We want refugee youth to be celebrated, confident members of our communities.
Being the new kid in town isn’t easy. For youth who come to Pittsburgh as immigrants and refugees, there’s additional pressure to learn English and navigate cultural norms while settling into a new school. The Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education (ARYSE) is a youth-led, grassroots organization that supports immigrant and refugee students through literacy development, community building and storytelling through the arts.
Since 2013, our four programs support 100+ students throughout the year, providing homework assistance, an arts and maker space for young women and our flagship program, PRYSE Academy, a summer camp centered around practicing English, creative storytelling and building friendships.
We know that too often, real-life factors like poverty,…


