The Community Education Newsletter |
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Above: Liz Woratyla's Teacher Assistant Class is taking advantage of their in-person classes with hands-on learning. |
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Above: Jill Neuman's Direct Care Provider Class is learning necessary math skills to succeed and thrive in everyday life. |
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Tim Talk
IU13 Community Education Program Director
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During this Thanksgiving season, let’s talk about gratitude. As stated on healthline.com, practicing gratitude boosts the immune system, improves mental health, increases optimism, and improves relationships. As I reflect on the Community Education program, I have so much to be thankful for. We have an outstanding staff of hard-working program assistants, teachers, student advisors, navigators, liaisons, supervisors, facilitators, and paraeducators, all who are fully dedicated to the success of our community and neighbors. Our learners are phenomenal role models, as they balance work, education, family, and the demands of daily life. The Community Education program itself is involved in countless new initiatives, including a program for incarcerated individuals in need of training and education, and preparations to move Lancaster’s daytime and evening programs to a single location at Burle. I have so much to be thankful for as I reflect on Community Education’s staff, customers, and overall program, and I feel much healthier and more optimistic just by stating it. What are you thankful for? |
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The Lebanon Youth Program is a grant-funded program that receives Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA) and TANF funding from the state to provide qualified youth (ages 14-24) with educational training and employment opportunities. We recently placed four out of school youth in the VF Training and Employment Program from September 20, 2021 to October 22, 2021. All four participants obtained full-time permanent employment upon successful completion of the program. This program is a partnership between Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13) and VF (Jonestown, PA).
This five-week program is designed to prepare qualified out-of-school youth for competitive employment in distribution while learning valuable employability skills. The participants build communication and problem-solving skills, as well as job-specific skills. Participants worked with an IU13 job trainer as well as VF trainers/staff to learn skills needed for employment as a General Warehouse Worker, including training in shipping, making boxes, packing process, and picking merchandise. In addition, all four participants have pursued getting their PA driver’s licenses and have taken driver training lessons.
On October 31, 2021, participants attended a Forklift Certification course at the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center and received their Forklift Certifications. This course teaches the safe operation procedures of forklift equipment in a classroom as well as the hands-on performance aspect.
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Extraordinary Give Fundraiser - November 19th 2021 |
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Each year, immigrants, refugees, and newcomers to Lancaster county struggle to get help as they navigate a new and unknown community. From integration into schools and careers to empowering student learners and providing equal opportunity for all affected families, IU13’s Community Education and Refugee Center aids those in need to get them the crucial resources that are necessary to succeed and thrive.
For our friends and neighbors who have sought refuge in this country from other nations, the transition and adjustment to a new life can be overwhelming. While we tend to think of obtaining educational services as easy, there are those who have never encountered a locker or navigated a school hallway. Imagine all the talent we as a community miss out on if we don’t unlock the potential in these new friends and neighbors by helping them learn English, do well in school, secure thriving wage jobs, and navigate a new culture and systems.
Refugee Center Coordinator, Khem Subedi, is a wonderful example of the impact former refugees have in the community. Khem shares, “As a former refugee, I have firsthand experience navigating the complexity of services in this country, which is why I am passionate about supporting new Americans. I want to empower refugees and immigrants to integrate into their communities and to be self-sufficient.”
This year, the Refugee Center is seeking support to help us serve newcomer families working to integrate into life in the U.S., including those fleeing violence and instability from Afghanistan. A contribution to the Refugee Center will ensure that we are able to provide essential integration services to Lancaster’s newcomers. With your help, we can make a big difference in our community. $25 will help a family purchase food for a meal. $50 will help establish initial school navigation support for a family. $100 will help a newcomer create an individualized career development plan.
Click here to learn more and donate.
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Success Stories
IU13 Community Education is excited to share new success stories about our students. Visit the Community Education page to read about Mary, newly hired as an administrative assistant after taking a micro credential class; Jose, a participant in the Lebanon Youth Program who completed training and also has gained employment; Herve, a graduate of the Teacher Assistant Training program who is now working as a paraeducator for IU13; and Thanamas, a recent high school equivalency graduate who is now enrolled at HACC. We admire our students’ perseverance and ability to juggle multiple roles while pursuing education. Keep checking our site as new stories are added!
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Thanamas’s Story
After arriving in the United States from Thailand, Thanamas enrolled in High School Equivalency (HSE) classes with IU13 Community Education. Since English is her second language, she had to spend a significant amount of time outside the classroom studying for the four subject tests. Thanamas notes that sometimes her classmates were discouraged with their progress. “When I heard them say, ‘I don’t think I can make it!’ I told them, ‘Look at me! To read just one page, I have to look up a lot of English words that are new to me, but I don’t give up…so keep fighting, you can do it!’”
Indeed, in less than a year–and during a pandemic–Thanamas passed all her GED tests. She gives credit to her teachers and to her classmates, for helping her in class and for giving her a better understanding of American life and culture. She says, “I felt really comfortable talking and helping students. I appreciate that teachers worked really hard to help all the students. They found the best way to help each student and gave me helpful things to study on my own, which I used during the quarantine.”
Thanamas is now a student at HACC in the healthcare administration program, a two-year degree. Upon graduation, she may continue her education to earn a bachelor’s degree or immediately enter the workforce. We applaud Thanamas’s perseverance–she made Dean’s list her first semester, after studying 12 hours a day!
