*In response to the current challenges facing Eritrean youth in the
Diaspora, YPFDJ in Oakland has been making efforts to accommodate the
growing and changing needs of our young community. In this multi-part
series, we will attempt to discuss many of our programs that we hope have
been both beneficial and relevant to the needs of our community while also
recognizing the need for improvement and expansion of these activities. If
you are interested in joining YPFDJ Oakland, we will be conducting an
informational workshop for incoming and interested members at the ECCCC
(5255 Claremont Ave., Oakland California) on Sunday 24 March, 2012 at
5:30pm. Dinner and entertainment will be provided.*
*
*
Although it seems that much of the political discussion amongst Eritreans
in the Diaspora regarding community issues has focused on how politics in
Eritrea affect our community efforts in the Diaspora, it is important also
to understand how the politics of the countries we inhabit affect our
communities. Unfortunately, many of the Eritreans growing up in the
Diaspora are exposed to the same challenges as other people of color and
urban communities in that they experience the effects of poor and unequal
school systems, health care and other social institutions. Furthermore, the
effects of these institutions on our community is further complicated by
the fact that social institutions in these countries either do not
understand or are simply uninterested to cater to the unique needs of our
communities. Many of us "Eritrean-Americans" who have come of age after the
Eritrean revolution in the United States constitute a generation with
unique needs that must be explored and addressed. As a versatile and
value-based organization, our chapter of the YPFDJ is working to explore
and work around these needs through education. As described below, we have
established a weekly program for high school teens and young college-age
adults at a school we host in our community center. This school has been
operating for more than one year in which we have registered several
success' and a broadening interest from our young community. All of the
funding for these initiatives are from our Winter Storm
events<
http://winterstorm2012.com/> which
were created with the dual purpose of funding these programs and advancing
the Eritrean-American aesthetic.
*
*CLEP: Cultural Literacy Education Program.*
At CLEP, we have found that mother-tongue language education, cultural
knowledge, professional/academic success and engagement of our youth are
all mutually dependent. For example, understanding and even speaking one's
mother-tongue does not alone make one culturally literate. Furthermore,
professional and academic success alone does not alone ensure the upward
advancement of our community as a whole without youth who are able to
understand and define their identity. We have also found that a
multi-lingual and multi-cultural curriculum is essential to promote not
only cultural competency of the diversity that exists within Eritrea, but
also to fully realize our vision of national harmony. Our curriculum is
designed to be all inclusive and not discriminate on the basis of class,
ethno-linguistic, religious or gender lines. As such, our weekly Saturday
program has been organized according to the scheme below (12-3pm EVERY
Saturday):
*12-1pm: Language.*
*
Arabic and(or) Tigrinya.
*
*1-2pm: Support and Identity (Four week cycle).*
*
Academic/professional support services, history series,
academic/professional support services, CLEP Series.
*
*2pm-3pm: Special programs.*
These special programs are meant to engage Eritrean youth and have
included, but were not limited to, Yoga in Eritrean languages ("Yoga
n'Hafash!"), film screenings, field trips, nutrition and physical health
workshops, and other interesting programs meant to engage our
youth. Furthermore, in order to engage the youth, we have found that the
integration of technology with education is a crucial part of the learning
process. Our classes are now completely accessible to students online where
they can access their learning environment from their computers or mobile
devices. We also offer special ESL services for newcomers between 3pm-4pm
and invite all newcomers to participate in the prior programs.
*Although we have registered quite a bit of progress since the school
was established, we would still appreciate your support and increase
community participation. If you are interested in volunteering your time or
developing programs like this, please attend our informational workshop on
at the ECCCC on 24 March, 2013 at 5:30pm. Please enjoy the pictures below
from our CLEP school!*
Please click here for images. <
http://www.ypfdjcalifornia.org/?p=1597>
http://www.ypfdjcalifornia.org/?p=1597
*Interested in learning more about YPFDJ? Please visit us online at
YPFDJCalifornia.org*
*-YPFDJ Oakland, Media and Public Relations Division.*
Victory to the Masses!!
ዓወት ንሓፋሽ !!النصر للجماهير
Received on Fri Mar 15 2013 - 12:58:49 EDT
