Uplifting the voices of unaccompanied and separated immigrant children

By Isyemille Lara

My name is Isyemille. I am a poet and musician. My family migrated to the United States from Mexico in 1985 so that my brother, who lives with Down’s Syndrome, could have access to sufficient resources. My brothers and I grew up in a bilingual household, and we moved constantly. We would visit Mexico as often as possible. My parents, particularly my father, never fully assimilated to life in the United States. I think immigration includes a strange feeling of displacement and melancholy. A foggy “otherness” accompanies one their whole life, it feels like.

That being said, my immigration story is one of privilege in many respects, as both my parents were formally educated, and my mother was already bilingual when we arrived. My parents always made sure we went to “good” schools and “fit in” as much as possible, thinking this was the best way to support our well-being as we grew. We were not fleeing violence or persecution. While we weren’t wealthy, we were safe. My immigrant story is not a horror show, as so often is the case.

I’ve been living in Chicago since 2003 and I am now a parent myself, of an eleven year-old who has grown up in one city his whole life. I had been wanting to volunteer for a long time. But, between raising a child while working full-time and going to school, it wasn’t possible. That all changed in 2020 when I finished my degree. I had heard about the Young Center purely by chance, but immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of this organization. Children are extremely powerful beings. Most cultures and religions around the world claim that children are sacred and that we must protect and cherish them. At the same time, children all over the world go through horrifying experiences because of how immigration systems are set up, because of the evils of capitalism and conquest, because of the egos of adults.

Our world is undeniably plagued by many ills and it can be paralyzing to think about how one could ever change anything for the better. But there are ways one can make a difference in immigrant children’s lives and their possibilities to survive and thrive.

That’s why signing up to be a Volunteer Child Advocate for the Young Center felt so natural and fulfilling to me. It’s an intensive process that connects you to a child who is going through the immigration system in the United States alone. Throughout, you listen to them, talk to them, laugh with them, and show them a sliver of safety in a very unsafe world.

During my time with the Young Center, I’ve had the privilege of advocating on behalf of several children. I am always inspired by my time spent with them. They share a common spirit, one of tenacity blended with an appreciation for life. As I advocated for their rights, I also connected with them through activities and common themes like cute animals, and art.

One of my fondest memories includes working with a child from Honduras who was hoping to experience autumn and winter for the first time. This experience showed me that children carry wonder inside them. Being a Child Advocate necessitates patience and being able to access wonder as an adult. By supporting children through a traumatic, sometimes violent process, we help to create a more sustainable foundation for them to grow from into adulthood. We all remember small connections in our lives that impacted us in ways we did not expect. It is powerful to be able to offer that to someone.

Ideally, we would live in a world that did not divide countries with dangerous borders, one that did not have famine and femicide and wars over oil and gods. In this world, all children would have a sense of safety and freedom to be themselves, to create, to wonder. But the presence of a single person can have an enormous impact on a child’s life. Children are so generous with their imagination, humor, and love. Adults can learn a lot from spending time with children, just as we are tasked to help teach them the ways of humanity. I can only hope that as many immigrant children as possible are eventually provided safety, comfort, and love that they all deserve to experience. Join us in supporting the Young Center this Giving Tuesday. Together we can contribute to making this vision a reality.