Center News Spring 2010

THE CENTER CELEBRATES IMMIGRANT HERITAGE WEEK 2010

New York City will celebrate Immigrant Heritage Week from April 15 through April 21. For the sixth consecutive year, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has recognized the Center’s role in helping immigrants integrate into the cultural and economic fabric of City life. Once again, we have been selected to sponsor an event to honor the immigrant experience in and contribution to New York. This year’s event will focus on Tibetan immigrant

artists and craftsmen working in New York City. Many of the Tibetan artists who have been part of the Center community in the past have been self-taught or have come from monastic backgrounds. We plan to bring them together to display their works and conduct a panel discussion about how New York City has influenced their art, and how, in turn, their work has made an impact on the City. And what it is like to bring a centuries-old

art form (much of it with religious themes) to an American city like ours. This will be an exciting event for anyone with an interest in Tibetan, Buddhist, or Himalayan art and for members of the Tibetan community living in New York City. We will also collaborate with our friends at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art. We chose to work with members of the Tibetan community this year as we feel that it is a small but growing segment of New York City's diverse immigrant population. We hope this will be an opportunity for them to connect with other immigrant groups as well as

with many interested New Yorkers. Because of years of hardship and often exile, many Tibetans have never been able to see the art of their own country outside of a religious context. We hope that this event will help celebrate their

Tibetan heritage while educating others about the diversity and beauty of this truly unique culture.

Thank You Volunteers

The Andrew Romay Immigrant Support Program (ISP) is now in its second year at the International Center. As members of this program, newly arrived immigrants are working to build the skills they need to participate fully in the professional and social life of their new country. We are very proud of both the size and the diversity of the student body served by the program; we currently

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IMMIGRANT SUPPORT PROGRAM (ISP) MARKS ITS SECOND SUCCESSFUL YEAR

Immigrant Rally text on page 2

ICNY MEMBERS RALLY IN ALBANY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

April 18 to 24 is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. At ICNY, we celebrate our 1,000 vol-unteers who give a gift of time and knowledge to help our members gain confidence in

speaking English and adapting to New York City life and culture. Thank you, volunteers, for your generous spirit, your commitment, and your exemplary dedication! You make our mission possible, and our community dynamic, vibrant, caring, and intellectually exciting. Thank you for your daily contributions as you guide, teach, and inspire our members, and ease their transition from newcomer to New Yorker. You have our deep gratitude. A concert and a party will be held in your honor on April 23. Please save the date.

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Upcoming Events

serve 120 students from over 50 countries. At any one time the program is composed of members who are nearing the end of their year-long program as well as those who have just joined us for the year ahead. These students come from very diverse backgrounds, but they all share a strong desire to improve their English skills, expand their cultural knowledge, and join the American workforce. In the second year of this program, members have been participating in a variety of activities including those related to job readiness skills, employment rights, health issues, higher education, and civic engagement.

Immigrant Support Program...continued from page 1

ICNY MEMBERS RALLY IN ALBANY FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

By Ramadan Mahamat Abakar And with a contribution from Fumi Clarke On March 2, Center members, led by Immigrant Support Pro-gram Manager Elaine Roberts, traveled to Albany to join immi-grants from all walks of life in the State of New York to rally for immigrant rights. They marched to voice their legitimate rights for improved schools, more opportunities to learn Eng-lish, health care, affordable housing, etc. After the rally and the speeches, the Center members were able to discuss their concerns in small group meetings with the staff from the offices of Representatives Peter Rivera (76th District, the Bronx) and Richard Gottfried (75th District, mid-town and Chelsea). Both meetings focused on health issues. Although they were disappointed that the assembly-men were not there for the meeting, the participants felt the experience of being in Albany was enormously important. Rally participant Fumi Clarke sums up her experience this way: “I came to the conclusion that this is absolutely the way to deliver our voices to Albany. I believe that this is a very important thing to do not just for myself, but also on behalf of many people who could not be here. That day I found a way to be part of politics as an immigrant who does not have a vote. That is why this experience is such a privilege for me as a member of the International Center. I was pleased to learn about a whole new world, including the part that the assem-blymen do not show up for a scheduled meeting. We still learned a lot, and felt the spirit of Albany firsthand — and not only from the TV Channel New York 1.”