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Literacy in Motion
Brad Weaver’s High School Equivalency (HSE) Reading/Language Arts students read “I Am Malala,” an autobiography of a Pakistani teen shot for her activism for girls' education, in their seven-week class. Students quickly bonded with the humble yet courageous hero and her compelling story of defiance and perseverance. Likewise, they related to the sacrifices Yousafzai undertakes for her education and the hardships endured to achieve self-determination. This is a story that offers hope; moreover, for some of our learners, it’s the first book ever completed.
The story's pages offer ample material for crafting text-dependent questions focused on HSE nonfiction interpretation skills. These questions, however, may far exceed the conventional HSE textbook questions about main idea, summary, conclusion, inference, etc. The autobiography's themes--indeed the substance of Yousafzai's values-based actions--permit the crafting of questions about the Habits of the Mind, the 16 problem-solving skills essential for effectively navigating life. With vivid examples of the Habits coming to fruition on the pages before them, students move easily from text interpretation to discussion about how the Habits might apply to their own educational and vocational goals.
Encountering the voice of Yousafzai can be the first step in altering perceptions about education and self-empowerment. As one student expressed in class, “I always thought about education as something I had to do--was forced to do. I’ve come to see that education is a right and a privilege so important that it requires sacrifice, even risk and danger.”
Brad thoroughly enjoyed using this book and will use it and similar narratives of personal empowerment through education. “I want our students to see that there are people in our Global Village who will persist again and again despite all odds to get an education. I want our students to see what those victories look like and to gain strength from those stories.”
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Program Assistants Spotlight |
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Cassie Redcay
Cassie joined Community Education as a program assistant in 2017, working at both the Refugee Center at Reynolds and CareerLink location and is now full-time at CareerLink. Her days go quickly with answering prospective student inquiries on the phone, in person, and in email; entering the data necessary for continued funding; registering students for orientation; and generally supporting teachers and the student advisor in any way she can, such as maintaining our inventory of Chromebooks and supplies, assisting with orientation, and helping with tech issues.
When asked what the best part of her job is, she answered, “Reassuring nervous students. I am so glad when I can calm a prospective student on the phone who is anxious about returning to school; I reassure them that we have the team here to help get them where they want to be and that their classmates are feeling the same way they are and everyone supports each other. It’s important to me to take the time necessary to explain our many class options and help students determine the right fit.”
In particular, her favorite memories include seeing students return to the classroom to share the success of earning their diplomas. Their classmates, teachers, and advisor are so happy for them. Of course, graduation is also one of her favorite days of the year.
When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and dog. She loves to go camping and is “Team Mom” for her daughter’s travel softball team.
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Deb Reidenbach
Deb started working with Community Ed as a program assistant in 2004. She began in the Adult Enrichment Center, eventually moving to CareerLink and then to BrightSide Opportunities Center.
Her job responsibilities include customer service, student orientation, data entry, program invoicing, contract compliance, and supporting the instructors. She loves working with adult learners and helping them to find the class option that works best and celebrating their achievements.
When asked about her favorite part about IU13, she said, “I love working in Community Ed. The team is the best anyone could hope for, which makes coming to work every day enjoyable and an adventure. When COVID struck, I was not sure how we would continue but we did, and we did not miss a beat along the way.” Then, when asked about her favorite memory, she replied with, “I have so many memories, but the one that sticks out is when the GED test was changing--students who had been working to pass the GED had to do so by December 31st, 2013 or they would need to start all over. A seventy-eight-year-old student who had been trying for fifteen years or more to pass the test finally accomplished her dream. Watching her walk across the stage at graduation is one memory that I will always remember.”
Deb is only one of the program assistants in Community Education, but she brings so much warmth, knowledge, and passion to IU13’s learners and staff. We are lucky to have her as part of the team!
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Maritza Garcia
Maritza has been with the IU13 Community Education team since 2016. Her favorite part of the job is being a part of the orientation process in Lebanon and getting to interact with students. She’s glad that we have been able to return to providing face-to-face classes and has enjoyed getting to see the students again. This spring, she’s looking forward to finally being able to hold a graduation celebration in person!
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IU13 Community Education provides a wide variety of daytime and evening educational and supportive services to adults in Lancaster and Lebanon counties.
Click on the links below or call us at 717-606-1708 for more information.
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English as a Second Language
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GED | HiSET test prep classes
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Must be a United States Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) to enroll in classes
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ESL or HSE classes for parents of children between birth-3rd grade
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ESL classes with civics instruction and placement into job training programs
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Workforce Preparation Classes |
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Administration Support Professional
Basic Computer Skills
Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
Direct Care Provider Certificate
Teacher Assistant (Special Education)
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Services and Supports Include:
Paid Internships, Assistance in Seeking Employment, Training for Certification, Supportive Services, and more!
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**Youth must meet income and eligibility requirements.
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Bilingual cultural navigators connect children and adults with social, educational, and medical services in the community
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Using PA Standards-aligned lessons, high school students can build knowledge and understanding of the global refugee crisis
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*IU13 Community Education classes and services provided directly by IU13 staff are free with limited exceptions. Additional services/tests provided by our partner providers may have costs. Please contact us with any questions. |
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Contact Information:
For more information about Community Education visit our website
or call
Lancaster: 717-606-1708
Lebanon: 717-450-1525
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