Greetings friends of the English Empowerment Center,
There has been so much happening at the English Empowerment Center that I am excited to share with you throughout this newsletter. We are delighted to have over 700 adult learners enrolled in our in-person and virtual classes this spring semester! It is great to have so many of our classrooms filled with individuals ready to work hard and change their lives and the lives of their families.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, compelling us to introduce our virtual classes, enrollment in online learning has been going strong with 39% of our learners in online classes this year. The inclusion of Cell-Ed, Engen, and Northstar digital literacy development programs has been a great benefit to our learners. Learning to navigate the internet and use digital devices displays just one way in which our learners empower themselves. With digital skills, one can better access growth opportunities in the community as well as bring ease to their everyday tasks. We look forward to developing these skills with our learners and continuing to stay on top of new ways to improve, update, and develop our programs.
Earlier this month we held our 5th annual A Taste of Literacy fundraising event, another huge success. We are so thankful to have opportunities for our learners to share their stories with the community. This year we heard from Sadia, who moved here from Afghanistan, and Manuel, from El Salvador. We could not have asked for more motivated and inspirational learners to share their stories with English Empowerment Center supporters.
This April the English Empowerment Center will host our first Career and Opportunities Fair! The fair will provide the opportunity for our learners to meet potential employers, access community assistance, build their network, and grow their confidence. We are so excited to introduce this opportunity for our students and for local companies to see the value of English Empowerment Center learners.
This spring semester, we are honored to offer Destination Workforce® programs in partnership with Marymount University and Alexandria Restaurant Partners. These classes are specially tailored to the needs of Marymount and ARP staff, allowing learners to receive an English education focused around their language needs for personal and career development.
We are always blown away with how much positive news we have to share with our community. In this newsletter, we are delighted to share with you the dedication of English Empowerment Center learners, volunteers, and instructors who have been participating in a book club occurring between semesters. The one-week book club provides a unique way for our learners to build their English language skills and confidence.
It is so inspirational to see the hard work and dedication of the English Empowerment Center community. We look forward to continuing to see our learners empower themselves with English language education and pursuing their personal and career goals.
Best,
Roopal Mehta Saran,
Executive Director