The Dream Educational Empowerment Program (DEEP) has released a 65-page National Institutions Coming Out Day Toolkit in preparation for the National Institutions Coming Out Day (NICOD) on April 7, 2015.
This toolkit, the first of its kind, equips students and educators with materials and resources to facilitate institutions’ participation. It lists 29 clear and concrete examples of institutional efforts to increase resources and support systems for undocumented students nationwide.
Angela Chaun-Ru Chen, director of the Undocumented Student Program at the University of California at Los Angeles issued the following statement, “In working with undocumented students and educator allies, I have learned that institutional resources can be scarce and isolated. Having access to this toolkit can facilitate a starting point for educators seeking to design programs and institutional efforts that advance the well-being of these students.”
Laura Bohorquez, Dream Educational Empowerment Program coordinator added, “Understanding that each institution has different levels of capacity to implement change is critical. Our toolkit gives all institutions options that have proven successful across the nation.”
By incorporating the current context of education policies, like in-state tuition and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the toolkit is not only informative for educators but also practical in its ability to tailor commitment to institutional goals. The toolkit also fields questions to students and educators that foster ongoing dialogue within and among public and private institutions of higher education.
Grecia Rivas, a leader at ScholarshipsA-Z, a United We Dream affiliate said, “being able to share examples of varying commitment with the administration of my institution is an invaluable tool to start and spearhead solutions that address undocumented students on my campus.”
