Rosie's Place Fall Newsletter 2015 by Rosie's Place

FALL 2015 Rosie’s Place Welcomes Students Back Q & A with New Director of Women’s Education Center Our Executive Director Reflects on the Season

NEWS

Newlyweds Share Gifts with Rosie’s Place A New Holiday Card Debuts Orange Is the New Black Author is Featured Speaker at Annual Luncheon October 27

b y t h e n u m b e r s

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Q&A

SARA JORGENSEN

WOMEN’S EDUCATION CENTER Sara Jorgensen has joined Rosie’s Place as the new director of the Women’s Education Center. She taught in a classroom for many years and most recently served as director of adult education at the Haitian Multi-Service Center of Catholic Charities. Sara brings more than 30 years of experience in adult education to her position and is poised to oversee as many as 75 teachers and tutors and more than 300 students each semester.

What attracted you to this job? Working in adult education is my passion. At my previous job, I was working within the constraints of government funding, so I’m excited to let the creative parts of me flourish here at Rosie’s Place. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to do the work I love—building community and creating responsive programs in adult education— without the worry of losing funding. I feel so free! Do you have specific goals as WEC director? My overarching goal is to create a thriving, safe education community where staff, teachers and guests all learn from one another. My goal is for guests to not only learn English, but also basic skills and how to be an active learner and participant in society. I want to have a studentcentered environment where we can give guests the resources and classes they need in order to reach their own goals—whether that’s writing a letter to their child, using email or getting a job. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing WEC students? These students face many great issues as adults trying to survive in America. Many are poor and working long hours or several jobs for very little pay. They come to class in the evening and are exhausted from working so hard. Many are lonely or isolated and may have left family members behind when they came to America. It’s really tough to survive without knowing English because important tasks, such as going to the doctor, speaking with your child’s teacher or going to a food pantry, all require an understanding of the language and many people are not patient with someone who doesn’t speak English. Why is it important to have ESOL and other classes available at Rosie’s Place? Many of our students have had very little education experience, and this is their chance to go to school. They really want to learn English and come to class and WEC provides a supportive environment for them to successfully learn. Guests have been through long journeys just to get here, and we strive to be an oasis of love and understanding on their way to building the confidence and skills they need.

WEC Fall Semester Students

Rosie’s Place Connects with Students of All Ages Even though most of us have left our school days behind, the onset of fall reminds us of our time as students: the invigoration of learning something unknown, the satisfaction of mastering a new skill or subject. Fall still brings that energy to Rosie’s Place. It is when we welcome students of all ages–those still in school, new to a classroom or even lifelong learners. Together, they add a vitality and hopefulness to our daily mission to make the lives of our guests a bit better.

Activity in the classroom Sara Jorgensen is eager to start her first full semester as Women’s Education Center (WEC) director when classes resume on September 21. (See her Q&A on this page.) “I’ve been able to meet almost every teacher and tutor this summer, and I am so impressed by the boldness and enthusiasm of each one,” she says. “We are in a great position going forward with teachers who show a real love for their students. I will work to support them with strategies that can help in the classroom.” Students will find a full slate of pre-ESOL/literacy, literacy and ESOL classes offered five days a week during mornings, afternoons and evenings. Pre-ESOL/literacy classes focus on the basics of language for women who did not receive schooling in their country of origin; literacy classes are geared to guests who don’t know any English but have literacy in their home language; and ESOL classes (sectioned into four levels with three clearlydefined sublevels within) are best suited for women who have some literacy skills to build on as they learn

English. Tutors are available to improve conversation skills, enhance classroom learning or help with specific needs, such as passing a learner’s permit test (see Maimuna’s story below). As in previous semesters, WEC is expecting an enrollment of close to 320 women. “WEC tries to bring some structure and predictability to our guests’ learning,” Sara says. “While their lives may not be stable, they can see their progress in class as they finish each unit during the semester. And that can lead to new paths and opportunities.” In an effort to ensure that class offerings are responsive, Sara will conduct a survey with students to know more about what prevents them from coming regularly and what other things they would like to learn. The survey will also make students aware of the range of services available to them at Rosie’s Place, such as advocacy, the food pantry and meals. With its small paid education staff, Rosie’s Place would not be able to make 18 free classes available without the dedication of a corps of volunteer teachers and tutors.

Lifelong learners and young students For Director of Volunteer Services Marty Wengert, fall–and the start of every semester–means more opportunities for volunteers to make connections with our guests by leading classes and working one-on-one with students. “In a sense, our WEC teachers and tutors are students as well; they are caring people who may have never taught before but are interested in opening themselves up to a new experience,” she says. “In their classes they learn about the lives of women in very different circumstances. Teachers often find more similarities to our guests than differences, and that builds understanding between them.”

Maimuna’s Story When Maimuna first enrolled in an ESOL class in the Women’s Education Center (WEC), she had a very specific goal in mind: to take–and pass–her Massachusetts learner’s permit test. A native of Somalia, Maimuna left her home in Nairobi, Kenya only a few months earlier to reunite with her husband, who had been in Boston for several years. Upon arriving, she was horrified to find that she and their seven children didn’t have a suitable place to live. She had no local connections but was able to find emergency housing in a four-bedroom apartment at a family shelter in Dorchester, where she still lives today.

Maimuna was educated in her native language of Swahili and has been progressing quickly since she began classes last September. She is now in a Level 2 ESOL class and is making great strides with assistance from her children, who were taught English in their Kenyan classrooms. “I can read some and speak some,” she says, so her efforts are focused on increasing her ability to write. “When I came here, I thought life would be easier than it has been,” Maimuna admits. She wants to learn English and learn how to drive so she can become independent, as she was in her homeland.

72 WEC Teachers and Tutors

53 Social Justice Institute Students

Boston College PULSE Volunteers

12 Summer 2015 Interns

Boston College 4Boston Volunteers

4 Summer Hire Students

Northeastern University Co-op Students

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“I ran a food shop in my village and I would like to work in a grocery store here, too,” she says. “Although in Africa, my shop was so small. Nothing like here.” Our WEC summer intern Ruby Messier, from Kenyon College, tutored Maimuna and accompanied her to the permit exam on July 24. She did not pass on her first try but is undaunted. “I know I was close and I will try again at the end of August,” she says. “I will not give up my dream to drive.”

Editor’s note: Maimuna was successful in her second try at the exam and is now practicing behind the wheel in her neighborhood.