California Community Colleges Celebrates 7th Annual Undocumented Student Action Week with Advocacy, Education, and Support Beginning Oct. 16
New Chancellor emphasizes dedication to undocumented student population with this year’s theme: “Creating Belonging for Undocumented Students”
Undocumented Student Week of Action (USAW) returns Oct. 16-20 with virtual and in-person workshops, webinars and more activities as students, faculty, staff, and administrators mobilize to advocate for and support the needs of undocumented students.
This year’s theme, “Creating Belonging for Undocumented Students,” focuses on empowering colleges to create campus wide awareness and support for undocumented students, ensuring they can access the information, services, resources and assistance they need with comfort and without fear—whether that is talking with faculty in the classroom or with staff and administrators in the colleges’ various student services offices.
“Undocumented students are a core part of our California Community Colleges system, and they make positive contributions to our communities and our state throughout the year,” said Chancellor Sonya Christian. “Undocumented Student Week of Action supports undocumented students and lets everyone know that our campuses will always remain safe, welcoming places for people from all backgrounds.”
The seventh annual Undocumented Student Action Week kicks off Oct. 16, when the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Foundation for California Community Colleges, the Community College League of California and dozens of statewide partners will host an all-day, in-person convening at Fresno City College titled “Creating Belonging for Undocumented Students.” Additionally, there will be daily webinars on topics related to student advocacy, financial aid, and practitioner resources. More information and registration is available online.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the I Can Go to College (I CAN) campaign is holding a special Zoom webinar for students and their families. The webinar, titled “Students Striving and Thriving”, will detail educational opportunities and basic needs support available at the 116 California community colleges for undocumented students and their families. Registration is now open, and those who attend will have a chance to win prizes donated by iHeart Media valued at $100 – $2,000 to help with college costs.
Established in 2016 in response to political efforts to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), USAW has grown even more critical over the years in building support for immigrant students who are studying to improve their lives, success outcomes and overall economic mobility. On Sept. 13, a federal judge in Texas ruled the DACA program—created by President Barack Obama in 2012 by executive action—was illegal. The federal government is appealing the decision and is likely moving up to the supreme court for ruling.
In light of the current uncertainty, the Chancellor’s Office, in partnership with statewide advocacy organizations, is working to ensure students have timely access to DACA resources and information. The Chancellor’s Office and our Board of Governors continue to engage with federal representatives to advocate for long-term policy solutions that will protect DACA recipients and provide a comprehensive pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. We encourage students to take advantage of free immigration legal services and make an appointment with a legal services provider today. You can go to findyourally.com for more information.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 1.8 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision 2030, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
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加州社區學院將於10月16日開始慶祝第七屆年度無證移民學生行動周，
活動內容包括倡導、教育和支持
為了強調對無證移民學生的重視，
新校長將今年的主題定為：「為無證移民學生創造歸屬感」
沙加緬度，加利福尼亞——無證移民學生行動周（USAW）將於10月16日至20日回歸。屆時，加州社區學院將舉辦虛擬和線下研討會、網絡講座以及更多活動。學生、教職員工和行政人員將聯手行動，為無證移民學生倡導並為他們的需求提供支持。
今年的主題是：「為無證移民學生創造歸屬感」，側重於鼓勵各個學院在全校範圍內培養對無證移民學生提供支持的意識和能力，從而確保這些學生能夠安心無憂地獲取所需訊息、服務、資源和幫助——無論是在課堂上與教職員工交流還是在學院各種學生服務辦公室與工作人員和行政人員交流。
「無證移民學生是我們加州社區學院系統的核心組成部分，他們全年都對我們的社區和加州做出積極的貢獻。」校長Sonya Christian說，「無證移民學生行動周為無證移民學生提供支持，並讓每個人都知道，我們的校園將始終是一個安全的、歡迎各種背景人士的地方。」
第七屆年度無證學生行動周將於10月16日啟動。屆時，加州社區學院校長辦公室、加州社區學院基金會、加州社區學院聯盟以及全州諸多合作夥伴將在弗雷斯諾城市學院舉辦全天的線下集會，主題為「為無證移民學生創造歸屬感」。此外，行動周還將舉辦有關學生倡導、財務援助及從業者資源等主題的每日網絡講座。請上網獲取更多訊息並註冊。
在10月17日星期二，「我能上大學（I CAN）」宣傳項目將為學生及其家庭舉辦一場特別的Zoom網絡講座。這場名為「學生奮發圖強與茁壯成長」的網絡講座將詳細介紹加利福尼亞116所社區大學為無證移民學生及其家庭提供的教育機會和基本需求支持。講座現在已經開放註冊，且參與者將有機會贏得由iHeart Media捐贈的價值100美元至2,000美元的獎品，以幫助節省大學費用。
USAW成立於2016年，旨在應對試圖廢除「童年入境者暫緩遣返行動」（DACA）項目的政治行動。多年來，USAW在為通過學習來提高生活質量、獲得成功並提升整體經濟水準的移民學生提供支持方面變得更加關鍵。9月13日，得克薩斯州的一名聯邦法官裁定： Barack Obama總統於2012年通過行政令創建的DACA項目是非法的。聯邦政府正在對這一決定提出上訴，並有可能上訴至最高法院以做最終裁決。
鑒於目前的不確定性，加州社區學院校長辦公室正與全州倡導組織合作，以確保學生能夠及時獲得DACA資源和訊息。校長辦公室和我們州董事會將繼續與聯邦代表協作，力求保護DACA受益人的長期政策解決方案，並為無證移民提供全面的公民身份路徑。我們鼓勵學生們充分利用免費移民法律服務，並今天就與法律服務提供者預約。您可以訪問findyourally.com以獲取更多訊息。
加州社區學院是全國最大的高等教育系統，由73個學區和116所學院組成，每年為180萬名學生提供服務。加州社區學院提供職業教育和勞動力培訓；保送轉入四年制大學；攻讀學位和證書的路徑；以及英語和數學基礎技能教育。作為該州社會和經濟發展的引擎，加州社區學院大力支持Vision 2030計劃。這是一個旨在提高學生成功率、提升轉學率和消除成就差距的戰略計劃。欲瞭解更多訊息，請訪問加州社區學院網站，或在Facebook和X（曾為Twitter）上關注我們。
