Newcomer Immigrant Youth in the Bay Area: Uplifting Voices, Identifying Solutions
All children — including newcomer immigrant children recently arrived in the United States — deserve protections that safeguard their health, safety, and well-being.
This report was created with one central goal: to lift up the voices of the true experts on newcomer experiences — youth themselves, and the service providers who support them — to deepen understanding of their challenges and highlight their recommendations for change. In 2024, our team conducted 10 focus groups with 88 newcomer youth and 32 individual interviews with service providers in the Bay Area. Their insights highlight how systemic barriers intersect and continuously reinforce one another, deepening inequities for newcomer youth.
This report reveals that despite California’s strong commitments to immigrant communities and the Bay Area’s robust community networks, many newcomer youth still lack the stability and support needed to ensure their basic safety and well-being.
This report includes:
- An overview of existing California state-funded programs serving newcomer youth;
- A description of our youth focus group and provider interview processes;
- A summary of the key challenges and recommendations identified by youth and providers across various sectors, including education, legal, work, mental health, and social supports; and
- A summary of findings from the California Newcomer Education & Well-Being (CalNEW) Newcomer Youth Leadership Group regarding educational services for newcomer youth.
Amid a challenging federal landscape and constrained state budgets, NCYL urges policymakers, educators, funders, and community leaders to invest in integrated, lasting solutions that advance equity and opportunity for all newcomer youth.
For more information, or to speak to the report’s author, please email [email protected].