SPRING CONCERTS WITH VIOLINIST IN RESIDENCE

Oskar Varga

Last month, members and volunteers were treated to a special lunchtime concert by classical violinist Oskar Varga. This spring, Oskar will be returning to the Center for several more performances.

Born in 1989 in Novi Sad, Serbia, to a family of musicians, Oskar began playing the violin at the age of four. In 1999, to escape the war in the former Yugoslavia, the family moved to Budapest, Hungary, where he continued his violin lessons. In 2004 he entered a conservatory of music in Budapest and graduated in 2009, recognized as an outstanding student of his generation. After graduation he was admitted to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and he also regularly attended violin courses in Bergamo, Italy and Kaposvar, Hungary. He took master classes in Karrelis, France, where he studied with renowned artists Alexander Markov and Albert Markov, who invited him to New York last year. While here, Oskar won a full scholarship to the Long Island Conservatory of Music where he continues his studies. Oskar made his orchestral debut playing with the Zuglo Philharmonic Orchestra in Budapest in 2009. He has also appeared with the Kaposvar Festival Chamber Orchestra and at the Zehlendorf Music Festival in Berlin.

SPECIAL FILM SCREENINGS IN APRIL

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)

April 8, 6 PM

Judge Not April 29, 6 PM

(Director Semyon Pinkhasov will be on-hand to talk about the film

and answer questions.) Please check the April schedule for details.

Center members in the Assembly Chambers

Our New York Lives - Imagined and Real I think I’ve got almost what I’d expected from living in New York. I don’t think there are a lot of differences between what I expected and what I experienced. In my opinion, New York is a fantastic melting pot. In the street one can hear Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, etc. Immigrants bring their cultures and their food to New York, so we have the advantage of trying various cuisines. Musicals are hard to ignore – one can see how passionate the actors are. I’d rather watch the real people perform than watch a movie. The museum system is also wonderful in New York. I was taken aback when I heard of the Museum Mile, a line-up of excellent museums. And, like the MoMA, they offer free admission at certain times, or one can make a small donation instead of an expensive ticket, like at the Museum of Natural History. Moreover, Central Park is a great lung of New York City. I’m relieved from stress when I walk around it, and once I even got lost in it. I believe other people have had similar experiences, and perhaps that was the intention of the designers of Central Park. Shopping is another hot point of the Big Apple. Tourists from all over the world come here – some of them just to shop for clothing they find less expensive and more fashionable than elsewhere. The Empire State Building, the symbol of the state, offers an exciting view from its top. There is only one thing that surprised me in New York: the unpleasant air quality of the city subway. But, on the other hand, the subway is convenient and it operates 24 hours a-day. I believe that no subway in the world works that way, and that may be one of the reasons New York City is called, ‘the city that never sleeps.’ I love New York. I will live here as long as I can. —Trang Nguyêñ

Before coming to the United States, I imagined my life would be lonely because I have no friends or acquaintances in New York City. And I had heard that New York City was very dangerous, so I was afraid. I also thought that if I got into any kind of trouble, I should not trust anyone easily. Now, I have been here for three months and-a-half, and I am getting used to living in New York. I have friends. New York is safer than I expected, and I have had no trouble so far. Everything is fine and I love New York more and more every day. I have a strong interest in art and architecture and I go to museums every weekend. If I hadn’t come to New York City, I would not have known that I had missed out on so many high quality museums. Finally, I was pleasantly surprised by the International Center. In Japan we don’t have this kind of center – not expensive, easily accessible, and very warm. If I had a chance, I would want to establish a Center like this in Japan. —Nanae Hidaki

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At our registration for February structured courses, we asked the members to write a placement essay on the following topic: Before coming to the United States, what did you imagine your life would be like here? How different has it actually been? Here are some of their thoughts.

