HOLIDAY SPIRIT by by by by JJJJacky Huangacky Huangacky Huangacky Huang

NEWSLETTER FALL | 2012

I asked her, “Why do you have to work so hard to learn the computer? Especially with your weak hearing and eye sight, it is really not easy for you.” She answered with a smile on her face,” because I want to communicate with my family more often, not just listen to their voice, I want

to be able to see their face, watch my grandson and granddaughter play together and look at their laughing faces when they call me grandmother, share their happiness and let them see my happy and comforting face at the same time.”

PASSING THE NATURALIZATION TEST FACTS

pg 2 IMMIGRANTS ADOPT THANKSGIVING

HEAR FROM OUR NAWC PARTICIPANTS

pg 3 NEW AMERICANS WELCOME CENTER GOALS & VISION

pg 4

CHINATOWN

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year…Turkey, Santa Claus, gifts… Another wonderful holiday season is upon us.. Sharing happiness with beloved family and dearest friends once a year, being thankful and treasuring what we have is usually what we do to enjoy the holiday spirit. But to be honest, during this modern age, we can’t really find those touching moments and the grateful feeling that can make us feel peace again, especially when ones family is still thousands of miles away. Luckily for me, this year, even though I still can’t reunite with my own family yet, I actually found the happiness and touching moments from my YMCA computer class, from an elder Chinese lady, an unexpected student, Mrs. Liang. Mrs. Liang is a 68 year old elder Chinese lady who has been living alone in Chinatown for over 15 years. Her family either moved to other cities or still live in

China. The only way for her to keep in touch with her lovely family is through telephone. Unfortunately, her weak hearing is taking that away from her too. With her age, it is always difficult to learn new skills or any life skills, not to mention the difficulty of learning the modern computer. She didn’t even know how to turn on the computer when she first started the computer class. She took the class very seriously and worked very hard try to learn how to use the computer. Most of the new knowledge seems still very strange and very difficult for Mrs. Liang. The confusion can be easily seen in her eyes, only typing with one finger on the keyboard, only being able to write down notes, but she didn’t give up. She still did anything she could to try to catch up with the progress of the class. I asked her, “Why do you have to work so hard to learn the computer? Especially with your weak hearing and eye sight, it

is really not easy for you.” She answered with a smile on her face,” because I want to communicate with my family more often, not just listen to their voice, I want to be able to see their face, watch my grandson and granddaughter play together and look at their laughing faces when they call me grandmother, share their happiness and let them see my happy and comforting face at the same time.” Two weeks ago, Mrs. Liang finally learned how to use email to make connections with her family; she showed me her first email with her grandchildren. The proud and indescribable joy showed from her eyes. I felt touched and rewarded by my job. After a while, even though you do know that teaching is important, you might forget. Even if it’s just something small, the teacher still can make an impact and strong influence in other’s lives. Happy holidays to everyone.

New Americans Welcome Center

There are many factors in becoming a United States Citizen. In order to become a United States Citizen, one must pass the Naturalization test. There are also many factors in passing the Naturalization test. Many students believe success is solely based on the effective teaching styles of an educator. This fact is absolutely false. No matter how good the teacher is, a student who does not put dedication into studying will surely fail. The recipe to passing the Naturalization test: 10% teacher and 90% student.

Individuals must stop believing they can pass the exam with just good memorization of the materials. A huge majority of the test is based on the individual’s basic understanding of English. It is astounding how many individuals will believe that they can just attend a month worth of classes before taking the Naturalization test, especially if these individuals do not have a basic understanding of English. It is recommended for all individuals to have at least a basic understanding of English.

Some students hear rumors that the test is easy; this can be true in some cases, depending on the interviewer. This fact is half true; other interviewers will make the naturalization process hard. It is better to be prepared than to be sorry.

Passing the Naturalization Test Facts

The recipe to passing the Naturalization test: 10% teacher and 90% student.

