Austin Area Interreligious Ministries’ Refugee re-settles in to the U.S. with the help of their literacy program!

Rusi, a non-literate Congolese mother of 9 in her late 40s, arrived 9 months ago withdrawn, silent and in fear of her new surroundings. After attending 12 hours a week of classes in the supportive environment of our Literacy level class, she has blossomed. She now can communicate her basic needs and has transformed from a silent, withdrawn, and guarded identity into a radiant personality who freely expresses confidence, openness and excitement about the challenges of everyday life in Austin. Recently she proudly recounted how she took the wrong bus and wound up somewhere completely unfamiliar. She said she didn’t panic and managed to ask directions with confidence and find her way home. ESL classes for students like Rusi are not only places to learn English. They are a first community in their new country and a place where they can regain their confidence and joy.

The literacy program at AAIM serves only refugees who come from different countries of the world depending on the political situation at the time. They now have clients mostly from Burundi, Congo, Burma, Iran, Iraq and Cuba. The Burundians are the ones with most challenges since they have come from such traumatic and violent backgrounds and have had to run for their lives to survive. Most have lost some family member in the long trek to safety and arrive to our classes shell and culture shocked. Several of this year’s arrivals are non-literate. The federal government helps support refugee needs for about 3 months and they are expected then to be self sufficient. That is very difficult when they still can’t communicate in English and have such vast cultural gaps.

Rosa, a student with English at Work, is promoted due to her work-based English classes!

Rosa became an English at Work student two years ago while working as a housekeeper at the Hotel San Jose on South Congress. Born in Mexico, Rosa came to Austin as a young adult and struggled to learn English. With two small children and a full-time job, she didn’t have time to attend class.

After studying with English at Work for almost two years, Rosa was recently promoted to Assistant Manager of Housekeeping. The promotion earned her a raise double what a typical housekeeper would receive. Her new responsibilities include conducting job/wage reviews with other employees, hiring new employees, and scheduling.

Rosa’s supervisor says that her English skills have “increased dramatically.” She now communicates with him in English exclusively and has inspired her colleagues to “commit to classes and learning.” He goes on to say that her interview for Assistant Manager “was one of the most organized interviews” he has ever seen.

Lori, a GED Student at LifeWorks, talks about how studies have affected her life!

“My name is Lori and I have two toddlers.  Before attending LifeWorks (GED), the only time I read was when my kids wanted me to read to them, which is great.  But now that I’m here, I read four times a week and learn something new every day.

When I was in high school, I didn’t participate as much as I do here.  I look forward to the teacher calling on me.   I love to read and I like that here at LifeWorks the instructors place such a strong emphasis on strengthening our reading skills.  If I did not come to LifeWorks I know that the only books that I would read are children’s books.  I now purchase magazines weekly and I just began my first novel.  My increased reading skills have not only helped me in the classroom, but my self esteem has gone up as well.  Thanks LifeWorks!!!”

Communities in Schools ASPIRE student gives her son a head start in literacy!

Norma has been at ASPIRE longer than any other client.  She tells the following story:  “When I started to study in ASPIRE (my son) Carlos had problems.  He needed speech and occupational therapy.  (My home visitor) Judy arranged that.  When I read to Carlos he never paid attention to me.  ASPIRE gave me very very good parenting classes and support from my home visitor.  After six months in ASPIRE I saw the difference in Carlos.  He is now four years old, but when he was three he started to pay attention to books.  I’m very happy because he knows his letters, colors, shapes, and how to write his full name.  He is in the more advanced group in his Pre-K class.”

The four-prong approach of ASPIRE (adult education, early childhood education, intergenerational literacy activities, and parenting instruction) is integrated with a spectrum of community resources and on-going programs.  These include presentations from partner agencies ranging from parenting issues, family health, cancer awareness, community safety, and immigration law. 

With the help of Any Baby Can, Ana transforms life for her and her daughter.

Five months ago, a few simple words made up Ana’s entire English vocabulary. Seemingly simple tasks like making a deposit at the bank or calling for a doctor’s appointment were nearly impossible. Her daughters were good students, but she struggled to help them with homework or communicate with their teachers. Ana wanted a better life for herself and her children, so she enrolled in the Family Literacy Program at Any Baby Can. These few months have made all the difference. While Ana has spent two mornings each week at Any Baby Can achieving standards in the TEA approved Adult Basic Education curriculum, her youngest daughter (age two) accompanies her to class and has learned important pre-literacy and patterning skills.

Today, Ana walks through the grocery store, bank and pharmacy with confidence.  Reading labels, asking questions and helping with homework are longer barriers. Instead, she is informed about the world around her, and she looks forward to her family’s future. Ana says “the program and teacher are great and have given me so many opportunities.” What is her next step?  A huge smile covers Ana’s face as she answers, “getting a job.”

