Teach Dream
Teach Dream is the educator team at the NYSYLC. Our goal is to create safer schools for undocumented students. We advocate for equal rights and opportunities for all our students. We support student-led activism and leadership.
Our history and work
In 2013, the NYSYLC began collaborating with Teach Dream, then a working group of the New York Collective of Radical Educators. Over the past 8 years, that collaboration has blossomed into a network of educators working to support their immigrant students and families by centering the leadership of those in the directly-impacted community. Teach Dream officially joined the NYSYLC in 2020. Working with the NYSYLC, Teach Dream has provided workshops for educators, hosted conferences for youth and family, raised funds for scholarships for undocumented students, facilitated sessions with the NYSYLC Dream Team Network, and started an immigrant liaison pilot program in three NYC public high schools.
Past Work and Resources
Visit Teach Dream’s old website, now archived, to learn more about what the group has done in the past.
Immigrant Liaison Pilot Program
Visit the Immigrant Liaison Resource Center to learn more about this program and resources that educators can use to support undocumented students. This pilot program was funded by CUNY-IIE for a period of time where we created some guides for this work.
A Framework for Immigrant Liaisons
A Pilot Program by the New York State Youth Leadership Council
This guide includes a description of the pilot program, examples of the work done, and how that work was supported by the NYSYLC through monthly meetings and a youth fellowship. This guide also includes recommendations for schools that want to create their own immigrant liaison position, particularly regarding hiring and funding, with a priority placed on hiring immigrants and especially non-citizens.
This report has not been reviewed by the New York State Education Department.
Webinar on the Framework
Learn more about the immigrant liaison pilot program
A Guide for School Educators
This guide is intended for school staff and community members who are interested in creating an immigrant liaison position at their school. This guide includes:
- A description of the immigrant liaison position
- Typical duties and responsibilities of an immigrant liaison
- Tips on creating an immigrant liaison position at your school, including what to consider in the selection process, how to fund the position, and where to look for support outside of your school
- Suggestions from the immigrant liaisons in the pilot program on how to get started
This report has not been reviewed by the New York State Education Department.