Project SHINE participant reflects on the significance of service
-- Anthony J. Acosta
Published February 2010
Although I have three weeks left of my volunteer work with SHINE, I will try to put into perspective the great opportunity the project presents to anyone considering it. Martin Luther King once said, “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”
I’ve been teaching English as a second language to Spanish-speaking immigrants at El Milagro Church within a program called Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) in south Minneapolis. I have NO experience teaching and I had very little volunteer experience going into it. It was a little scary at first, like anything new, but I realized that Project SHINE isn’t about me.
Many of my students have come to the United States to provide themselves with the great opportunities of our great country. Project SHINE give students the opportunity to be a part of something greater than themselves; even the smallest impact is still significant.
I see [the project] as a way to give back to everyone that has helped me along the way to achieve my goals. The older I get, the more I realize that no one can truly make it on his own.
My family, teachers, and coaches and friends, have helped me along my way and I consider Project SHINE a vehicle that enabled me to give back and help assist and aid others in accomplishing their dreams.
In closing, I would strongly encourage students to participate in Project SHINE; I’m glad that I did and I think anyone willing to give will find out something about him- or herself. Whatever that is, it can only enrich your life experience and the experience of others around you.
Project SHINE connects students to community
Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders) is a service-learning program linking college students with immigrants and refugees seeking to learn English and navigate the complex path to United States citizenship. Project SHINE began at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1997 in response to legislation that jeopardized the public benefits of legally immigrated non-citizens. Today, SHINE is operating at 25 colleges and universities in nine urban centers across the nation.
As social safety nets for non-citizens remain tenuous, naturalization for elderly immigrants continues to be an urgent need. Older immigrants face particular obstacles in their quest for citizenship. Elder learners may experience difficulties learning English because of changes in memory, vision, hearing and mobility that cannot be accommodated in overcrowded English as a Second Language (ESL) or citizenship classes. Without a basic knowledge of English, immigrant elders experience barriers to full participation as citizens.
Project SHINE also helps faculty members create links between classroom teaching and relevant field experience. It provides an opportunity to deepen students’ theoretical understanding in a broad range of disciplines, including urban studies, anthropology, English, sociology, public policy and history. Students gain knowledge of diverse cultures and life experiences, develop skills beyond the textbook and find a powerful way to reinforce their academic studies.
Service Learning Students
To become a service-learning student, attend a training session covering basic ESL tutoring techniques, working with older learners, intercultural communication, immigration and the US naturalization process.
Students also complete 20 hours of tutoring at one of SHINE’s 15 Twin Cities community partner organizations.
Want more information?
To set up a training and orientation, contact Travis Adams, Project SHINE coordinator, at Travis.Adams@minneapolis.edu or at (612) 659-6135 or (651) 793-1382. Check out Project SHINE’s blog at http://shinetc.livejournal.com/.