For nearly a decade, Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois, and the Chicago office of the national nonprofit World Relief have worked together to offer free summer programming for families who are refugees or seeking asylum. In 2021, after the US military withdrew its final troops from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghan families fled to the US. That’s when NU’s Seeley G. Mudd Library (ML), its science and engineering library, joined the partnership, hosting dozens of these families’ children in its makerspace each summer. The student-named Fun Summer Program encourages participants to gain new academic skills, leadership experience, and build connections in their new community. The partnership’s success helped earn ML librarian Ted Quiballo a 2024 I Love My Librarian Award.
In 2021, after the US government removed its last troops from Afghanistan, approximately 2,500 Afghan evacuees resettled in Illinois, largely in and near Chicago. Many received placement assistance from World Relief Chicagoland (WRC), a nonprofit that provides social services for refugees and asylum seekers. Some families found new beginnings alongside others from Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine on the city’s north side.
Following resettlement, families can sign their children up for WRC’s free afterschool and summer programs. The summer program, open to students ages 5–19, runs for four weeks in July and August. Since 2017, WRC and the Technological Innovations for Inclusive Learning and Teaching (TIILT) Lab at Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois, have partnered to offer hands-on activities and STEM education opportunities. In May 2022, WRC and TIILT Lab extended the partnership to NU’s Seeley G. Mudd Library (ML). ML Instructional Technologies Librarian Ted Quiballo has cultivated an inclusive, accessible, community-driven makerspace that aligns with the goals of WRC’s program.
Each summer, nearly 70 students join us on NU’s campus. On a typical day, students build mini robots and program their movements with block-based coding, create 3D prints, laser-cut name tags, or learn about the intersection between sports and technology through tools like the HomeCourt app, which uses artificial intelligence to record reaction times and helps users practice hand-eye coordination.
Powerful learning happens when personal relationships take root.
The program is facilitated by interns recruited from across Chicago who often share similar cultural, religious, or language backgrounds with the students. The interns are trained in ML’s technologies as well as pedagogical practices that are culturally responsive and support social-emotional learning. For example, after a lesson, students teach what they just learned to one another rather than instructors taking charge. Students and interns engage in joyful moments of play and connect by conversing in Arabic or Dari and discussing their family traditions during Muslim holidays.
Student participants flex leadership skills to facilitate activities and advocate for their interests. Younger kids enthusiastic about making slime have helped measure and distribute ingredients and troubleshoot batches to reach optimal texture. Older ones requested time for midday prayers, which is now a regular part of the program.
Our efforts center on community, both building it and supporting it. Increasing STEM access and equity is important, but we know powerful learning happens when personal relationships take root and students feel connected to one another and facilitators. Going forward, we plan to continue building local partnerships to sustain the program long term.
Kids in the program tell their parents how excited they are to go each day. We hope the students also notice how we center their interests and value their knowledge, skills, and experiences as a form of expertise. We know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to this work, but we lead successfully when we prioritize authentic connections and care.