Before coming to the United States, I thought that it would be easier to find a job. I had heard that the American economy has always been energetic and very active in many sectors, and that that would offer a lot of opportunities to people from different backgrounds. Once in the U.S., I realized that it’s not going to be a piece of cake to enter the active life, especially be-cause of the economic context characterized by a terri-ble recession. The number of unemployed was rising and, of course, the fact of being a non-native speaker made things harder. The positive side of this experience is that I had the opportunity to learn English and to improve my lis-tening and speaking skills. For instance, New York is a wonderful place to be a new immigrant for it offers a multi-cultural environment and welcoming, helpful or-ganizations such as the International Center, which was a real home for me. After struggling and feeling lost and lonely in the Big City, I had this wonderful chance to be a part of the Immigrant Support Program. More than the fact of improving my English every day by attending classes on so many topics, I get to meet people from the whole world. I made friendships and had an amazing time in the lounge chatting about our problems and experi-ences, exchanging information and tips… The real surprise was for me how kind, nice, and helpful the Americans are. Even in this very urban, anonymous city I always get the help and the attention necessary when I need it. So, thank you New York, thank you America, for such wonderful people. —Amina Ayad

Before coming to New York City, I imagined that I would have many problems in my daily life because of my English-language skills. I thought that most New Yorkers can speak English fluently. However, in New York City, I met many people from several different countries who have their own English lan-guage problems. I am not the only one who can’t speak Eng-lish fluently. Naturally, most of the native born Americans are familiar with non-native speakers, but I was surprised at this. I imagined that most Americans would avoid talking to me because I couldn’t speak English well. But most native speakers I met in New York City talk to me very kindly. That inspires me to want to improve my English as much as I possi-bly can. —Izumi Nakagami

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Last year my wife and I took a step into the unknown, moving to another country, abandoning a comfortable life in Colombia, accepting to adapt to another culture and to overcome the fear of uncertainty. We decided to come to the United States, more precisely to New York City, because we wanted to continue growing

academically and professionally: she, to pursue a master’s program at NYU, and I, to improve my English. I would like to share some thoughts about my recent experience in New York, and the impressive, positive, and surprising welcome I received as a foreigner at the International Center in New York. I am Colombian and Belgian, my wife is Colombian. I have been here since October 2009. Leaving my work, my home, and my family was difficult. I left everything in order to face the challenge of finding new ways to develop personally and professionally in a new culture and in a language that I did not master as well as I would like to. Every day I have to invent and reinvent myself to feel that I am productive, that I am learning and opening new doors. And this is not easy in the absence of a regular work schedule, family, professional contacts, and friends. However, although the uncertainty is still present in my life, it has been diminished by the greatness of New York and the positive feelings it has produced in me. New York is a city where you can find everything, culture, education, music, events, all of the best quality. It is a city where movement is the key factor. And I feel comfortable with this. I like to live and share this energy that inspires the city. While I am still looking for a job, I know that New York is a city of real opportunities. Obviously, for us immigrants, it is not so easy to get involved in the system, and that is normal. But New York is so big, so diverse, so impersonal that in my opinion it is a place where you grow every moment. A good friend of mine, who has lived here for a couple of years, told me: “Living one year in New York is like living three years anywhere else.” And I now understand what he means. This is a place where your dreams can come true but you

have to work hard and struggle for an opportunity because you are competing with such strong, diverse, and well prepared human capital. My first goal after landing in New York was to find an affordable program where I could practice my English and possibly reconnect with my interest in the arts and history. In this pursuit, I found the International Center where I have been a member since November. The Center provided me just with what I was looking for. The extensive offering of courses and workshops has been a unique opportunity for me to learn in areas such as literature, history, painting, art and culture, and obviously about the American culture. Even more than that, the Center offered me an ongoing possibility to interact in English with diverse international people. With time you learn that there are courses that fit your priorities best, and, like New York itself, the Center offers freedom and independence. It is up to you how much time you want to invest. I have been impressed not only by the knowledge of many volunteers, but by their attitude and commitment towards the students. This is not a behavior one would expect to find in an educational center in my country. I wonder if some day in my country we will be able to have a Center like the ICNY, producing important results in language education, providing the tools and the ambience to help immigrants in international socialization. I have to highlight the human qualities of all the staff at the Center. I never expected to find and receive what I did in the Center. The values and behaviors that I found here have helped me to believe in some way, that there are many good people everywhere, people that work for the well-being of others, and this is so comforting. Here I have always received answers to my questions and constant help, support, and encouragement. The Center staff and volunteers make me think about the importance of intellectual curiosity and living a more active life. In my country, retired people do not play such active intellectual, academic, and civic roles in society. What I have learned from volunteers here is that the privileges and opportunities such as education and experience must be a source of knowledge for others. To take the time, the effort, and the energy required for this job, to give back to society and to foreigners the privilege of knowledge, is in my opinion brave and admirable behavior. As you can see from my experience, I recommend this Center because it is a place where you learn about human generosity, about help, about globalization, about opportunities. I have been overwhelmed by the values, integrity, and generosity of the International Center in New York.

