SOYEP South Omaha Youth Empowerment Project

South Omaha, Nebraska

We believe in the power and potential of every first-generation citizen.

SOYEP is a nonprofit founded by a diverse group of young adults, built to create a safe and supportive space for immigrants and their families.

Get involved Read our mission

Our story

We started because our neighbors needed us.

SOYEP came together in June 2025, in the days after an immigration raid at Glenn Valley Foods left South Omaha families without warning and without income. A group of young adults from the neighborhood started organizing donation drives: hygiene products, groceries, and school supplies for the families left behind.

That work is still going. In July 2025 we joined the national Good Trouble Lives On day of action alongside the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha and other local groups, collecting donations for families affected by immigration enforcement.

If you know South Omaha, you know that it is a very tight-knit community and we all love and support each other. We would not be able to survive without each other.
Kendra Lopez, SOYEP — WOWT 6 News, July 2025

Our mission

Bridging opportunity gaps, and empowering a new generation of leaders.

Our nonprofit is dedicated to providing vital resources and guidance in career preparation, financial education, and personal growth. We aim to bridge opportunity gaps and empower a new generation of leaders.

The South Omaha Youth Empowerment Project was founded by a diverse group of young adults with one mission: to create a safe and supportive space for immigrants and their families. We choose to amplify our mission by fostering professional and personal growth.

What we do

Four ways we show up.

  • Direct support

    Donation drives for families impacted by immigration enforcement: hygiene products, groceries, and school supplies.

  • Career preparation

    Guidance and resources for young people stepping into work for the first time, from a first job to a first career.

  • Financial education

    Practical money knowledge families can actually use, taught plainly and without assumptions about what someone already knows.

  • Personal growth

    Mentorship and community, so nobody has to figure out a new country, a new school, or a new career on their own.

In the community

We show up where families already are.

Alongside our programs, SOYEP hosts free community events across South Omaha. In October 2025 we ran a Trunk or Treat at the Kids Can Community Center, with decorated trunks, treats, and families from all over the neighborhood.

Follow @soyep.ne for what is coming up next.

Get involved

There is more than one way in.

  • Become a mentor

    Share what you know with a young person building a path nobody in their family has walked before.

    Email us about mentoring

  • Speak to our students

    Come talk about your career, your field, or how you got where you are. An hour goes a long way.

    Email us about speaking

  • Donate supplies

    Hygiene products, groceries, and school supplies go straight to families in the neighborhood who need them.

    Email us about donating

  • Partner with us

    If your organization serves South Omaha families, we would rather work with you than beside you.

    Email us about partnering

Contact

Looking to help, or looking for help? Either way, reach out.

Want to be a guest speaker or a mentor? Looking for an organization to collaborate with? Just want to say hello? We would love to hear from you.