Dreamer

The term Dreamers which is used for the undocumented children is derived from the DREAM Act, which aims at granting legal status to the young immigrants who have been unlawfully brought to the United States by their parents. Some of these children have been brought to the United States when they were as young as about a few months old. The Deferred Action for Children’s Arrivals or the DACA act came about as an initiative to protect these children who face the constant threat of being deported to the count they don’t even know, as they have grown up on American soil.

Under the Act, children who are below the age of 18 years obtain conditional permanent residence for 10 years, which also includes authorization to work. This conditional permanent is given only if the child has been enrolled in an educational institution and has not been convicted of any crimes. Once they have been enrolled as a conditional permanent resident, then they can apply for a Green Card by either completing two years of higher education or military service. The Act works at providing temporary relief to the child from being deported to the country they might’ve never even seen.

This vulnerability to deportation creates a lot of problems for these children especially when trying to pursue education. Changemaker High School has worked along with these dreamers to help them educate themselves and even get jobs. The families of these children migrate to the States with the hopes of living a better life and offering their children hopes and aspirations to their children. They hope to offer better opportunities to their children that weren’t available to them.

The dreamers can’t travel to other states for field trips or take part in certain activities as it makes them more prone to being stopped by immigration authorities and even be deported to the country they originally belong to. Changemaker High School understands the difficulties that are faced by these students and is sensitive to them. The staff works along with these kids to give them opportunities to lead a better life.

Dreamers have been able to complete their education and graduate from Changemaker High Schools. Some of those who have graduated are also working and some have pursued higher education. The learning and supportive environment at the Changemaker High School pushes these kids to dream and help them make their dreams come true. They provide a supportive learning environment where English and Spanish are taught together. Here, success is being redefined by engaging with the world with empathy, empowerment, equity and understanding.