International Center — More Than a Center

By Camilo Decker Lewin

World Trip by Subway

By Makiko Kinoto “Black,” he said nervously when we came out of the subway at 125th street. I enjoyed watching my younger brother scared. This was his first day in New York City. It reminded me of the days when we were children. He used to follow my back when he went to bed after watching scary TV programs. Maybe it might be natural that he was scared in Harlem: many Japanese tourists think that Harlem is a very dangerous area in dangerous New York City, in America - where having guns is legal. We had brunch at Sylvia’s, a famous soul food restaurant. When we entered, the only non - blacks were us. Some customers glanced at us as if they were saying “Here come Japanese tourists again.” When we left, my brother did not come out immediately. I waited for him in front of the restaurant, and he emerged wear-ing a big smile, saying, “I talked with a black person for the first time in my life. The waiter talked to me and he was really nice!”

“White,” he said awkwardly when we exited at Columbus Circle. We had tea at Bouchon, a French café, in the Time Warner Center and the only non - whites were us. “We took the subway for only 15 minutes from 125th Street I can’t believe it,” he said with a confused face. He was as meek as a kitten among white people.

“Yellow,” he said excitedly when we stood on Ca-nal Street. It amused me that my brother suddenly be-came lively and comfortable. We had dinner at Dim Sum Go Go. Customers there were every color: black, white, yellow, red, and brown. He shoveled fried rice into his mouth saying, “I feel as if I had a world trip by subway today.”

After parting from him, I realized on the subway that I have become a true New Yorker; I am perfectly comfortable surrounded by many colors.

The Most Interesting Person I’ve Met in NYC

By Sonomi Inoue The most interesting person I’ve met in NYC is a guy with a swimming cap on a rainy day. Two years ago my friend and I walked down the street to the American Museum of Natural History. My friend Maki, she and I have been friends since high school, had come to visit me.

That day, it was raining heavily. We had an open um-brella and we were wearing rain boots on our way to the mu-seum. And then I saw a man coming close to us, and I real-ized the guy was wearing a swimming cap and no umbrella! My friend and I looked at each other, looked back at him and burst into laughter. Why was he wearing a swimming cap on a rainy day? Was he trying to make people laugh? I didn’t think so, because he looked very serious.

Before coming to NY, I heard that NYC is a “diverse” city. But the “diversity” is beyond my expectation! One of the things I look forward to in everyday life in NYC is to meet “diverse“ people. But so far, the “swimming cap guy” is the best!

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Only in New York... Our Lives Imagined and Real...continued from page 3

Before coming to the United States, I worked as a specialist for a Turkish Bank. I had a degree in molecular biology and genetics from a Turkish university, and I was single. Then I met my husband and we decided to get married. So, mov-ing to New York was exciting because it meant not only a move but a marriage as well. Before coming to New York, I thought that I had a lot of work experience, a bachelor’s degree, and I had learned English in my country. I thought these would be enough to be successful in the U.S. However, I was disap-pointed. I still don’t have a job and I don’t yet feel comfort-able speaking English. I believe that that will change, but it is a long process. I started to attend classes at the International Cen-ter. I have been at the Center for four months and my Eng-lish is getting better. I can now understand people in the outside world and I can speak, but still not very well. And I am starting to search for a job on Craigslist. In conclusion, there is a big difference between ex-pectation and reality. I know this difference and I am trying to adjust to it by changing my life. I believed that I could handle life in New York, but I have found that it is not easy. I have learned that living outside of your country is a big chal-lenge, but I have also learned how to improve myself. I can survive and also acquire some new skills in the New World. —Zeynep Esin Kocaoglu

Before coming to the United States, I imagined I could ex-pect three things: American friends, opportunities, and im-proving my English. First, I expected to make new friends, especially American friends. But there has been little chance to make American friends. Instead, I made a lot of international friends, and I am happy!!! Second, I expected I would have opportunities to start new things. And in New York City, there have been many opportunities. I started volunteering —teaching Japanese culture to American children. In addi-tion, I started taking an International Business course at NYU. Last, I would have expected to improve my English, but my English isn’t good enough. At home, I speak Japa-nese to my husband, and I don’t need English to go shop-ping. I came to the International Center because I was afraid that I would not improve my English while I am here. So, there are some gaps between expectation and reality, but I still try to do my best. —Chinatsu Kojima