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by by by by Kenny ZhaoKenny ZhaoKenny ZhaoKenny Zhao

IMMIGRANTS ADOPT THANKSGIVING by by by by Ann SetoAnn SetoAnn SetoAnn Seto

“The family coming together, eating around the table, seeing the smile on everybody’s face, this is the American holiday that every family should celebrate.”

When Stephen Huang immigrated to the United States from China in June 2012, he’s never seen or eaten a turkey. He’s never heard of Thanksgiving.

“We never knew how to cook turkey. It’s not typical of Chinese cuisine." said Huang.

Nonetheless, Huang, along with his classmates celebrated his first Thanksgiving as his teacher explained the history and tradition of the American holiday. Many of Huang’s classmates also participated for the first time. Some students brought in a snack of their choice and shared their food as their teacher introduced new arrivals to the American holiday. Albeit the lack of an actual turkey, the class celebrated Thanksgiving by eating cornbread, pumpkin pies, and apple turnovers purchased from the local stores." Thanksgiving is good. We should be thankful for what this country is giving us—freedom to pursue our dreams,” said Huang.

For others, Thanksgiving symbolizes a way of assimilation. James Chen moved from Guang Zhou, China, to New York City more than

fifteen years ago and has been celebrating Thanksgiving since. "I remember it was our first year in the United States, and the pastor from our church invited my family over for Thanksgiving dinner. Then I realized that there was no Chinese food on the table. No rice. No chicken soy sauce style. Just the traditional turkey, sides, and pumpkin pie.” The tradition of Thanksgiving continued over the years for the Chen family. "Thanksgiving is not only a time to give thanks, but it is a moment to be with family," Chen said. “The family coming together, eating around the table, seeing the smile on everybody’s face, this is the American holiday that every family should celebrate.”

The small celebration ended up with students singing and dancing. “Thanksgiving is good. Everyone is happy, thankful, and cheerful,” said Huang.

Hear From Our NAWC Participants!

I very much enjoy the NAWC program. This program has helped me be confident when communicating with people. I hope this program can keep going on and help me to improve my English. That is very important for my future. Also, I very much appreciate my teacher. She has a lot of patience in teaching us and explains things clearly.- WendyWendyWendyWendy

I am very happy to have this class. Since I’ve taken this class, my English has improved. I feel I can understand more. This is very important for me because I really need to learn English. I know English

is very difficult for me but I have to learn. If you know more English, it is very convenient to communicate with people. I have to continue. I really appreciate the teacher giving me a lot of help. Thank you so much.- San Mei RuanSan Mei RuanSan Mei RuanSan Mei Ruan

ASK YOUR NAWC

How long is each cycle?

The YMCA NAWC programs helped me a

lot. I enjoyed the technology. I have

learned to reach out to friends and

relatives by email which I think is

important in this day and age. This

program helped me to realize it’s never

too late to learn. I would like to

complement the teacher for his patience and his computer talent. –

Ying Pei LiuYing Pei LiuYing Pei LiuYing Pei Liu

Each cycle is 3-months long.

Q:

3

A:

How much do I have to pay?

Our NAWC programs are completely free of charge to all participants.

Q:

A:

How do I sign up?

You can visit us at our office, located at 100 Hester Street in Chinatown, or you can give us a call to make an appointment at (212) 219-8393.

Q:

A:

The Goals and Vision of the New Americans Welcome Centers by Dio Gica

“The goal of the YMCA is to be recognized by every New American as a

“safe haven” that provides multilingual information, resources and

referrals and a wide range of services… to help them attain their goals…”

