Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Youth

This workshop is designed to improve understanding of immigrant youth and their families. At MMP, we believe that every young person deserves access to caring relationships with adults that support their development.

• Immigrant youth are among today’s most vulnerable people.
• Research indicates that immigrant youth face increased risk of PTSD, depression and other mental health issues.

Mentoring programs can be challenged in meeting the needs of immigrant youth. This workshop is designed to provide information and guidance on how best to respond to the care needs of immigrant youth. Join Rosie McMahan in conversation with Simon Crawford Muscat. He works at Jewish Family Services. JFS resettles refugees fleeing their homelands in partnership with HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and the State Department. In the past five years JFS resettled over 2,000 refugees and humanitarian arrivals from around the world to Western Mass– their new home.

About Simon Crawford Muscat

Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Simon works at the Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts in their New American Program, serving Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and new entrants as they navigate the complex set of cultural, economic, language, etc. barriers new arrivals experience upon their entrance into the US. Starting there as an MMP AmeriCorps Ambassador in 2022, Simon is committed to working and advocating to create a more just & kind world.

About Rosie McMahan

Rosie McMahan worked within the Boston area for over 25 years. Along with developing and implementing services for youth, she provided counseling and education to youth and you-serving adults in a variety of settings including schools, health clinics, and court systems. She has presented at conferences and facilitated workshops on the local, national, and international level and written curricula for classroom and non-classroom settings. Receiving her M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, she directed CASPAR Youth Services for over 10 years, a program dedicated to the lives of young people struggling with alcohol and other drugs. Additionally, she has run a small private practice called Optimistic Options. She also organizes and/or participates in community- based activities attempting to address inequities and effect social change. Rosie has expertise in the area of trauma and healing and is a published other on the topic. Her book, Fortunate Daughter, A Memoir of Reconciliation has been awarded first place in the Chanticlear International Book Awards 2023. In this book, Rosie offers the reader a portrait of childhood abuse, followed by the difficult and painful task of healing — a journey that, in the end, reveals the complicated and nuanced venture of repair, reconciliation and the freedom that comes along with it. She brings both personal experience and a solid understanding of the current research and findings to support and promote healing in her work with MMP.