I imagined that I would live in a nice small house on a quiet street, with friendly neighbors. Also, since I worked in a ho-tel in Germany, I knew that I had to improve my English -- that was one of my weaknesses. So, I expected that in the end, if I am in the United States, my English would improve. In addition to that, I was eager to know life in the USA, to learn the difference in cultural and religious backgrounds of various people who live here. I myself always stood out in Germany, but in the United States I feel much more comfort-able. So, I can say that the reality is not very different from what I had imagined my life would be like. I live in a nice apartment, with friendly neighbors. I can improve my English. I can enjoy big adventures with my husband. I think that I don’t see the small differences because I am so happy here. — Thao Trobisch

Page 6 Center News Spring 2010

Traditions class, that feeling has been shared by the class participants. Luise believes that the Center is a great place for volunteers and members to learn about the richness of culture and diversity, and she admires the hard work and effort that the members put into learning English. “There is a wonderful spirit of cooperation,” she says, “and I always leave the Center feeling positive about the world.”

Lucas: A Different Kind of Conversation Partner

By J. Alberto M. Ramirez You were born exactly one year ago. I met you three days later at home: small, closed eyes, closed hands, defenseless, not so ugly, really. Since then, we are learning more about each other, and I can say that you are a good guy to

live with. First of all, it seems to me that you knew that a crybaby is not at all positive and can irritate adults. You are so smart, believe me. I know, since I am your bedroom neighbor.

You have been disciplined and you keep your schedule very well, taking time for your duties like: sleeping, eating, playing, learning, playing, eating, sleeping, and learning some more. You are good at all of these, especially eating. Right now your Mom is experimenting with your food. You enjoy everything and your mouth is always ready, even for green beans.

I think your development as a baby has been terrific: you are healthy and you are growing fast, improving every day. Now that you are a walker, you are suffering some setbacks that life usually gives us. Don’t worry, stand up and go ahead.

You have been my best Playstation 15, the ultimate version, exceeding all my expectations; and maybe I am your tallest robot, and with your big dad machine, it is a good deal for all of us.

Keep being patient, calm, and friendly among other qualities. Besides, remember that we have a goal together: to learn English. You will be my conversation partner. Yeah!

(Accepted for publication in The Literacy Review, Volume 8, 2010, A Gallatin Writing Program Publication, New York University.)

MEET A MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY: Volunteer Luise Palace

With an easy winning smile and a warm friendly manner, Luise Palace moves effortlessly through her many functions at the International Center: She is all business at the Information Desk, a caring, much sought after conversation partner, and, more

recently, an exciting open class teacher. These many talents must have served her well in her long, successful career as a school teacher. After she retired from teaching in Fairfax County, Virginia, she moved to New York and was looking for a way to get involved in her new community.

Luise learned about the International Center at her church volunteer fair. Helping people improve their English and learn about American culture seemed to be the right “fit” for her interests and abilities, and she decided this would be an excellent place for her to volunteer. When she visited the Center, she really liked what she saw: a community that “puts a ‘friendly face’ on the city for people who are coping with living in a new place, discovering a new culture, and learning a new language; it is a place where everyone feels comfortable and welcome.”

With a lifelong interest in travel and other cultures, Luise has enjoyed interacting at the Center with people from all over the world and learning about customs in their countries. In two years, she has had more than 25 conversation partners, and she says she has been enriched in some way by each one of them. When one of her conversation partners, faced with an invitation to an American wedding, asked about appropriate customs related to weddings, it gave her an idea for a class on cultural traditions. Here was another exciting way for her to use her background and life experience, another way to “give back.” Her only hesitation was, she had never taught a class of adults before. But when she saw the eager faces of students from 15 different countries in her first class, she was “hooked.” “I love the challenge of finding new topics for discussion each week, focused on traditions related to birthdays, weddings, babies, holidays, leisure time activities, dating, non-verbal communication, and vacations. Our discussions help us discover similarities and differences in our cultural traditions and values. This promotes better mutual understanding and provides a foundation for stronger relationships. The experience of teaching the class has been exhilarating for me,” says Luise. Judging by the packed classrooms for her Cultural

Since its 2004 opening, Shake-Shack has become famous and even received the “Best NYC Hamburger Award” in 2008. It is not surprising to see a long line of people waiting there to order. The food is worth the wait, and if you have no time to wait, you can check the length of the line on their website video.

