News
Summer Program Brings Great Turn-Out!
This summer, June 25-August 27, EACS saw 172 students come through its summer program! The students, Grades 5-12, spent the summer focusing on Math and English skills. The program also included Parent Education Involvement Workshops.
Abdurahman Jama, EACS Executive Director, stated, "The turn-out was nice and the kids all greatly improved their math skills and language comprehension."
EACS would like to thank all of the dedicated tutors, the Seattle Public Schools, the Refugee Impact Grant (RIG), Linda Todd, Mohamed Roble, and Irina Malykhina. We couldn't have done it without you!
EACS' after-school programs begin again on February 24, 2008 and will run throughout the summer thanks to the generous support of the Seattle Public Schools and RIG.
Somali Community Event 2007
On November 2, 2007, EACS hosted the Somali Community Event 2007 at the New Holly Community Center. The night focused on showing appreciation for past public support and discussing the Somali community's evolving needs and concerns.
The 200+ people in attendance included members of Seattle's City Council, Seattle Public Schools, members of the media, business owners, supporting organizations, and the community.
Everyone in attendance enjoyed a night of delicious food and speeches from community representatives. The night featured speakers and panel discussions on Somali Education, Business, and Health from Somali educators, health workers, businessmen, and members of Seattle City Council.
Some of the issues discussed were the need for specialized tutoring programs for refugee children, a request for Somali community focus groups regarding community health and housing, and a call for East Africans to represent their security needs at the Seattle Police Advisory Council.
The night ended with Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata presenting appreciation awards to EACS' supporters. This included Hussein Ahmed (Somali IA), Vicki Asakura (NAC), Leah McCollough (LCM Consulting), and Pramila Jayapal (Hate Free Zone).
Thanks to our Supporters and Partners!
EACS would like to thank the generous sponsors and partners in 2007 for their continued and unfailing support. We could not serve King County's East African community without your help and involvement!
Seattle Foundation
Neighbor to Neighbor Fund
One Family Foundation
Ackerley Foundation
Satterberg Foundation
Catherine Holmes Wilkins Foundation
Northwest Children's Fund
City of Seattle Community Technology Fund
Seattle Public School's Refugee School Impact Grant
HopeLink
King County Community Organizing
Thank you once again for your support throughout the last year and we look forward to working with you in 2008!
February's Community Focus-
Fartuun Barre EACS Dispatcher, Soon-To-Be Mom, and Interpreter
On the second day of her first year in elementary school, Fartuun's older sister came to get her and the whole family left Somalia, never to return. Born in Mogadishu, Fartuun left her home country and spent her next years traveling between Kenya and Uganda. Fartuun arrived in Seattle in 1995 and went immediately to work on ESL and GED tests and began attending a community college where she earned a Dental Assistant Diploma.
Fartuun is currently working on her AA degree. After work as a dental assistant and interpreter, she recently got married and is expecting her first child.
After graduating from the EACS Computer Literacy Program in December 2007, Fartuun began work as the dispatcher for EACS' Interpretation Agency and she has enjoyed getting to know the interpreters and her EACS co-workers. Her co-workers enjoy her sunny presence and sense of humor. She has been a great addition to our office!
When asked about the role of EACS in the community, Fartuun stated, "It is a social bridge between Somalis and Americans. Without it, not much could be accomplished in the community. You cannot go to the 2nd or 3rd floor without an elevator or stairs."
New Service: EACS Interpretation Agency
EACS is excited to announce a new service! Through a partnership with HopeLink, the EACS Interpretation Agency began in mid-January and we are pleased to offer a widely diverse and competent pool of interpreters throughout the King County.
Our interpreters are DSHS medically and socially certified and speak a broad range of languages: Amharic, Arabic, Cantonese, Chinese, Farsi, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Computer Literacy Off To A Big Start!
We started our new Computer Literacy Program on October 23, 2007 and we are now well into our second quarter of classes! Through the generous support of the City of Seattle's Community Technology Fund, EACS was able to equip our new computer lab with eleven computers, back-up system, software, and peripherals.
Through the hard work of one dedicated volunteer, Konstantin Gorschkov, and the EACS Outreach Coordinator, Adrianne Schmidt, EACS now provides curriculum that uniquely fits the needs of our East African community members. This curriculum includes computer training segments, beyond the core components, for parents, students, job applicants, and employees.
Four students graduated from the program with flying colors: Fartuun Barre, Ahmed Yusuf, Hassan Awed, and Somlith Sayauongsa. This quarter, we have sixteen students enrolled and twelve tutors. We have doubled and tripled our numbers over the space of four months and our students are learning more every day!
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