Nuestra Casa Initiative

Nuestra Casa's core programmes include:

• Community of Learners - The Adult ESL programme teaches English as a second language (ESL) to families - in particular, the parents of children attending schools in the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto. Nuestra Casa's approach to language study is a content-driven, context-driven one that places the students and their needs at the centre. "We believe that students are language users rather than language learners, that instruction must connect the classroom with their lives outside it, and that, in American society, English language acquisition is a necessary aspect of empowering immigrant adults to take action in their lives. Because the acquisition of language takes place in a social context, language teaching takes this context into account and builds on it in the classroom." The classes feature discussion of themes like education, community, health, and work. Classroom activities like role plays and conversational practice are drawn from students' real-life experiences and are designed to present them with the tools that they can use in real-life situations. Promotores are leaders elected by their ESL classes to assist in administering and evaluating the programme and to receive further structured leadership training that covers topics such as facilitating group discussions, eliciting the feedback of their classmates, public speaking, and event organisation. They receive a stipend each semester.
• Leadership Development and Support - The project actively engages newcomers in community problem-solving, leadership development, and democratic practice. Participation for Latino immigrants can eventually expand to policy advocacy and electoral work - testifying before their representatives and helping to register and motivate voters - but Nuestra Casa's definition of civic participation is not limited to these highly visible forms of political involvement.
• Parents as Leaders - Recognising the importance of parental involvement, Nuestra Casa focuses on the improvement of K-12 education for East Palo Alto youth through leadership training. For example, staff members provide a number of different basic courses on site at various schools to develop parents' understanding of their rights, duties, and opportunities for participation with regard to education systems.
• PODER Joven/Youth Power - PODER Joven provides 3 ten-week sessions each school year and 1 summer 10-week session to between 13 and 15 newcomer youth in 7th and 8th grade. The programming components include: a popular education curricula that explores perspectives of people and groups historically underrepresented, leadership development, community action initiatives, and an educational English Language Learning (ELL) enrichment component. PODER Joven/Youth Power grew out of Nuestra Casa's experience working with 5 Latino immigrant youth in 2006. They received training in action research, canvassing, outreach, public speaking, and campaign development. At the end of their internship, they developed career, educational, and personal goals, a resume, reference list, and a personal statement.
• Cultural celebrations - Nuestra Casa organises Las Posadas (a religious and social experience celebrated every evening from December 16 to 24) in order to keep Mexican cultural traditions alive. The organisation and celebration of this event brings together members of the community in a multigenerational effort.
• Human rights work - For details on these events, click here.

Civic Participation, Education, Economic Development, Youth, Rights.

According to organisers, "[w]ith Latino communities across the country suffering increased hate crimes, racial profiling, high drop-out and teen pregnancy rates and the deterioration of our nation's healthcare, Nuestra Casa believes that only through organizing in our communities, by our community members and in our language, will we be able to tackle those issues."