Sydette Harry is a digital expert by day, a fundraising mixologist by night, and an unwavering supporter of unaccompanied children’s rights. Check out how Sydette has been supporting the Young Center as well as some of the drinks that she’s put together to fundraise for our work with children in our newest Young Center Supporter Spotlight!

Tell us how you learned about the Young Center. Why and how did you get involved with the Young Center initially?
I learned about the Young Center as I was doing fundraising for immigrant causes and connected with Young Center staff member Amy Jo Albinak. I am a first generation immigrant and my family has experienced migration and deportation. The moments during and after, were extremely confusing and hard. Navigating through the trauma is hard even when you have people. 

What are some of the ways you’ve supported our work?
Because we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, I’ve been supporting the Young Center virtually, via Twitter and requests for donations. I ask members of my community and friends on Twitter to donate $100 to the Young Center and make them a specialized cocktail for each donation. I’ve been able to raise $2,000 in the past two months. It’s part of what can be done as we figure out what can be done in this new world.

So you are a content strategist/archivist/social media watcher by day and a mixologist by night. Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what your favorite cocktail is. 
I work mostly on projects that connect people in hopes of us getting a fuller and more representative picture of the world through comments, data, and design. Mixology is also about bringing together things. It’s about finding the right proportions to evoke a feeling, a mood. Flavors. Nerding out very hard, spirits have long deep connections and histories. And I love making people feel welcome! What better way of letting someone know they are wanted than with a meal and a libation. 

My favorite drink changes from moment to moment, but I love whiskies, and buttermilk based drinks.

Your support has made an incredible impact on our work, allowing us to help more children to make sure they don’t face the inhumane immigration system by themselves. How do you feel knowing the difference you’ve made?
That makes me so happy. In life and especially right now, it’s hard to know what to do, but I was taught you could always do SOMETHING.

These kids are a part of me. They’re family and we take care of family. Navigating immigration is daunting in the worst of times. If making a cocktail helped make sure a child didn’t do it alone, I am beyond grateful. 

What’s your dream for immigrant children?
Rest. A world where migration is a choice and not a necessity. Safety. The knowledge they are loved.

What is something you'd like to tell people who don't support immigrant children?
I want to talk to the people who do support them: We don’t have silent time right now. Now more than ever, supporting immigrant children has to be loud.

You can check out one of Sydette’s drinks here.

Learn how to support our fundraising effort by becoming a Young Center Ambassador. Click here for more information.