Chinatown Youth Initiatives announced on October 14th that the new round of the Chinatown Literacy Project (CLP) will kick off on October 27th and run until May 4th the following year. The project aims to provide personalized tutoring for adult English learners who speak Chinese, as well as opportunities for dialogue practice with youth volunteers. Classes will be held every weekend from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Manhattan Chinatown Manpower Center located at 55 Christie Street.
The CLP curriculum is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, catering to learners of different proficiency levels, and it is offered completely free of charge. During the first class, students will undergo an assessment to determine their English proficiency level for placement. The classes are taught by experienced university students and teachers for an hour and a half, followed by one hour of tutoring provided by high school student volunteers who engage in one-on-one conversation practice with English learners to help reinforce classroom lessons.
The beginner and intermediate classes are conducted bilingually, while the advanced class is mainly taught in English. Bilingual instruction allows for teaching in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, creating a relaxed environment for learners to enhance their English abilities.
The Chinatown Youth Initiatives, initiated by the Chinatown Youth Initiative Organization, aims to teach leadership skills to students, promote civic engagement, and strengthen community connections. The CLP has been operational since the early 2000s to meet the learning needs of new immigrants and long-time residents, developing their English speaking skills, reading comprehension of English newspapers, and practical application in daily life.
According to project coordinator Geoffrey Huang, although there hasn’t been a significant spike in demand in recent years, there are often new immigrants to the US participating in the program, as well as long-time residents continuing their learning journey. Last year, they had approximately 20 students, and this year, they hope to see a slight increase to around 30 students, as the new location at the Manpower Center is closer to the heart of Chinatown than the previous location in the Lower East Side.
Both Huang and another project coordinator Isabella Lin emphasize that this program not only helps learners improve their English skills but also benefits high school students learning Chinese and allows high school student volunteers to gain valuable experiences through interactions with learners, building deep intergenerational connections. Many learners even bring in special Chinatown delicacies to express their gratitude to the student volunteers.
Lin shared a particularly memorable story from the past four years whereby she met a unique gentleman in the intermediate class and gradually learned about his work. “He often asked me about work-related jargon and how to communicate with his boss because he found his biggest challenge at work was understanding the job content. So, we developed a special bond.” “Many of them are much older than us and have more life experience than us, making them a valuable source of experience for us.”
During the pandemic, the project implemented a hybrid teaching model of online and in-person classes, and it has now resumed face-to-face teaching. While the main service location is in Manhattan’s Chinatown, coordinators say they are actively recruiting students from Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Flushing as well. Individuals interested in participating can sign up online at: https://forms.gle/bkgkx1zKsznw6GqSA. For more information, contact: [email protected], WeChat ID: kj72hq.