If you are a parent living in the USA, these are 5 upstander moves in your own school community when you have kids in your community that come from abroad.
Be the first hello: Spot the new family and invite them for a 20‑minute coffee or school pick‑up walk.
International Exchange: Propose a student/parent buddy system; volunteer as a “welcome buddy” for one month and exchange information about the school and learn about the country they are from.
Decode and translate the admin: Make a one‑page “Welcome to our School” cheat sheet (key dates, grading, contacts) and share with your class WhatsApp/PTA. Bonus Points if it is in the language the parents speak.
Quick scripts -
Offer help to school: “We’d love to partner on newcomer welcome. We can share a strengths‑based student profile template, arrange translators for parent nights, and run a 45‑minute ‘Belonging 101.’ Could we meet for 20 minutes to align?”
Bystander to bullying (student‑friendly): “School is for everyone and I think its amazing that they are here at our school. They can sit with us.”
Want to support those in the USA? Start here to go deeper.
Learn, then amplify responsibly
Read Jessica Lander’s Making Americans and her free Plyler v. Doe excerpt + discussion guide: https://www.jessicalander.com
Explore educator tools: https://reimaginingmigration.org
Fuel frontline work;
Set a small recurring gift to:
- National Immigration Law Center - https://www.nilc.org
- RAICES - https://www.raicestexas.org
- ImmSchools - https://www.immschools.org
Host a salon/info session
Run a one‑hour discussion using Jessica’s guide; donate proceeds to a U.S. org above. Keep shares verified and protect privacy.
💡 This guide is inspired by the conversation between Mickelle Weber and Jessica Lander on the House of Peregrine Podcast.
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