Program Goal and Vision: The YMCA of Greater New York is committed to serving the immigrant population of the City, and, in response to their needs, has opened New Americans Welcome Centers to help immigrants achieve literacy, cultural competence, and self-sufficiency. In 2010, the YMCA will have opened Welcome Centers in areas where immigrant communities are most underserved. The Chinatown, Staten Island, Harlem, Prospect Park, and Bronx YMCAs have already served their communities through these centers. In line with its commitment to better serve the immigrant population of New York City, the YMCA of Greater New York is opening a sixth location to serve Queens, the Flushing YMCA New Americans Welcome Center. The goal of the YMCA is to be recognized by every New American as a “safe haven” that

provides multilingual information, resources and referrals and a wide range of services (instructional, vocational, recreational, and family support) that will help them attain their goals. The YMCA recognizes the need to build capacity and develop support and networks among new immigrants. As of the 2000 census, more than 35% of City’s residents are foreign-born and 43% of the City’s workforce are immigrants. Nearly 70% of the total immigrant population in New York speak a language other than English. Within this group 23% do not speak English well and about 10% do not speak English at all. Most of these immigrants live in population clusters that are underserved for informational, education, recreational, vocational, advocacy and human services that the YMCA of Greater New York is in a position

to provide directly as well as in collaboration with other human service and immigrant agencies. Program Components: The New Americans Welcome Centers serve as multilingual information resource and referral centers, and provide immigrant families with a wide array of instructional, vocational, recreational, family support, and social services. Instructional services include English as a Second Language, Cultural Orientation, Citizenship Preparation, Job Readiness, and Computer Literacy. In addition, some of our Centers offer Adult Literacy and GED preparation classes as well as Substance Abuse and Alcohol Prevention Counseling. For more information on the YMCA New Americans Welcome Centers, please contact Diosdado G. Gica, Senior Director of the YMCA’s New Americans Initiative, at 212-875-4336, or dgica@ymcanyc.org. You can also access our website at ymcanewamericans.org.

Bronx YMCA New Americans Welcome Center at Glebe Senior Center 2125 Glebe Ave. Bronx NY 10462

Ruben Arce, NAWC Program Coordinator rarce@ymcanyc.org 917-673-8688

Tania Alor, NAWC Counselor talor@ymcanyc.org 917-721-0748 Chinatown YMCA New Americans Welcome enter at the Chinatown YMCA Beacon Center 100 Hester Street, New York, NY 10002

Jie Ling Chen, NAWC Program Coordinator jchen@ymcanyc.org 212-219-8393

Stephanie Chan, NAWC Counselor schan@ymcanyc.org 212-219-8393

Flushing YMCA New Americans Welcome Center at the Flushing YMCA Branch 138-46 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354

Kathy Liu, NAWC Program Coordinator kliu@ymcanyc.org 718-961-6880, ext.123

Grace Kim, NAWC Counselor gkim@ymcanyc.org 718-961-6880, ext. 121 Harlem YMCA New Americans Welcome Center at the Harlem YMCA Outreach Center (Family Welcome Center #1) 2627 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., New York, NY 10039

Thalia Kwok, NAWC Program Coordinator tkwok@ymcanyc.org 212-690-4024

Terita Givens, NAWC / Lit Zone Partnership Coordinator, tgivens@ymcanyc.org 212-690-4024 Abraham Magana, NAWC / Lit Zone Ed. Case Manager, amagana@ymcanyc.org

212-690-4024

Prospect Park YMCA New Americans Welcome Center at the Prospect Park YMCA Branch 357 9th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215

Nabila Khan, NAWC Program Coordinator, nkhan@ymcanyc.org 212-912-2375

Joanna Zant, NAWC Counselor jzant@ymcanyc.org 212-912-2378 Staten Island YMCA New Americans Welcome Center at the Staten Island YMCA Counseling Center 285 Vanderbilt Ave., Staten Island, NY 10304

Rachael Rinaldo, NAWC Program Coordinator, rrinaldo@ymcanyc.org 718-981-4382, ext. 17

YMCA New Americans Initiative 5 West 63rd Street; 2nd Floor New York, NY 10023 (212) 875-4336 www.ymcanewamericans.org

Regina Marks, NAWC Program Counselor, rmarks@ymcanyc.org 718-981-4382, ext. 15

ELESAIR Project at the Association Office 5 West 63rd St., New York, NY 10023

Dio Gica, Program Manager dgica@ymcanyc.org 212-875-4336

Lorna Blancaflor, Program Coordinator lblancaflor@ymcanyc.org 212-875-4345