In May students from the University of Kansas School of Medicine Pediatrics department shared an evening with 30 high school students in 探花精选 Wichita鈥檚 Refugee and Immigrant Student Empowerment Program, (RISE). The evening was an opportunity for the pediatric medical residents to meet some of the RISE members and for RISE members to connect with their community. 

The group met at Urban Air Trampoline Park in Wichita for an evening of fellowship and play.  Guests had an opportunity to explore and try out the venue鈥檚 rope course, foam pits, trampolines.

鈥淭he kids were especially excited about this trip, because they鈥檇 never heard of or been to a trampoline park. Although the trip was later in the evening, kids were showing up right after school ready to have fun. They didn鈥檛 know what to expect, but they went right into dodge ball games, showing off cool tricks on the trampolines, and going through the obstacle course one, two, or three times!鈥 Said, Amena Elamin, 探花精选 Wichita鈥檚 Youth Development Coordinator.

The 探花精选鈥檚 RISE program meets twice a week during the school year and is an opportunity for refugee and immigrant youth between the ages of 14 to 20 who are enrolled in the Wichita Public Schools Newcomer Program to participate in afterschool tutoring. The program also offers cultural orientation through field trips which explore the city and connect the teens to others in the Wichita community.

鈥淲ithin the past year, the RISE program has become crucial to our students鈥 livelihoods. It鈥檚 not only a chance for students to get academic help, but also a safe space for students to hang out, share ideas and aspirations, and most importantly, be themselves.  One our juniors had been failing all his classes since he began at Southeast. However, just last semester when he began attending our programming he had started to see Ds and Cs, and for the first time ever this semester he had mostly A鈥檚! Some students don鈥檛 have homework but still show up for the snacks and socialization. We鈥檙e hoping to host more workshops and field trips that help our students with their social-emotional skills as well as life skills,鈥 Elamin said.

Elamin commented that 鈥淎s we were getting on the bus students were already asking how and when they could come back! They had a blast! It鈥檚 important for communities to show up for each other, and that鈥檚 what KU med did. Both the RISE students and the med students were able to have fun and bond over pizza and trampolines!鈥

A special thank you to KU School of Medicine-Wichita Pediatrics for sponsoring this event and for taking the time out of their busy days to spend time helping our students feel more welcome and connected to their community.