A Bird's-Eye View of Refugee Matters

Google and UNHCR have teamed up to show the world a clearer view of refugee issues around the globe. Google Earth, Google's powerful goespatial mapping program, has been tagged with an extra layer of information detailing some of the places where refugees live. This includes camps, open areas, and urban situations.

Click here for a brief news article about the use of Google Earth to raise awareness of refugee issues: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/08/unitednations.sudan

To view the tour, you need to first download the Google Earth software onto your computer. Click the link to access the download and then click the large green button on the upper right part of the screen. http://earth.google.com/ Next, add the UNHCR layer by clicking here: http://www.unhcr.org/googleearth/UNHCR_Google_Project.kml

If you've never used Google Earth, take a few minutes to use the tutorials. Once you find yourself navigating the globe, activate the UNHC layer and spend some time visiting the world's refugee camps. It's quite educational.

Sorry for the inconvenience

Ouch. Your Volunteer Coordinator is battling through an outbreak of shingles. Who knew the human body could put itself into so much pain?

I'm going to try not to miss any work, especially since I was just out for spring break and then the TESOL conference; however, I'm going to try to do a lot of my work from home and I may be a bit slower than usual in getting things done.

Please bear with me. Thanks.

And, a public service announcement: If you are over 60, please, please get the shingles vaccination. It's not available to anyone under age 60, but if you qualify, just do it! This is a terrible, protracted illness that produces excruciating pain. Trust me, you don't want to come down with shingles.

Take care of yourselves.

Please make a note of it!

The office of Home Tutoring Central will be closed for Spring Break until 11:00 a.m., Monday March 31.

Sharon will be at the TESOL conference in New York City from April 1-6. She will be gone again April 16, 17, and 18 tending to a family matter.

Please be patient and don't leave too many messages or she might not come back.

Never too old!

Wanted: Patient, loving, dedicated volunteer to teach English to an 84-year-old Burmese Karen woman. This grandmother arrived in the U.S. in November and is parenting three grandchildren, ages 6, 10, and 13. Her case manager says she could use the English help as well as some moral support. She is not literate; however, she still would like to learn some spoken English.

This student-to-be lives in Glendale. Call me if you're interested in working with her.

(That's not really her picture, but it is a Burmese Karen grandmother!)

Lesson Planning Links

I've had a lot of questions about lesson planning lately. There are a lot of theories on how best to prepare a syllabus, scope and sequence, and specific lesson material. You can get a very good idea of how to organize your teaching by checking a few of the links here. For more, do a Google search on ESL lesson planning.

Click any link to see the plan.



Lessons for nonliterate adults

Comprehensive plan for Beginning Level

Comprehensive Plan for Intermediate students

For tutors specifically: Eastside Literacy's Curriculum

Handouts to help at any level

The latest from Darfur

Today on NPR's program All Things Considered, one of the feature stories was a lengthy interview with Michael Gaouette, the new head of the UN team overseeing UN and African Union forces in Darfur. The interview is both informative and discouraging.

Once the troops are in Darfur, Gaouette tells Melissa Block, their mandate is "tremendously expansive."

"We've been tasked to look into the human rights situation. We've been tasked to help with building systems for the rule of law. We've been tasked to help in an area they call 'child protection,'" he says. "But the marquee issue in the mandate is 'protection of civilians.'"

Gaouette says he's concerned that there may be an expectation
that the force "would be able to somehow magically step between two warring
parties and stop a war."

"We're not equipped to do so."

You can listen to the entire story online by clicking here.

Population information

Each year, the refugee populations that come into the U.S. change according to conditions overseas. This year, we are expecting to see more Somalis, Burmese (especially Karen), and Nepalese from Bhutan. If you would like to learn about these populations and the circumstances that bring them here, check the links below.

Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal this weekend, their situation went from bad to worse. You can read the UNHCR article here
The Somalis: History and Culture

Burmese Karen and Camp Life

This is an excellent interview with a refugee from Burma. Pay particular attention to the part "Fears about coming to the U.S." Click here

March is in like a lamb...and a lion

Hmmm...75 degrees on Saturday, 20 degrees on Sunday. Does that mean the lion ate the lamb or just chased it away?

I'm not sure what it means other than we live in Colorado. And it's March. And it's time to report your home tutoring hours for February.

Please let me know your hours no later than Friday, March 7. My report is due on Monday, March10.

Thank you kindly.

And now a word from a student

Last week, Colorado Public Radio aired a story about refugee resettlement in Colorado. A Little Something participant, Haiffaa Ali, was part of that interview. The program's producers felt it would be beneficial for listeners to hear a more in-depth interview with Haiffaa, especially to compare her impressions at one year in the U.S. with the first impressions of the newly arrived woman featured in the first interview.

