Safed House is a 501 c-3 non-profit. We are dedicated to representing unheard voices of refugees and recent immigrants to America. Safed House is focused on providing a secure platform where they can safely tell their human-interest narratives to an empathetic audience. For our youth program Essay Contest, we are helping them to find a way to belong and pursue their education. The next essay writing contest will open March 20, 2023 and the participants have one month to submit. The prize winners will be announced on World Refugee Day 2023 in June. There will be a Safed House press release publicizing the winners. Rules · The contest is open to any student in high school who was born outside of the US and migrated to the US in the last ten years. We prefer the students be in 9-11th grade so we can have an opportunity to work more actively with the essayist. We are open to 12th graders as candidates as many have been winners in the past. · The essay should be 500 words in length · Essay Prompt: Write an essay about someone you left behind when you left your homeland. · The contest will open on March 20, 2023, and the deadline for submission is May 5, 2023. Submissions should be emailed to safedhouse@gmail.com. · Please put in subject line: Safed House Essay Submission 2023 · Include a title for the essay Additional submission information requirements are: List on top left of submission · Name · Birthplace · Country of origin · Note: If a refugee or immigrant from another country than birthplace, please list that also · How long has the essayist been living in the US? · Current High School Grade · Contact Information and must include: Telephone and Email Note: Make sure the essays are submitted in an open format so that we can share the essays with our readers. · First prize is a $500 award. Winner is requested to be interviewed for a testimonial of their story on website. This interview will be conducted by Safed House in late August 2023. · Second Prize is a $250 award. Winner is requested to be interviewed for a testimonial of their story on website. This interview will be conducted by Safed House in late August 2023. · Winners will also be required to take part in the award ceremony in the year that they win and to be available to come back for the following year as a presenter. For more information see our website: https://www.safedhouse.com or call Susan at 480 510 4881.