Voices of Somerville Newsletter: April 2021

Congratulations to our new

United States Citizens!

Nester, El Salvador

Henry, El Salvador

Sonia, Cape Verde

Despite a global pandemic and having to change the format of our Citizenship program from in-person to completely virtual, our program has continued to thrive. Nester, Henry, and Sonia are our most recent students to pass the citizenship interview and take the oath. We are so proud of their hard work and for becoming US citizens!

Citizenship Tutoring is offered virtually on Zoom. If you are eligible for citizenship or would like more information, please contact Brigid, bpigott@minlib.net.

Featured Collection: Citizenship Corner at Central Library

Alongside our ESL Collection at Central Library is our Citizenship Corner. This is where you can find current study materials, updates, and resources to help you prepare for the citizenship process.

Through our Pathways to Citizenship grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Citizenship Corners will be created at the East Branch and West Branch.

If you would like to check out any materials from our Citizenship Corner, please contact Brigid, bpigott@minlib.net.

Meet Denise-

Citizenship Volunteer at SPL

This month, we are featuring one of our Citizenship volunteers, Denise who has been volunteering since the Citizenship program began in 2019.

We asked Denise some questions to help you get to know her better.

Why did you decide to become a Citizenship volunteer at the Somerville Public Library?

When I found myself between jobs after moving to Somerville from Connecticut, I decided to volunteer for the Citizenship program. I am an educator by training and have always been interested in the idea of helping people prepare for their citizenship exams. I felt this was the perfect opportunity for me to become involved in such a worthwhile project as well as to begin to learn more about my new community.

What is your favorite memory of the Citizenship program at the Somerville Public Library?

So far my favorite memory is of the first day I was in front of class, reviewing some of the questions that may be asked during an interview. The question before us was “do you have any children?”. Not one person in the class said they had any children. I was very confused because I was sure that some of the people in the room had children. During the break, I approached one of our students from Brazil and told him that I was confused and thought something may have been “lost in the translation”. As we discussed the question, we realized that there definitely was a misunderstanding. The word “children” used by us in the United States generally carries along for our “child’s” whole life. According to this gentleman, the word child is not used for a son or daughter over the age of 16. After the break we clarified this issue with the rest of the class. All of us had a little laugh over the misunderstanding. This was a good reminder for me to remember to be aware of the nuances of language.

Did anything about the Citizenship program surprise you?

While I have not been surprised by the dedication of everyone involved with the Citizenship program, I have been encouraged that during our current COVID crisis the program has survived, not only by the ability to work through ZOOM with students, but also to ensure that we have the most up to date information from USCIS to pass along to our students.

Anything else you would like to add?

I just want to say it has been a privilege to be a part of the Citizenship program. I have learned so much from the people I have worked with and am so honored to be part of a group of people so dedicated to such a worthwhile program. I am so very glad that we have been able to continue to offer services during this difficult time and I look forward to the day that we will be able to once again meet in person.

Thank you, Denise for your time & dedication to the Citizenship program!

ESL Collection Recommendations

Control Your Money by Beth Oddy (New Readers Press)

Control Your Money will give you ideas on how to manage your money well such as tracking your income and expenses and how to use credit cards wisely.

Computers: One Click at a Time by Angela Harris (New Readers Press)

Computers: One Click at a Time will help you learn about the computer skills needed in today's workplace and everyday life. You will build core computer skills including learning the word processing, spreadsheet, folders, windows, and internet basics. In addition, you will learn online safety, including how to identify suspicious emails.

Ventures Student's Book by Gretchen Bitterlin (Cambridge University Press)

The Ventures Student's Book series will help you develop the skills needed to be college and career ready, and function successfully in your community. QR codes are available for listening activities along with an accompanying workbook for extra practice. 6 Levels available: Basic-Level 5.

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Urban English Social: Casual American English for Spanish Speakers (Volume 2) by Urban Planet Mobile

The Urban English Social program provides lessons focusing on everyday words and phrases used in a variety of social situations. This audio is geared towards Spanish speakers learning to use casual English words and phrases around topics such as music and movies.

Volume 1 also available.

If you are interested in checking out any of these materials from the ESL Collection, please contact Brigid, bpigott@minlib.net or place a hold online.