Unheard Stories is an afterschool program for Winooski, VT, students who have im/migrant experience. The group of 20+ students meet with 2-4 mentor adults each week in order to share and connect about the many stories, questions, concerns and hopes of each person. 

This program started in 2022 with Abdoul Lailati, Khadija Hassan, and Aden Jelle for their  Community and Culture Capstone project. It turned into a yearlong, youth – led story gathering project that culminated in an incredible performance on June 2, 2022. The description of this project is provided below, as described by Abdoul Lailati:

The young artists met weekly throughout last year to interview each other, to interview members of their extended community, to share their memories and experiences of living on the African continent, to remember their home, and to discuss the challenges and complexities of moving here. Affinity space developed where they were able to, with the support of each other and the group as a whole, discuss their experiences of living in America as it relates their experience of time and connection with family members, friendships, and their experiences of racism and xenophobia.