Staff Training & Development:
This workshop is for teachers, community workers, and social service agency staff who work
with teen-aged immigrants. The goals of the workshop are to help the adult leaders develop
the following:
· awareness of the challenges young immigrants face in adjusting to a new country
· sensitivity about the needs of teen immigrants
· realistic expectations based on the young person's language and social skills
· understanding of the need to adjust the adult's own behavior as situations warrant
Time
All of the activities below constitute a 3-hour workshop. For a half-day (4-hour) or longer
workshop, consider adding a guest speaker or a panel discussion. Invite representatives of
organizations devoted to immigrants' issues, or someone who is a recent immigrant. Inviting a
panel of teen-aged immigrants to talk about their experiences and answer questions would be
especially insightful. The speaker or panel can address the group for 30 minutes, allowing time
afterward for question and answer. Try to give participants at least one 10-15 minute break two
hours into the workshop.
Materials
Glossary of immigration terms
Wall map of the world
(Note: Try not to use a traditional Mercator projection map, which distorts the land masses of the northern
hemisphere, making them look disproportionately large. A better option is the Peters Projection World Map, which
provides a more accurate view of the Earth. For more information,
http://www.petersmap.com
)
Kitchen timer
Normal Adolescent Development, No. 57:
www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/develop.htm
Normal Adolescent Development, No. 58:
www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/develop2.htm
Copy of the film Teens in Between
Issues to be covered
Interplay of culture & adolescent development
Making accommodations for cultural/religious differences in the school setting
Sensitizing mainstream students to the needs of immigrant students
Sensitizing the school staff to the needs of immigrant students
Understanding issues of home and family among immigrant students
Identifying community resources to support the work of the school
©2003 MHz NETWORKS
Staff Training
