A safety net rooted in Brooklyn.
Flanbwayan transforms the lives of New York City’s Haitian immigrant youth through educational support, leadership development, and community-building opportunities.
We’re Flanbwayan
The flanbwayan, Haiti’s flamboyant tree, is famous for its fierce roots and brilliant red bloom in even the toughest soil. We’re like the flanbwayan because it tells the story of every Haitian student who walks through our doors: even in the toughest of conditions, arriving here with everything, despite not knowing the language, culture, and although facing a system that doesn’t see them, our students bloom.
We are a youth membership–based organization. Our young people aren’t clients. They’re members who are leaders and authors of their own story. We give them the tools to succeed and thrive. From the moment a Haitian teen arrives in New York, we walk with them: through school enrollment, through learning English, through college and beyond.
The pillars that shape our work.
Our programs are grounded in these four commitments to Haitian and immigrant youth in NYC.
Enrollment Support
Helping families navigate NYC’s complex high school placement.
Immigrant Education Advocacy
Fighting for educational equity for high school English Language Learners (ELLs) in NYC’s public schools.
Leadership
Programs rooted in heritage and culture that grow organizers, speakers, and changemakers.
Partnerships
Schools, community organizations, and families working together.
A transformation built in community.
Our founder Darnell Benoit started Flanbwayan in 2005 because she’s seen what happens when newcomer Haitian youth fall through the cracks of NYC’s public school system, and what’s possible when they don’t by working alongside them.
We provide a safety net for youth as they undergo a complex high school placement process that often overlooks their specific needs.