Of course, you must try a burger here. The beef hamburger is juicy and hand-formed daily by Shake Shack’s butcher, Pat Lafrieda; the lettuce in the burger is green, leafy and hand-washed and is freshly picked every day; the cheese is specially made for Shake-Shack; the bun is soft enough to bite and savory in taste.

Besides the burger, the frozen custard is amazing! Depending on the days, the menu changes. For example, in March the menu has Chocolate Chuckles on Mondays, Mango Madness on Tuesdays, Peppermint on Wednesdays, Coffee & Donuts on Thursdays, Lemon Meringue on Fridays, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel on Saturdays, and Pineapple Nut Brittle on Sundays.

When you sit on cute green chairs under the fresh green trees eating a Shake-Shack burger, watching tourists in front of the Flatiron Building, businessmen crossing the street, dogs running in the park, children and nannies on the playground, you are certainly a New Yorker.

Open 11:00 a.m.- to 9:00 p.m. (www.shakeshack.com)

Chelsea By Gresy Lopez and Alberto M. Ramirez

ICNY is in an area of Manhattan called Chelsea. Located on the West side of Manhattan, between the Hudson River and Fifth Avenue, and from 39th to 14th Streets, there are hundreds of reasons to explore and to enjoy the area. Chelsea was Manhattan’s first theater district and for a long time it has been home to writers, photographers, and artists. It also has a mixture of fabulous restaurants, clubs, cafés, art galleries, luxurious apartments and boutiques. There is even an area in Chelsea listed in the National Register of Historic Places: the Cushman Row of Greek Revival Houses on West 20th Street, which date from the 1840’s.

Chelsea is full of nice places to visit, day or night. For example, there is the old Nabisco plant where Oreo Cookies were born. It is now the Chelsea Market where well-known chefs from the Food Network have their own restaurants .

If you love art, there are over two hundred galleries where you can see works by renowned and by unknown artists. Chelsea is a nice place to enjoy taking pictures. Biking, running, or just walking in the Hudson River Park are also good options. If you like nature, go to the Flower District. To admire awesome architecture do not miss the Chelsea Hotel, which was built in 1883 and became famous not only for being an amazing place, beautiful, elegant and attractive; but also for some of its literary guests such as Mark Twain and Bob Dylan.

Wondering how to spend your leisure time? Go to the Chelsea Piers Sports and Recreation Complex to relax at the spa, to start practicing any sport, or to go shopping. If you are looking for a place to celebrate your wedding, birthday, hold conferences, business meetings or any other event, the complex offers you all you need. Nearby is the High Line Park, originally constructed in the 1930s as a part of the elevated railroad system of the West Side Line. Less than a year ago, this space was reopened as a unique and popular public park.

Finally, Chelsea has a cozy spot where all cultures can gather to share and learn. Don’t forget that we have the International Center in New York right here!

SHAKE-SHACK By Myounghee Kim and Kaoru Komi

Becoming a member of ICNY has a lot of benefits. One benefit is that Shake-Shack is just five minutes’ walk away, in Madison Square Park.

For the past ten years, the Center Community Outreach Programs have collaborated with non-profit organizations and public schools throughout the city to offer our Conversation Partner Program in the neighborhoods where newcomers live and work. The Community Outreach Programs are currently at sites in Manhattan and the Bronx. 12-15 week programs are offered in the spring and fall. English language learners and the International Center’s trained volunteers meet weekly for one to two hours of English conversation in a one-to-one partnership. To meet the specific educational needs of immigrant communities, the Outreach Programs have incorporated into the conversation partnerships components such as citizenship preparation, job readiness, and parenting workshops.

One such program is the Immigrant Parent Program. It offers tutoring and classes focused on navigating the public school system to help prepare immigrant parents to participate actively in the education of their children. The Center is now seeking funding to support these programs. Community Outreach Programs have helped immigrants improve their English language skills and increase their civic participation, while introducing volunteers to new neighborhoods. As a result, newcomers and New Yorkers develop lasting networks and mutual understanding and support, which benefits New York City socially, culturally, and economically.

Our New York Neighborhood

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50 West 23rd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010-5205

Page 8 Center News Spring 2010

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