Peekskill Herald: An Embrace of Roots and Dreams

Twenty-two years ago, Barbara Sarbin of Cortlandt Manor founded the organization “Something Good in the World,” with the intention of providing a safe environment for children to achieve their highest possible potential, ready to take on life’s challenges.  A lofty goal, a lofty name. But how to achieve these goals?

For the past 10 years, Something Good in the World has shared its curriculum-based programs with refugee children who are unaccompanied minors fleeing violent situations in their homelands. Often traveling on foot from Central America, and more recently from West Africa, these children are sheltered until they can be legally resettled. Something Good in the World steps in to teach the children that there are people who care for and about them, despite the horrific situations they’ve encountered.

Sarbin, as director of educational programs, finds ways to give some of the children an experience of home through food and the comfort it provides.  “We offer nature-based activities and experiences to support their well-being and development.” The focus of the experiences she provides the children is to promote spaces of learning and culture as they continue to strive for better lives away from the violence which set them on their journey.

Refugee students visit local farms to learn sustainable backyard farming, to be able to stave off food insecurity, and to practice skills that students knew well in their own countries, to be able to apply these in their new home.  They also visit local businesses that are run by immigrants from their countries, to be inspired by how others followed their dreams, while at the same time receiving encouragement to stay in school and learn English.  Until this year, refugee youth were almost always from Central America, but this summer, the majority now sheltering in Westchester, were coming from West Africa. In the search for local West African food, Ofori’s restaurant in Peekskill popped up on Google and Sabin’s hopes of reminding these children of their traditional meals became a reality.