W.S. programs aim to help teenage refugees

By Kristin Ritch and Jasmine Willis
BengalNews Reporters

            When 14-year-old Nepali Hemanta Adhikari came to America three years ago, she was afraid, overwhelmed and didn’t know where to turn to for help.

            She is not alone. Just like her, many other refugees her age are stepping off a plane into a whole new life and culture.

            Like any other teenager, Adhikari was nervous to start high school. She had to start fresh, make new friends and prepare for a harder education.

            Programs are being formed to help these refugee teenagers in the West Side adjust to American higher education.

            The programs Making a Connection, Education Purpose Integrity and Courage, and the organization West Side Ministries all work with these refugees’ teens to help them keep up with Americans their age and adjust to the different lifestyle.

            The program Making a Connection  is led by Lead Youth Coach, Mindy Ramey. This program, with help from a $350,000 grant received from New York State, started up Sept. 1   and is going strong. 

Mindy Ramey, on the Making a Connection program:

            MAC, located in St. Lawrence Academy on Saint Lawrence Avenue, takes up a room that holds 24 students that represent nine different countries. The age ranges of these students are unlike American high school students. These students range anywhere from 16 to 21 years old.

            The lessons start at 9 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. The students get five hours of  G.E.D. preparation, vocational training,  English language instruction, college preparation and community orientation training.

             “The great part of it is the freedom, Buffalo Public Schools are not telling them how much time they can spend on different subjects,” Ramey said. “We have the freedom of time, the freedom of time is the amazing part of the program.”

            Ramey said that none of the teachers are certified English as a second language (ESL) teachers. They are all just trying to get these teens up the academic level they need to be at for high school. One of the exercises at MAC to help these youths enhance their literacy involves journaling for 20 minutes about anything they want to write about in their own language. This is meant to teach them flow in writing, and will eventually get them to translate them into a basic essay.

            Another Program geared towards helping these youths is called EPIC. Education Purpose Integrity and Courage embodies the goals of the students. Claire Essley, director of education for Jericho Road Ministries, runs this program.

            To check out other refugee programs and opportunities offered through Jericho Road go to their website, http://www.jrm-buffalo.org/.

            This program is different from MAC because the participating students are not there to prepare for their G.E.D.s and are not there all day. This is an after school program that helps students adjust to the Buffalo Public High Schools. It helps them keep up with the American students so they don’t fall too far behind.

            “There are dozens of programs all over the city ranging from kids that have just stepped off the airplane and are completely shell shocked, and just helping them get acculturated,” Essley said. “This program is targeting students who have been in the country for two to five years.”

            West Side Ministries has bought many homes on the West Side to renovate for these programs.

            EPIC also teaches these youths creative arts. One example of that is a mural the students painted on the wall of the living room.

            These students have to find their own means of transportation there and currently there are only four students participating since the program began in October. The goal is to get at least 12 students soon.

          Adhikari can speak five different languages. She is learning Burmese right now, and can already speak Hindi, English, Nepali and a little Spanish. She misses her own country and hopes to go see her family there soon, but is learning to adjust to Buffalo with a little help from her friends at EPIC. 

         “I really like this program, they really help me a lot,” said Adhikari. “I make new friends and I learn about their society." Edited by Caitlin Waters

          

On the Job Ministries puts youth to work

Takara Owens sorts through clothing  at New To You

By Jessica Chetney
and Jessica Goodridge
BengalNews Reporters

         Many West Side organizations focus on helping residents find employment in today’s troubling economy.

And then there’s On the Job Ministries (OTJ)

This organization primarily focuses on providing jobs for young adults, ages 16-24.

"We have some students who are still in high school, who work after school and on Saturdays," said Rebecca Ballard, assistant director of OTJ Ministries. "We usually have between two to three after school positions. They often come from Lafayette, McKinley, and other local high schools."

The ministries have created three small local businesses to help lower unemployment rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Buffalo-Niagara region’s unemployment rate is at 8.4 percent.

These small local businesses are New To You, Soapworks, and Westside Wheels located at 289 Grant St.

" I think there’s a need for more organizations like this," Ballard said. "There’s definitely a need, not only for things to do, but I like that we are offering them a job and are actually paying them while they are training. There are some job organizations that give you the training, but you don’t necessarily get a paycheck."

They also work with social services through the Placing Individuals in Vital Opportunity Training program (PIVOT) to provide jobs for people who are on cash assistance as well.

Rebecca Ballard of On the Job Ministries discusses recruitment:

Soapworks, one of the businesses created by OTJ Ministries, is a natural blend of rich oils and aromatic fragrances produced on the West Side at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church.

"We work with the young women to teach them how to make the soap, how to package it, and how to market it," Ballard said. "We also go to craft fairs during the holidays to sell our soap. It gets our name out there."

Kierra Pierre, warehouse coordinator at the New To You shop, is just one example of how life changing this program is.

Pierre started her journey with OTJ Ministries as a high school student working at Soapworks.

" It was a struggle for sure," said Rose Gandy, her co-worker and store manager at New To You. " It is really difficult in this neighborhood honestly, because they have so many friends. It was interesting to see how she stood up and said, ‘I need to do this for myself’. " 

Pierre has been working with OTJ Ministries for four years now and is making plans for a bright future.

"She’s very talented. She has matured astronomically," Gandy said.

          "It’s a great program to help develop your skills," Pierre said. "I want to go to college for business management and hopefully open my own business."

         Pierre also said that working with the program has given her a sense of faith.

         OTJ Ministries hopes to see more young adults develop life long skills to be used in the professional world.

         "She has taught me a lot. She has been here so she knows the functions, where I might have a different area that I may be okay in, but she knows everything all around," Gandy said. "She is irreplaceable."