210 likes | 320 Views
From the heart of Westchester To the heart of the world!. Who We Are. Storefront learning and community services / resource center Located in central business district of Dobbs Ferry, NY 0.3 miles from St. Cabrini Nursing Home
E N D
From the heart of Westchester To the heart of the world!
Who We Are • Storefront learning and community services / resource center • Located in central business district of Dobbs Ferry, NY • 0.3 miles from St. Cabrini Nursing Home • Established in 1998 as part of the Cabrini Apostolic Plan (CAP) of St. Cabrini Nursing Home
Cabrini Apostolic Planning • Call to each MSC-sponsored institution to look beyond its own walls • To be responsive to the needs of the local community – with openness, flexibility • To ask what is feasible and doable • In keeping with the culture of the Gospels Justice Mercy Truth Welcoming Hospitality Service Unconditional Love Inclusivity Compassion
Why We Are • 120-year tradition serving immigrants • Frances Xavier Cabrini arrived in the U.S. to serve the newly arrived migrants of Italy and Western Europe on March 31, 1889 • She arrived to a society that was not always welcoming, where needs were not being met • The tradition continues • Immigrants today still arrive to a society that is not always welcoming, where needs are not met
Scope of Services • Education - English (ESL) Tutoring • Mentoring Relationships • Immigration Counseling • Job Skills Assistance • Enculturation Programs • After School Program • Community Partnerships • Advocacy • Corporate Stance of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus • Immigration, Trafficking
Who is my Neighbor? • Westchester County Statistics • 22% residents born in another country • 15.6% Hispanic residents • 13% noncitizens • 38.5% entered since 1990 • 64.9% entered between 1980-2000 • Top 10 Countries Immigrant Admissions • Jamaica, Dominican Republic, India, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Philippines, China • Immigrant % of Population • 50% in Sleepy Hollow • 26% White Plains • 25% in Elmsford • 24% Yonkers • 20% Peekskill
Who Is My Neighbor? • 4,332 new immigrants since 2000 • 33.8% of population increase due to immigration • 28.4% speak other-than-English at home • Number of Immigrants in Westchester County Ranks in the top 20 in the Country • Highest number of non-citizens in New York State outside the boroughs of NYC
Where Our Clients Come From The Rivertowns
Challenges for Immigrant Families • Isolation because of language and legal status • Separation from family • Enculturation for children
Education - English (ESL) Tutoring • 60-70 students per month • Restaurant workers • Caregivers / Nannies • Construction • Lanscaping • Childcare • 35 volunteer tutors • One-on-one / small group learning • Literacy promotion
Mentoring Relationships • GED, Citizenship preparation • Assistance with understanding applications, paperwork, benefits • Life skills, communications skills, story telling
Immigration Counseling • Documentation Assistance • 100 inquiries per month, resulting in 20 qualified requests • Citizenship Applications • Visa renewals, applications for family members • Green Cards / Work authorization
Immigration Counseling • Support for undocumented workers and those who live in fear of deportation • Often victims of exploitation • Geovanni’s Story • Father of 2 U.S. born children • Picked up at 5:00 a.m. after working the night shift at the Stop & Shop, where he had been employed and paying taxes for several years • Taken away in chains • Detained for 4 months • Case was re-opened and is pending
Job Assistance • Referrals • Skills training • Advocacy
Enculturation • Programs and workshops • Nutrition • Parenting • Trips • Tenement Museum • New York City as Classroom
Afterschool Homework Help Program • School Challenges for Immigrant Families • Communication and understanding of expectations • Supportive study environment
Afterschool Homework Help Program 2008-09 • 8 Children from Springhurst Elementary School • English Language Learning Program identify students • Live in households where English is not primary language spoken • High School Tutors from The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry High School • Program restructured for 2008-09, requiring parental involvement and education
A Transformational Experience • Involvement of Family • Support of School • Caring of Community
To the heart of the world! Link to Video Segment http://blip.tv/file/1911885 MIGRATION_Guatemala