This story is about ten minutes long. Of all of the things the host said during the interview, I think my favorite was when he told Haiffa he was impressed and astounded that she was able to give a radio interview (without fear) after only one year of language acquisition.

It's a good story that should leave you wondering how you would cope in similar circumstances.

Click here to go to the Colorado Public Radio Website, and then scroll down to Monday, February 18 to listen to the interview.

Friday night fun!

African Community Center Presents...

African Extravaganza

A lively celebration of African food and culture

presented by The African Community Center

Wednesday, February 20

University of Denver, Sturm Hall

5:30-7:00pm

Faces of Refugees Photo Exhibit

and Meet & Greet the Artist

Refugee Voices

Starts at 7:00 p.m.

Hear remarkable stories of fear, courage, and triumph told by refugees from
Sudan, Somalia, Burma and Iraq

<<<<<<<<<

Friday, February 22, 6:00-9:00pm
University of Denver, Driscoll Hall

African Extravaganza Featuring the Pan African Group

An amazing celebration of food, music, drumming, dancing & lively African dress!

Take a walk through the African Market, featuring Fair Trade and local goods, jewelry, handcrafts, spices, baskets, textiles and more.

Come enjoy this unique opportunity to celebrate
African culture and Heritage!

A Little Something, our very own Denver Refugee Women's Crafts Initiative, will have a table at the Friday-night event. If you're there, come on over and say hello (and maybe buy a nice necklace or some earrings...).

Denver's Refugees in the News!

Tune in on Tuesday, February 12th at 10:00am and 7:00pm on 1340AM. Hear the story of one of Denver's newest arriving community members on NPR/CPR's Colorado Matters. Zuhal, an Iraqi refugee, arrived three weeks ago by way of Jordan. Interviews with a case manager, another Iraqi woman (Sharon's student!), and the director of the state refugee office are also interviewed. If you miss the show on Tuesday, you can listen to it via the online archives by clicking here. Scroll down to select the February 12 program.



Hear more news about refugees in Colorado when KGNU Radio will host African Community Center Director Jennifer Geuddiche on the Africa Roots show. This interview will air on Saturday, February 16 at 4:00pm.



See a live performance by the Pan African Group (who will also be on stage at the 2008 African Extravaganza) on Fox 31's Good Day Colorado, Tuesday, February 19th at 8:30am. (Channel 13 on comcast cable)

Darfur troubles continue to multiply

There is an article on today's CNN Website about the latest developments in the Darfur region of Sudan. It's not very encouraging. Click here to read the story.

January tutoring hours

It's time to report your tutoring hours for January. Please don't forget to include your student's name along with the number of hours you tutored in January.

Please, oh, please, oh, please, oh please...report your hours to me no later than February 6. you can send your information to me via email: sharon_mccreary@dpsk12.org.

Thanks!

Can you help a Burmese family?

The following message is from Genevieve Cruz, the Community Outreach Coordinator at Ecumenical Refugee Service in Denver:

I'm just putting the word out that I have a family of nine coming Feb. 13th and I'm looking for bunk beds. I'd really like two sets if I can get them. Please keep me in mind if you run across twin beds as well. I can use bedding for this size bed.

This is going to be a tough case so I'm looking for all the help I can get. The family doesn't have a sponsor so I'm really depending on my Interns and Volunteers. Anyone wanting to help me with this case, please contact me as soon as you can. We have less then a month before they arrive. I can use people to help with the set-up of the home. Grocery shop, moving furniture and most important transportation.

I also need someone to gather boxes for moving.

Blessing...thanks in advance,

Genevieve Cruz
Ecumenical Refugee& Immigration Services
303-860-0128x112

A glimpse of Burmese camp life

So many of you are working with Burmese refugees, I continue to look for good resources that will help you as you help your student.

Reporter Paula Bock, of the Seattle Times, was haunted by her experiences in the camps on the Thai-Burmese border. She later went on to publish an article detailing her time with Burmese refugees. Photographer Tom Reese put together a stunning photo essay to accompany the story, as well.

For the photo essay, click here.

For a basic audio guide for pronunciation of Burmese words used in the story, click here.

For the article, click here. Click on "Begin the journey" and you'll see several introductory slides and then the text of the article. It is beautifully written and well worth the time it takes to read it.

SM

Want more training??

