Yes We Can Mobile Schools Program
Yes We Can World Foundation is the creator and operator of the Yes We Can Mobile Schools Program, the first and only accredited bilingual school program for refugee and migrant children at the US-Mexico border.
In a converted 55-foot tour bus that seats 40 people, Yes We Can gives students (ages 3-15) the opportunity to continue their education while waiting for asylum. This colorful mobile school, run by local accredited teachers and filled with school supplies and engaging learning tools, serves as a crucial support system for families and is uniquely designed to address educational setbacks and emotional trauma children face in moments of crisis.
The program provides its students with an introduction to the English language, fosters a welcoming and safe environment where they can connect with each other over shared experiences, and helps families navigate and understand the asylum process. For some, the program is a child’s first introduction to formal schooling. Yes We Can also offers a Refugee Resettlement Program to help families assimilate once they are approved for asylum.
Secretary of Education Mexico Partnership
Yes We Can World Foundation has formed a strategic partnership with the Secretary of Education in Mexico. This historic partnership recognizes the Yes We Can Mobile Schools program as the first and only accredited education model for refugee and migrant children at the U.S. - MX border.
This historic education inclusion initiative for children in crisis provides a unique accreditation for every child enrolled in the Yes We Can Mobile Schools program. This accreditation serves as an official school certificate which validates the academic progress, grades earned and school time children spend enrolled in the program. Therefore all academic credits become transferable and valid upon international school enrollments. This provides refugee and migrant children an invaluable and unique opportunity to avoid a lapse in their education and prevent any setbacks with future school enrollments.
The Yes We Can World Foundation and SEP partnership is the first of its kind and a pioneer initiative to provide education opportunities for children experiencing forced migration.
Yes We Can Mobile School Buses
What is a Mobile School Bus?
The Yes We Can Mobile School buses are commercial coach buses converted into mobile schools to provide education spaces for children in need. The concept was inspired by the tiny home and van life movements where vehicles are converted into mobile homes. With that concept in mind Yes We Can converts coach buses into magical learning spaces filled with dynamic school supplies, an engaging curriculum, and technology tools to make learning an unforgettable experience for the children in our programs.
Why Mobile School Buses?
Embedded into the mission to provide high quality education to children regardless of their location, legal status, or economic background, the buses have become a vehicle of hope and opportunity for children. The buses are built to travel long distances and to reach those in need helping to provide quality education at no cost. This eliminates the obstacles that children and families face when they are unable to access a nearby school due to distance or transportation costs.
Bus Conversion
A bus conversion requires 90 days from delivery of a bus to full conversion into a classroom.
Bilingual Education and Technology Learning
Bilingual Education
The Yes We Can education model provides consistent English and Spanish language learning as a part of its core curriculum. Students receive a daily introduction to the English language and learn important practical language skills they can use immediately. These classes help students learn second language skills and the confidence to use these new learned skills. Bilingual education increases cognitive development, improves communication skills and can provide increased economic opportunities.
Technology and Bilingual Learning
Yes We Can students have access to technology utilizing iPads and learning English with the Duolingo language application.
Duolingo
Duolingo is the world's most popular language learning platform and has more than 300 million users. Founder Luis Von Ahn, a migrant from Guatemala, created the application so that everyone could have access to learn another language for free. We are partnered with Duolingo to help bring the mission of free language learning to migrant children.
Why Education?
Refugee and migrant children and their families from Central America and Mexico are leaving their homes because of violence and extreme poverty. When these families arrive at the U.S. - Mexico border to seek asylum they begin a waiting period that can last from 3 months to over a year. During this time families stay in shelters which provide little opportunity for the adults to work and for the children to have a safe place for mental, physical and socio-emotional development.
The migrant children in these shelters are not able to attend public or private school in Mexico due to their legal status, location and/or financial situation. The period of travel and asylum wait time creates an irrevocable negative impact on the lives of these children. They will not only miss up to an entire year of school, but for some this lapse in their education may prevent them from ever stepping foot inside a classroom again.
Yes We Can Mobile Schools Impact
Yes We Can World Foundation is committed to providing quality education, safe spaces and mental health support to refugee and migrant communities.