Caribbean Youth Club helps teens get used to new life in Boston
BOSTON - The first couple of years as an immigrant child in a new place can be tough.
Nickey Nesbeth knows what that's like, so she founded the Caribbean Youth Club.
"I'm an immigrant myself. I was born in Jamaica and I was raised here in Boston and when I came, the process of acclimating to American life was so challenging," she told WBZ-TV. "I just felt very isolated. The weather, the food, the culture. Everything was just really very different from where I came from."
Nesbeth found her comfort zone and after 15 years of working in the school system and seeing kids from the Caribbean going through some of the same experiences, she decided to do something.
In 2010, Nesbeth founded the club so kids from Caribbean immigrant backgrounds can find their way.
"Get access to resources and support for higher education and be mentored and supported and find an easier way to adjust and find your space in your new American community," she said.
Nesbeth and her staff have seen the changes in the kids because of the youth club.
"I think relationship building is the number one thing that we prioritize. I think it's very important for our young people to know that we as adults deeply care about them and who they are as young people," Ivanna Solano, the Assistant Director for Dreamers Fellowship, told WBZ.
The awkwardness is replaced with smiles and a personal confidence has reappeared.
"It is literally my purpose for this work. My joy and my points of joy, number one, is always watching them laugh and watching them play and watching them connect with each other," Nesberth said.
For more information, visit their website.
