Briya Know Your Rights Events 2015

Know Your Rights event provides students with valuable resources

Briya students learned about their rights as workers, tenants, immigrants, and parents living in DC during Briya’s first Know Your Rights info fair on May 6.

Held at Briya’s Ontario Road site, the event was an opportunity for various local organizations to share their resources and expertise with Briya students and others from the local community.

“Student surveys and brainstorming with students and staff have shown that our families have a lot of need in areas like housing, jobs and legal support,” said Community Schools Coordinator Stephanie Mintz, who organized the event. “This was a way to bring organizations that offer these resources together in one place.”

Agencies shared materials on workers’ rights, domestic violence, immigration law, disability rights, discrimination, tax help, and more. To encourage engagement, students completed a scavenger hunt that required them to interact with the representatives.

Eleven area organizations—Ayuda, CARECEN, Catholic Charities, DC Employee Justice Center, The Equal Rights Center, Julia M. Toro Law Firm, LEDC, Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, SAFE, Sojourners, and Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs—participated in the May 6 event.

“This event was a win for both the organizations who participated and the Briya students who attended,” Mintz said.

Briya will host a second Know Your Rights event at our 3912 Georgia Ave. location from 10:30-2 on June 11. Stop by to learn about your rights as a DC citizen!