Nation ImaginED began when a group of urban educators in Los Angeles came together to share their concern about the lack of support and care immigrant students experience in our public schools.
The group shared the challenges and barriers they experienced teaching and supporting immigrant youth in the schools and districts they worked and the lack of access to quality programs, instruction and social emotional supports provided to immigrant youth, especially newcomer youth.
During the height of the migrant parent and youth separation and detainment by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency in 2021, the group decided to found a non-profit organization to serve immigrant youth, their families, and the educators that support them.
The group imagined a nation, world and educational system that values, nurtures and cares for the social-emotional wellbeing and success of immigrant youth; a society that sees the value of immigrant youth and provides them the resources and power to shape the world.
We envision that youth who have experienced immigration and forced displacement are valued as pillars of a healthy and vibrant community with power to shape the world towards a more equitable and just society.
To achieve this vision, our mission is to partner with schools, districts, and educational organizations to ensure immigrant youth are provided with academic support, social emotional healing, and college and career preparation by pursuing a pathway to self-fulfillment rooted in personal, cultural, and community strengths.