Martin is looking for a quality Pre-K class for his daughter. Rafaela struggles with anxiety while preparing for her High School Equivalency Test. Shumi gets a part-time job to help her family pay the bills instead of focusing on school.
Their stories are ours and yours – together, we are New York.
Season two of We Speak NYC portrays immigrant-centered scenarios about how to improve English skills and access NYC resources (for instance, paid sick leave, translators for parent-teacher conferences, and free mental health services). The episode “Rolando’s Rights,” co-created by our CEO, Anthony Tassi, won an Emmy Award for excellence in Informational/Instruction Programming.
In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Literacy Partners is using the We Speak NYC series as the basis for English conversation practice groups, a ten-week course that enhances the economic, civic, and social integration of immigrant New Yorkers into the life of our city. This past year, our volunteers led 23 classes at 14 participating sites, and served 420 participants. Students work together to practice their English, develop critical problem-solving skills, and become fully-engaged members of the New York community.
Watch these inspiring stories on our Youtube page or at nyc.gov/LearnEnglish.
Please email Adriane at adrianel@literacypartners.org to learn more about volunteering as a facilitator for our English conversation groups.
