Help Tes support Convivir Colorado!

About Me

My name is Tes Cohen and I'm co-chair of the board of Convivir, a nonprofit  that empowers immigrant, refugee, and first-gen youth to build a future in which all immigrants thrive in their authenticity. I have seen the impact our programming has on youth in my Denver community first-hand, supporting them to find power in the immigrant story, and am excited to grow our impact in 2024 and beyond. 

Will you join me in helping build a more just society for all? 

What We Do

We leverage the power of storytelling, artistic expression, and community building to encourage self-empowerment and leadership development. Convivir offers our students safe spaces to find pride in their migrant identity, opportunities to apply their leadership, and a community that will support them along the way.

Why We Exist

1 in 10 Coloradans are foreign-born and more than half are not US citizens. And this is not to mention the hundreds of new migrants enrolling in our schools throughout the past year!

Our migration-impacted youth are experiencing mental health challenges, language barriers, income instability, and educational inequity among other challenges. Yet most schools, providers, and community members don't know how to adequately support them because of xenophobia at worst and misinformation at best. 

Convivir believes that all students, regardless of their national origin or immigration status, deserve the opportunity to succeed, so we focus on supporting their healing journey, uplifting their voices, and encouraging their leadership.

What We've Been Up To

This year has been monumental to our growth and a true testament to the deep relationships we've built in the community. 

We hired a third full time teammate (yay Tiffany!), celebrated our 3 year anniversary to a full house at Akwaba Restaurant, partnered with Graland Country Day School to offer our summer program fully in person, and facilitated professional development across the state to help counselors support undocumented students. 

We proudly boast high engagement rates across all our programs with students, families, and mentors joining us from farther out than ever before!

Youth Testimonials

• "Convivir is a great program for kids to empower their identities and work on/improve their own leadership skills. I'm glad I got to be a part of it." - Summer Program Student
• "It's a good experience to find your identity and if your parents are from somewhere else I would recommend it to you because you would understand more about your culture and region." - Arts & Conversations Student
• "Convivir has helped me get out of my comfort zone by exposing me to things that I never thought I would be capable of doing. They also paid me!!!" - Mentorship Program Student
• "This discussion has made me think about my own stories and put them to further use. I never thought how powerful my story could be. Thank you for reminding me of my power." - Speakers' Collective Student
• “It’s my favorite program, just because of the idea that [we] try to make changes and give our own [thoughts] about Convivir from the students perspective. I feel like this can make students feel like they have a say and that their opinions matter too.” - Youth Leadership Council Student

Ask of You

If you are asking yourself how you might be able to get involved, below are some ways you can support Convivir’s efforts.

1. Volunteer your time
2. Sponsor a lunch/dinner for students
3. Donate tickets for activities in Denver for students
4. Help provide school supply donations
5. Provide a monetary donation  

Your Impact

As a local startup, we would love to count on your support to help us maintain operations and programming for immigrant, refugee, and first-gen youth.  If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact us directly and we will follow up with you to discuss future opportunities. 

Financial contributions allow us to continue providing:

1. Free programming for low-income 6th through 12th grade students in Aurora and Denver
2. A diverse range of opportunities, including our summer program, mentorship program, advocacy campaigns, and trainings
3. Alignment of our curriculum with social-emotional learning and migrant education standards
4. Wrap-around support, including bilingual family engagement and educator resources
5. Continued organizational leadership of immigrants, women, and youth 

Any amount you donate will have a powerful impact!

• $20 covers supplies and shipping for one student
• $25 covers a dinner gift card for one student
• $50 covers one student’s honorarium for a public speaking engagement
• $100 covers one student’s stipend for a quarter in the mentorship program

Thank you for believing in Convivir and in the power of our youth! Your continued support will make a significant impact in the lives of so many.