Mentor Margie with mentees Juan, Brian, Evelyn and at the John Ball Zoo

Building Cultural Bridges of Support and Understanding

Migrant Programs provide academic and social supports for children of migrant farm workers and their families, and creates opportunities for cultural exchange between volunteers and migrant families.

Each year, approximately 6,000 children accompany their parents to Ottawa County from February to late November. Many second and third generation workers, this steam from Texas has existed for over thirty years and is largest population of seasonal workers in Michigan.

Spanish is the first language in the home; 78% of the parents have only limited English proficiency, and on average a sixth grade education level. Due to long work hours in the fields (often six days a week), low wages, and social/ geographical isolation, parents are not able to provide after-school and summer activities/lessons for their children.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the national migrant student population has only a 40-45% gradation rate; however, our Migrant Mentoring Program boasts an 84% graduation rate, with 62% pursuing college education. view press coverage...

Summer Reading & Sports

The Migrant Summer Reading Program began in 2009.
The program brings groups of volunteers to local migrant camps to read, play games, and socialize with children, continuing to promote cross cultural understanding and reduce the isolation between the migrant and larger communities.

The Migrant Sports Program is a new component launched in 2010.
The program brings groups of volunteers interested in forming friendships and promoting heath and sportsmanship in migrant youth. It is a critical expansion of our migrant programming designed to serve young adolescents who are often not participants in the Migrant Mentoring Program.

Migrant Mentoring

Community volunteers commit to mentoring a migrant child once a week for the duration of the family’s seasonal residence in the area. The goal of the program is to improve academic achievement of the children, develop cross-cultural connections, and increase access to the community for the children and their families.

Community volunteers who express an interest in becoming a mentor for the Migrant Mentoring Program, first complete a volunteer orientation then a careful screening process which includes interviews and criminal background checks. Once approved, the Diversity Alliance program staff and the volunteer mutually agree upon the migrant child match.

Mentors commit to participating in a weekly activity with their matched mentee. They are asked to focus on time spent together, and not material gifts and are also eligible to take advantage of the free and discounted offers through the Ottawa County Mentor Collaboration, where business show support for local mentor programs.

This program is a seasonal. The time commitment is generally from early spring to late fall; however, the start and end dates are ultimately decided by when each family returns/leaves Michigan for the season. Community members and past program mentors are recruited early spring and no new applicants will be considered for the season after approximately late June.

Participant Feedback

“I was completely unaware of where the migrant workers lived or how they lived. This has opened my eyes to the challenges that these families face.”
- Mentor

"This is the only place I have seen such a program. We lived in a lot of places and there was never anything like this. It makes the community better."
- Migrant Family

"There are good people here. [The mentor] has done so much for our kids; she is closer to us than our family. People here will give you a hand, before we thought people like this were only in Mexico."
- Migrant Family