I, Jeri, am creating this blog in anticipation. I cannot wait to fill it with posts about my learning experiences, emotional reflections, and struggles and accomplishments alike while volunteering at The Backside Learning Center. Immigrant education has recently become a passion of mine, ever since I tutored two, young immigrant boys from Mexico over the summer. My paper was on the DREAM Act which focuses completely on opening up financial aid opportunities for undocumented immigrant children who entered the U.S. before the age of fifteen (among other qualifications) so that they can go to college. So, naturally, I think of students my age or younger when I think of "immigrant education." At The Backside Learning Center, though, it is adult education. It is teaching ESL classes, guitar classes, leadership workshops, soccer games. It is creating a community for the traveling horse track workers of Kentucky - a sort of "concreteness" they can find among their travels throughout the racing season. It is deconstructing the language barrier between employee and employer by offering Spanish and English classes. It is receiving donations for the students so that they can continue their classes online while they travel. It is helping U.S. immigrants to have other opportunities and break the "status quo" of their employment stereotypes, if they choose to do so. This is why I chose this project and subject. This is immigrant education.
For the project, I will be volunteering with The Backside Learning Center. Even though the center is not teaching students right now as the horses are "further south," my mentor (she will hereby be known as "Mentor") offered many opportunities for me to help. She said they need help planning for the next teaching "season," and I can make manuals for using social networking sites and the guitar class. Also, the center needs help organizing all of their documents and fixing up their bulletin board (to let people know what's going on at the center!). Finally, I hope to identify the center's biggest donation need and hold a drive or fundraiser in Franklin County for those items.
In the beginning, I chose Mentor because she was the only organization the e-mailed me back with any concrete projects that I could do. I believe it is meant to be that she was the only one because after more research into the center, I have become extremely excited about working with an organization with such a powerful change. This service to the immigrant population is also a service to Kentucky. I first learned about The Backside Learning Center while at GSP; we visited the center and met some of the students. Then, I remembered this field trip and e-mailed them. They replied. Mentor is a volunteer at the Center and helps with many of its functions. She is excited to work with me, as well as work with my schedule.
Some concerns that I have are that I will not be actually working with students. I initially wanted to work hands-on with students, but the Center is not in "season." However, I know that through my volunteer work at the BLC I will be indirectly helping the students for the next time they are at the center. Also, Mentor's hours are from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. I cannot go to her office during release time because it is in Louisville, and I cannot make it to the center in time after school because of the 1 hour drive to Louisville. Mentor is working with me, though, and said that I can do the majority of my volunteering over my Christmas break. Otherwise, I will be having phone conversations and possibly working on manuals at home.
I am very excited about my project! ¡Vamos!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXKQ-Hva4vI -- BLC Promotional Video
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