The Children, Youth, & Family Services Department, known as CYF, is focused on providing activities specialized to children and youth.
CYF provides programming for pre-K through 12th-grade development, acculturation, academic support, and enrichment through a culturally competent lens by creating opportunities for positive peer experiences and leadership building. As ASIA’s oldest social services department, we arrange language-specific peer support groups for women, parenting education, and advocacy for refugee/immigrant parents of children and youth.
ICEP
International Community Empowerment Project
Over the years, ICEP has served over 700 children grades kindergarten through 12th from over a dozen ethnic communities.
Since its inception in 1995, the International Community Empowerment Project (ICEP) remains ASIA’s longest-running program. We offer after-school programming, summer camps, tutoring and mentorship during the school day, and ELL classes for parents. In its two-plus decades of existence, the program has helped thousands of children, and today the after school program serves 200-230 inner-city students from Akron Public Schools. They represent a diverse mix ethnicities including Burmese, Chinese, Karen, Nepali, Pakistani, and Thai.
For more information about ICEP, email Emily Grad.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
CAM
Community Adult Mentoring
PROGRAM
The Community Adult Mentoring Program provides peer and adult mentoring to refugee and immigrant youth in grades K through 12.
The program is for youth in grades K through 12 and is based in Lakewood City Schools. This program provides peer and adult mentoring to refugee and immigrant children in Cuyahoga County. Activities include tutoring and homework assistance, prevention education, enrichment, and referral services. The program runs throughout the school year and includes a summer camp.
CAM is funded by the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cleveland. The program runs during the school year Mondays thru Thursdays from 4PM-7PM.
For more information about CAM, email Jeff Panik.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Parenting programs are currently on hiatus.
Parent & Family
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
The CYF Department conducts bilingual parenting education classes weekly at various northeast Ohio locations.
The program aims to educate parents that are new to the United States on the broad range of opportunities and resources within the community, and to empower families by teaching them practical skills, and the American culture and systems. Our bilingual and bicultural educators are trained to provide relevant and engaging activities for parents that cater to their particular needs. Families and parents interested in the parenting education classes are encouraged to join us at any of the locations below:
- Ka’ren language parent program
Mondays, at the Lakewood Public Library (Madison Branch, 13229 Madison Avenue, 44107) from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. - Burmese language parent program (ON HIATUS)
Tuesdays, at the Lakewood Public Library (Madison Branch, 13229 Madison Avenue, 44107) from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. - Nepali language parent program (ON HIATUS)
Wednesdays, at the Hope Center (15135 Triskett Rd, Cleveland, 44111) from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.
Newcomers
Family Support Center
Support Services for New Families
The Newcomers Family Support Center is a program that provides newly-arriving low-income Asian Americans adults (including their dependents) with linguistically and culturally accessible employment assistance and family stabilization services in Cuyahoga County and Summit County.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 35,900 Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) – majority of them immigrants and refugees – reside within Cuyahoga County with the largest Asian American population in Cleveland (12% of the total Cuyahoga County’s Asian American population). In addition, Cuyahoga County has seen a 67% growth rate of Asian Americans compared to the national average of 44%. Among Asian Americans there are over 23 languages and dialects spoken (just within the Chinese communities there are over a dozen dialects, each unique and distinctive). Witin the population over 40% are considered limited English proficient and 2/3 are from low- to moderate- income households.
Due to unique language and cultural barriers, low-income Asian Americans in northeast Ohio have trouble finding jobs, do not make consistent income progression associated with job promotions and new opportunities, lack limited basic work skills and knowledge especially if they are arriving from developing worlds (hygiene, resume writing, etc.), have trouble navigating counties’ social service system to stabilize their families, and know little or nothing about western concept of personal asset building.
The Newcomers Family Support Center strives to assist people to move further along the path of self-sufficiency and financial independence.
