The Karen Society Youth Program offers after-school and summer enrichment programming. We provide academic and social-emotional support, Karen language instruction and cultural activities for our youth. We serve 40 students of Karen ethnicity, ages 6-17, most of whom are in middle school. We also have weekend family gatherings and cultural activities for family and students once a month.  Our program runs for the entire school year—based on the Buffalo public school calendar. During the school year, we offer after-school programming five afternoons a week from 4–6pm. As of September 2022, we’ve partnered with Buffalo State’s Community Academic Center to run our program on the campus of Buffalo State College.  The program includes a mix of tutoring and homework help, STEM and literacy activities, life skills and leadership development, sports and enrichment activities—as well as special topics and field trips, based on student input. Our Youth Program includes a strong component of Karen arts, culture, and language instruction. We teach Karen language for at least 30–45 minutes most program days. Programming also includes weekly cultural activities, such as learning about our home country, teaching about our customs and their significance, and teaching about our country’s history and festivals. We also engage our students in the planning and preparations of our community’s annual Wrist-Tying Ceremony, Karen Martyrs Day, and Karen New Year Celebrations, which include traditional Karen dance practice and performances.

Our summer program runs for 6 weeks, July to August, starting with a “Summer Kickoff” and culminating with an “End of Summer” Family Celebration. This year, we are looking to add a strong academic emphasis on Math and Literacy, to further combat summer learning loss—using summer reflection journals, reading challenges, and math activities. 

Address: 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222