watch videos together; and of course to answer any questions or to give any kind of help only a teenager can give to another teenager. And every now and then you might get the chapter together for an event, like a school game or a holiday meal.

The purpose of these scheduled chapter meetings, or rather, small gatherings is to create a safe place for refugees and newly arrived immigrant teens where there is no pressure to speak perfectly and no stress of having to walk up to someone to start a conversation in school or work. And without even realizing it, just by being around at this important time in their lives, you will be giving these teens the confidence to start new relationships outside your group with other American teenagers at their schools and work.

We’ll help you set up these chapters, give you ideas for meetings and events, and make sure you succeed.

We formed a chapter of Afghani teens in Los Angeles and we met every Saturday for eight months…just to hang out. We started with some friendly conversation and by the end of the second meeting, we set up a group chat and began texting each other throughout the week. We went bike riding, played soccer in a parking lot, went to a big game at UCLA together, watched videos, listened to music, and played video games. Every week. We were even invited to holiday meals with their families.

You might make new friends, maybe even some close friendships. We still keep in touch and see several teens from our Afghani group regularly.

How Teens At The Door Began

Teens At The Door will help you find and develop a one-on-one relationship with a teen refugee or recently arrived immigrant.

Maybe you don’t want to form and run a whole Chapter. Maybe there aren’t a lot of teen refugees or immigrants in your city, town or school. You can still help another teen by taking them under your wing to help and advise them.

Maybe you can tutor them in English or help them with their homework. But definitely, you can give them the same support, help, and advice from another teenager.

Also, you can connect with teens in other countries and help them by listening to what they are going through in whatever new country they are living in, and letting them know that no matter where they are, they have a friend in America.

Just like with full Chapters, Teens At The Door will help you find and meet these refugee and immigrant teens, and we will help you build your relationship every step of the way.

Making a one-on-one connection with another teen will be a rewarding experience for you and a vital relationship for that teen refugee or immigrant.

Help come up with ideas for possible events and organization wide activities, such as donation drives, connections with organizations, or resources to provide.

You can help Teens At The Door by sending us your ideas. Let us know your great idea for an event or activity. Our Chapters can use them.

You might have a great idea for other ways to help teen refugees and recently arrived immigrants all over America. For example, teens need computers and phones and clothes. Maybe you can lead a drive at your school, or go to stores in your city or town to get donations.

Driving is an incredibly important part of being a teenager. Maybe you can ask some adults in your area to help support refugee and immigrant teens with getting their drivers licenses.

Or maybe you have an even bigger idea that goes beyond your town or school.

If you don’t have time to participate in an event, you can also participate in activism on the individual level. Here are some examples:

• Write a letter to your Representative

• Tell Congress: Support Refugee Children from Afghanistan

• Tell Congress: Support Funding to Reunite Separated Families

• Tell the U.S. to Keep Its Promise to Refugees Like Malik

• Refugees Welcome Resolutions: Does your city or school welcome refugees? Show it with a Refugees Welcome resolution

Though Teens at the Door is not a registered 501(c)3 organization and cannot accept donations, if you do not have time to participate in Teens at the Door activities, but still want to help out, you can donate to our partners:

• IILA: https://www.iilosangeles.org/donate/

• IRC: https://help.rescue.org/donate

• LACOE: https://www.lacoe.edu/Home/Friends-of-LACOE/How-to-give