Project Summary
New American Youth on the Rise (NAYR) is a burgeoning mentorship and enrichment program for
middle and high school girls from “New American” immigrant groups in Chittenden County (VT). NAYR aims to
foster health equity for local immigrant communities by 1) developing a pathway to college careers in health
sciences thereby enhancing representation in the healthcare workforce, and 2) increasing trust between the
academic health center and local community by demonstrating investment in the community. Using the novel
concept of “cocooning,” NAYR surrounds immigrant and 1st-generation American girls with home, school,
and individual support necessary to succeed in middle and high school and ultimately transition into health
sciences undergraduate degree programs. NAYR runs during the academic year (weekly + intensives) and the
summer months. NAYR activities include: Courses for Skills Development, Research Experiences, Mentoring
Activities, and Outreach.
NAYR works from an interprofessional lens to guide participants into the “best fit” health science
professions. With the collaboration between the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Larner College of Medicine
(LCOM), College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS), and College of Education and Social Services
(CESS), many college paths are possible. Moreover, NAYR students are mentored by professional women in
health sciences (physicians, researchers, nursing and health science leaders) who embody the possibilities
and opportunities to which they can aspire. Finally, NAYR is built around the acknowledgement that a
student's success is a factor of not only the student’s effort and desire, but also the influence of her family and
teachers/school counselors.
Over the last 18 months, we have developed the structure and function of NAYR with collaboration
between LCOM, UVM Medical Center, and the local New American community. Through a competitive award
process, UVM Medical Center granted seed funding (PI Dougherty) to develop NAYR in direct cooperation with
the local immigrant community. This new SEPA application will build on the work that is ongoing and move
NAYR from the development into the implementation phase in which we will launch NAYR programming
for a grade 6-9 cohort of girls from our New American community. We will then add a class each year until the
cohort make-up is grades 6-12. Furthermore, this SEPA application requests funding to support a true
interprofessional approach including leadership from CNHS as well as pedagogical support and sound
educational footing from our colleagues in CESS.