Garlic Mustard Picking and More(ls)

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Twenty-eight ILC students made a spring visit to the Neighborhood House Nature Center to help pick garlic mustard, part of a land management plan to control invasive species at the 90-acre Dodge County site. The weather was wet, so the first order of business was to get everyone properly outfitted. Plastic garbage bags did double duty as raingear. Students filled many bags of garlic mustard, and even tried some as a condiment in noodle soup. Some lucky pickers found morel mushrooms, too- a Wisconsin delicacy (no bamboo in this jungle, sorry!) – another addition to our soup.

Earth Day Clean-Up at ILC

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Over two dozen students from International Learning Center set out with gloves, trash bags, and trash pickers as part of our Earth Day clean-up on April 22nd. With supplies provided by Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, we collected 20 bags of trash from the area around our school, including the grounds of Central United Methodist Church and US Bank. This lesson in civic responsibility reflects our mission to empower refugees and immigrants to function effectively in a new land – as parents, workers, and citizens.

MATC Tour Spring 2013

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ILC students who attend one of our MATC-affiliated classes visited the downtown campus today to get a glimpse of the different kinds of programs offered.

Ron Harkins welcomed us into the tool and die shop where we learned about integrated ESL/machining programs for immigrants; students would like to see this kind of program started for Burmese immigrants. A CNC student who was a refugee from Thailand shared words of encouragement for this group, mainly new arrivals from Burma.

We also learned about low-cost dental hygiene services in the dental health clinic.

Brian Moran let us tour the very busy kitchen in the culinary school. And we bought bread from the MATC student bakery.

Many thanks to the teachers who opened their doors to us, and to our interpreter, Nang,  for providing language support.

First Winter in the US: Maple Sugaring and Sledding at the Nature Center

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ILC Students celebrated winter – and for many, their first snow – with a visit to the Neighborhood House Nature Center in Dodge County. Nearly 40 students from Burma, Sudan, Somalia, Laos, and Haiti  hiked  in the woods, learned about (and tasted) maple sugar, found animal tracks, made snowballs, and sledded. Some will return on March 16th for the Maple Sugar Boil-Down. If you’re interested in attending the boil-down call Neighborhood House for more info, or to reserve a place: 414-933-6161, ask for Niki Espy, ext. 156.

New Citizenship Initiative for Older Refugees Launches

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Our new citizenship initiative for older refugees has launched! The course emphasizes the skills necessary to pass the US citizenship exam, combined with activities such as arts & crafts, exercise and gardening. The initiative addresses an important need: after 7 years of residency in the US, immigrants who have not become US citizens can lose eligibility for public assistance. Because older refugees tend to have more barriers to learning, such as language, literacy level, and culture, the class offers native language interpretation, social interaction, and a supportive environment.

Over 80 people attained citizenship through ILC’s citizenship class last year. We are one of only 3 USBIA accredited sites in Milwaukee. Additional citizenship classes are offered at our 25th street site on Tuesdays 8:30 and 10:30 and Wednesdays evenings at 5:30.

WHERE:
Washington Park Senior Center
4420 W Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI

WHEN:
Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

WHO:
Must be 60 or over to register.
Call 414-344-4777 for details –  space is limited.
Come have fun and learn everything you need to know about the naturalization process and information to pass THE TEST!

 

Kala’s Story

Kala came to Milwaukee from Liberia, a country still recovering from decades of civil war and struggling to provide access to education for its people. She knew she had to become proficient in English in order to find a good job and build a better life here. Kala turned to the International Learning Center for help, enrolling in classes and learning the skills she needed to be successful. At ILC “we practice English, we practice reading and spelling, we do everything.” The ILC helped her also pave a path toward full citizenship “After the [citizenship] interview, the lady told me I passed, and I was like, WOW!”

ILC is program of Neighborhood House of Milwaukee. Learn more about other Neighborhood House programs and hear Kala tell her story in this video segment: 
See more at http://nh-milw.org  - Our Stories.

Kala is one of over 80 ILC students who attained citizenship this year at our USBIA accredited site. Contact Song Xiong, 414.344.477, for more info about our successful citizenship classes.