FREE ADULT EDUCATION
MINI-CONFERENCE

Sponsored by Literacy Coalition of Colorado and
The Colorado Department of Education
at Focus Points Family Resource Center
3532 Franklin St, Denver, CO 80205

February 8th and 9th, 2008

Friday and Saturday

8:00 - 8:30 am Registration

8:45 am - 1:15 pm Workshop Sessions/Lunch Provided

NOTE: Concurrent sessions will be offered on both days. Participants may attend Friday OR Saturday OR both days.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION-February 6th

Please fax or email the information below to:
Focus Points/Open Book
ATTN: Brooke Wagenseller

Contact Brooke for a schedule ofconference sessions
Email: OpenBookLiteracy@gmail.com
Fax: 303-293-9386

Name:
Title/Program Affiliation:
Mailing Address:
Phone:
Email:

Better living through vocabulary!

Just in time to appease the spirit of holiday giving, FreeRice.org makes donating almost effortless. In fact, it won't cost a thing to make your donation to the World Food Program except for some free time and a bit of brain power.

Free Rice is a vocabulary quiz game that is just plain addictive. Remember studying all of those words for the SAT or ACT before college? Well, it's time to dust off that knowledge and put it to good use feeding hungry people around the world.

The Website, www.freerice.org, challenges you to match definitions with some pretty lofty vocabulary words. For each word you match correctly, Free Rice will donate 20 grains of rice to the World Food Program. Go ahead, give it a whirl!

Learn all about it: The Website and game were recently featured on National Public Radio. You can read the brief article (or listen) on the NPR Website by clicking here.

Have fun!

Christmas fun!

If you're looking for some very easy Christmas activities to use this week, check out the sites listed here. Many have accompanying worksheets, puzzles, and activities that are free of charge.

• A simple explanation--with pictures--of common holiday themes. Click here.


• Bingo! Print out these Christmas Bingo cards to use with intermediate-level students.


• I printed out the slides of this Christmas vocabulary Power Point and shared them with my students. High-beginning and up.


• ESL Christmas flashcards are here and they're free!


• The History Channel has lots of information both in text form and video! My intermediate-level students understood a lot of the video information. Click here for the Christmas Home Page, and be sure to check out the links on the left side of the screen, especially "Fast Facts."


• One of my favorite Websites, HowStuffWorks, has the most in-depth Christmas section on the Internet (so far). Start by clicking here, and look around. You'll be overwhelmed, I promise!


• BogglesWorld always has something for just about any holiday or social situation you wish to discuss with your student. Click and check out the New Year's stuff.

If your student is Muslim, you should know that the biggest holiday of the Islamic year, Eid-al-Adha, starts on Wednesday, December 20.

What is `Eid Al-Adha ? The `Eid Al-Adha is a major religious event in the lives of Muslims. Usually, communities celebrate this occasion over a period of several days. Although only the pilgrims in Makkah can participate in the Hajj fully, all the other Muslims in the world join with them by celebrating the `Eid Al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice. On the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, Muslims around the world wear their nicest clothing and attend a special prayer gathering in the morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone stands up to hug and greet one another. The traditional `Eid greeting is "`Eid Mubarak," which means "Holiday Blessings." Next, people visit each other's homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts. Children receive gifts and sweets on this joyous occasion.

In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah, those Muslims who can afford to do so offer domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Abraham's sacrifice. The meat is distributed for consumption to family, friends, and to the poor and needy. (information courtesy: http://www.islamonline.net/)

To find out more about this holiday--as well as why sheep and/or goats are so important to this festival-- visit Wikipedia's excellent Webpage on the subject.

Your student's food stamps

For the last year or so, I've fielded a lot of calls about refugee families having problems with their food stamps. Yes, this is a legitimate problem, but it is not the fault of the resettlement agencies in any way. Case managers throughout the resettlement network are struggling to help their clients with an unforgiving and complicated system.

The Rocky Mountain News recently ran several articles about this, including an editorial that explains the situation quite well. Click here for a link to the story.

Time to report your hours!

I woke up this weekend and it was December. Is that possible? Please don't forget to report your tutoring hours for November. I need your information no later than Friday, December 7.

You can send the information via email. Please include the following in your message:

• Your name
• The name of your student
• The number of hours you spent together in November
• Do not include planning time or driving time.

Please don't foget to send me this important information each month. Last month, no more than a handful of volunteers--out of dozens in the program--bothered to report their hours. Thank you to those who remembered and took the time to tend to this piece of business.

Remember, our program's funding and very existence depend on our ability to show that the refugees enrolled are receiving in-home instruction. Without your information coming in, I have nothing to report. It only takes a minute, and you can do it via email or phone. There will always be a reminder posted here on this blog, but you have to check in here from time to time.

CHECK THE BLOG! Once a week is probably enough. This is where I post teaching ideas, resources you might find helpful, and all kinds of ideas, including your monthly reminder to report your tutoring hours. Stay in touch--check the blog!

Looking forward to receiving your report of tutoring hours before Friday! Try to stay sane in the holiday rush.