A long path to success shows Nick’s determination to improve his literacy, and his life.

In October 2007, a young man came to the San Marcos Library learning center during lunchtime.  “Do you remember me?” he asked.  When they pulled Nick’s card, they discovered they had met the first time exactly 10 years earlier in October 1997.  He was 21 years old at the time, had passed three official tests while at Gary Job Corps, and was working as a cashier at a gas station.  Between October 1997 and October 2007, Nick had five more “starts and stops” without completing the official GED testing.  This time he said he’d get it done for himself and his family and he did!  He completed official testing and his GED certificate was issued November 2007.

Nick was in the library that day working on a plumbing problem; he had been employed by a plumber under the “Tradesman” designation –job restrictions, a pay cap, and no chance for advancement without a GED.  Since getting his GED, Nick has taken the test for Journeyman, will take the Master Plumber exam, and plans to have his own plumbing company in the future. 

El Buen Samaritano helps Silvia live with freedom and courage in a new country.

Silvia arrived in the United States to perform missionary work in Austin. Her inability to communicate in English made it difficult to live with a sense of freedom. “I dreaded going to work every day, and that was all because I didn’t know English” Silvia said. “When I had my first daughter, I realized I had to get an education. Not just for me, but for her, as well,” Silvia said. “My husband suggested I take some classes so I could get a better-paying job, but in order to do that, I had to know English, which was almost impossible for me. With a newborn, there was no way I could take a class to learn English,” Silvia said.

When Silvia learned about El Buen Samaritano and its Child Learning Center (CLC), she enrolled in the English-as-Second-Language (ESL) program and enrolled her daughter in the CLC so they could both begin to learn English. Eager to advance quickly, Silvia passed the oral exam to enroll in El Buen’s dual program, in which she could take GED preparation courses as she completed all four levels of ESL.

Today, two years after she first came to class, Silvia is enrolled in a community college where she is pursuing her associates degree in accounting. “I am so grateful that El Buen Samaritano allowed me take advantage of its excellent programs and services and enabled me to break the barriers that were holding me down,” Silvia said.

Lee, a student at Literacy Austin, a program of LifeWorks, talks about how her classes have given her new goals in life!

“I enjoyed coming to [GED] class.  I came a long ways while I was there.  I learned how to read better.  I learned a little bit about computers.  I learned how to turn them on and how to look for things on them.  I had a good experience working with my teacher.  She has a lot of patience and takes time to show you, and I need that.  She doesn’t say, ‘Do this, do that, and I’ll come back later.’

“Last spring I graduated and went to the orientation at ACC.  My first teacher there was a great teacher.  We worked on nouns, pronouns, math, English, history, and geography.  I took class at the Oak Springs library.  I’m not going to ACC anymore, but I’m still tutoring with my Literacy Austin tutor, just on our own.  I definitely got something out of this whole experience.  I feel a lot better about myself.  I plan to go back to ACC.  My goal is to finish my G.E.D.”

 --Lee will be 70 years old this summer!

A tragic past turns in to a hope-filled life through a literacy class at the San Marcos Learning Center:

Jose’s father’s death when Jose was 16 years old hit him hard; it was an emotional and financial blow.  An only child, he quit school so he could support his mother and himself. His mother’s death when he was 23 left him without family support.  Five years later Jose knew that the direction he wanted his life to take would include education. The first step was to get his GED certificate so he could go to college.  That’s when we met Jose. It didn’t take long for him to prepare for the official GED examination.  He completed the testing with a GED average of over 700 – 450 is the minimum required average.

With his GED certificate in hand he spoke with the admissions office of Texas State University, where he was first advised, because he was a GED recipient, to start at the community college.  Out-of-district tuition at the community college and the long commute to required courses while holding a full-time job in San Marcos did not seem possible.  Jose completed the application process for Texas State, was accepted, and was on the Dean’s List his first semester.  Jose is considering a teaching career when he completes his degree.

Carmen helps herself and her family, and develops a love of learning through her English classes!

Carmen, a mother who has moved from the Beginning English class to the GED class over two years, describes the impact of the adult education classes this way, “It’s very important for my children’s education to be an example for her.  Education is the most important thing.  I live here and I need to interact in society, and I don’t want my daughter to have to translate.  And now I am able to help her in her homework.  I know a lot now and every day I learn a lot more.”  Carmen recently attained her GED in English, and plans to go on to college to become a bi-lingual elementary school teacher.

While the adults like Carmen are learning in their classroom, the ASPIRE Early Childhood classrooms are brimming with their youngest students.  From infancy through pre-school age, the littlest ASPIRE clients are inundated with pre-literacy activities.  Every day their parents spend half an hour in their classrooms, reading and creating projects together.