Advocacy for All

August 27, 2025

By Caden Kartzmark, VP of Ponte Vedra High School’s JaxTHRIVE chapter

Essay for AP Language class

Caden Kartzmark 

More than 60,000 refugees flee their home country to find a better life in the

United States every year. These refugees come with different backgrounds and cultures that may make it hard to adapt to the new circumstances and lifestyles that exist in the United States. Children make up a large portion of the refugee populations and still require education just like the average kid in the United States. These kids are behind in their learning as they come from backgrounds without English as their first language and have been raised in dire circumstances that do not prioritize their education.

This is where JaxTHRIVE comes in to enhance the refugee kids’ education and

promote learning in an exciting way. On “Super Saturdays,” high school and middle

school students from across the Jacksonville area volunteer at JaxTHRIVE to encourage

young refugees to learn. We engage in science experiments like making ice cream. It

brings me so much joy to see the smiles on the faces of the refugee children. At JaxTHRIVE, the students also play games like soccer and get very competitive against the volunteers.

JaxTHRIVE has become a place where connections between the refugees and

volunteers have been built, and they flourished. Many of these kids are excited the entire week for Super Saturdays. Volunteers and students personally work together in science

projects, making art, and learning English. The interactions allow the refugees to feel

valued as they feel they have someone in their corner cheering them on. For example, a

boy named Mehran and I were constructing a bridge made from popsicle sticks. Through trial and error, we eventually made a bridge that could withstand the weight of a water bottle. The prize wasn’t in the bridge though. The prize was the happy face that Mehran had that showed how proud he was of the bridge he had built.

All in all, this advocacy that comes in the form of JaxTHRIVE provides refugee

students with life skills, mentorship, and a sense of belonging in their community. By

providing education and building confidence, they will now have the tools to pursue

higher education as well as acquire meaningful jobs, opening doors to new

opportunities. At the same time, volunteers are also improving their leadership skills,

becoming more culturally aware and building relationships with foreign-born peers.

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