As part of its mission to provide job readiness training to its program participants, Riverside has created a Digital Literacy Clinic. The Clinic provides training on various digital platforms that can be used in both educational and employment settings. Riverside has also maintained its laptop lending library for students who don't have a device at home and want to continue developing their digital skills after class. This prepares students for various opportunities, virtual and otherwise.
As a Digital Literacy exercise, Level 5 students completed a project using Google Slides, incorporating audio files to create mini-documentaries based on childhood stories. These projects are supported by an instructor drawn from our talent pool of alums, who works with our ESOL teachers to provide instruction and tech support sessions. "This program creates a wonderful opportunity for an alum to return to Riverside and gain work experience while helping current students develop critical digital literacy skills," said Executive Director Berta Colón.
Language Labs and Mentoring are Back!
Riverside's Language Labs and Mentoring Program have resumed! Volunteers have returned to our classrooms. Those who are unable to meet in person are connecting to students remotely. While the new normal has its challenges, Riverside is thrilled to restart such important parts of its programming. An added benefit to remote connections is that it allows Riverside to expand the community of volunteers eager to work with its students, but who are unable to attend onsite.
"In the beginning, it was a little technologically challenging. But since the launch, it has gone very well. The volunteers were excited to resume the labs. The students were so happy to have conversations. Some students told me that the conversations were so enjoyable that they wished they could have it every day," shared Riverside's Office Assistant Lynda Metmer, who coordinates the labs.
The Mentoring Program, which launched last fiscal year, is once again pairing up students with mentors to build professional connections and to receive support in navigating American society. The program allows students to gain expert guidance and tap into professional networks to advance their career goals. "I had the opportunity to train for an interview with my mentor. She gave me helpful advice and more specific vocabulary that connected with my profession."
Barnard College Students Join the Volunteer Team
As part of a Barnard College Public Engagement Initiative, Barnard students are joining the Language Labs and volunteering at Riverside. Riverside is one of 12 programs collaborating with Barnard on issues of immigration, poverty, and labor rights. Barnard Professor Maria Lozano, whose research focuses on second language acquisition, language maintenance among immigrants, and the use of Web 2.0 technologies for language teaching, is leading the partnership. Students from her class, Spanish 3300 -Immigration and Educational Policies, volunteer at Riverside as part of their civic education. This program is expected to continue through the school year and is focused on Riverside students in Levels 1 and 2.
The COVID-19 Vaccine
Riverside Language Program is collaborating with The Academy of Medical and Public Health Services on a COVID-19 vaccine presentation geared towards immigrant and adult ESOL communities. Gabriela MacPherson, Riverside’s Outcomes Coordinator, is working with students to identify their key questions and concerns so that Riverside can provide them with the most current information.
The COVID-19 vaccine is available to all New York residents age 16 and older, regardless of immigration status, as of April 6th. For information on the vaccine, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Riverside Partners with Upwardly Global
Yusuf and Luis: Immigrant job seekers served by Upwardly Global.
Riverside Language Program and Upwardly Global (UpGlo) a non-profit organization that works to eliminate employment barriers for skilled immigrants and refugees have formalized a new partnership to help streamline referrals and provide better support for our students and alumni. Riverside refers eligible students to UpGlo, while UpGlo recommends students to the Riverside program to improve their English language skills, who return to their job placement when their skills have progressed. “We are still in the beginning stages, but things have been going smoothly, and we are looking forward to growing this partnership with UpGlo’s amazing team,” says Gabriela MacPherson, Riverside’s Outcomes Coordinator.
Food Glorious Food
Reserve your table at Riverside’s Third Annual International Food Festival Tuesday, April 27th at 6 pm. The event will again be virtual, celebrating the world’s cuisines and showcasing the diversity of cultures present in the Riverside student body. Each chef will prepare video presentations of their native country’s dish and answer questions from the audience. A recording of last year’s virtual food festival is available here. If you make one of these special dishes, let us know by emailing us at info@riversidelanguage.org and tagging us on social media.
Student Concert Lifts Spirits
Music brought the Riverside community together on the evening of February 23rd, as musicians Yukimi Maeda, a Riverside alum, and Slava Dementyev, a current Riverside student, entertained the audience via Zoom with beautiful musical performances. Before sharing pre-recorded sets, Yukimi and Slava spoke about their respective backgrounds in music and how much they enjoyed their language classes at Riverside.
Yukimi, who has been playing the piano since the age of four, opened the program, performing I’ll Close My Eyes by Billy Reid on piano and an original piece titled White Streets. Yukimi studied at Riverside in 2019. "When I moved here, two years ago, I couldn't communicate well with other people… [At Riverside] there are a lot of wonderful people, volunteers, and students, and very smart, warm, wonderful teachers. I learned many things from them, not only English. Now I feel more free in my New York life." Yukimi’s neighbor, Harvie S., accompanied her on the bass.
Slava, who moved to New York City from Moscow last year, has studied saxophone since age nine and attended the Moscow Music School. He performed a cover of pop star Billie Eilish’s song My Future and The Raft (Plot) by Russian composer Yuriy Loza.
“Both Yukimi and Slava were extraordinary. It makes us so proud that we have been able to work with them and that they are part of the Riverside community,” said Riverside Executive Director Berta Colòn. You can find a recording of the event here:
Level 5 Students Explore New York
Thanks to your generosity, Riverside students can take advantage of New York City and visit cultural institutions as part of their education as new New Yorkers. This past month, a group of Riverside students visited The Met Cloisters. Classes are continuing virtually, but in-person events have been taking place outdoors and less frequently due to safety precautions. Nevertheless, we are still finding ways to connect and learn safely. Stay tuned for more outdoor events.
Giving Thanks
The Riverside Language Program hosted a virtual gathering on Tuesday, November 17, to celebrate and to express gratitude for its community of supporters. Emeritus instructor Lindsay Pearson, who retired this past summer, received special recognition for her 39 years of teaching at Riverside. Students and alumni prepared video messages and presentations for Lindsay, our volunteers, and the Riverside community to express their appreciation. Each class shared a poem or presentation it had prepared, practicing their hard-earned English language skills through public speaking.
Lab/Shul and Riverside Create Community
Over a year ago, The Riverside Language Program and Lab/Shul, an artist-driven experimental Jewish community, joined forces to provide Riverside students with programming and enrichment opportunities. Volunteers from Lab/Shul first started working with the Riverside community as Language Lab volunteers, practicing conversational English with current students. Thanks in no small part to Lab/Shul volunteers Ivan Helfand and Janee Graver, the relationship has grown steadily. This past Rosh Hashanah, Lab/Shul volunteers hosted a field trip on the Circle Line, traveling up and down the Hudson, and introduced students to Tashlich, a Jewish tradition in which pieces of bread are thrown into the water to “symbolically cast off sins of the previous year.” Janee immediately recognized her conversation partners and was thrilled to meet them in person to share this special event. She noted how moving it was to participate in this ceremony with Riverside’s immigrant and refugee students, especially when the ferry sailed in view of the Statue of Liberty.
Ivan is looking forward to more collaboration. “We hope to be doing more with the Riverside Language Program...The mission of Riverside fits perfectly with our values to promote justice and equality.” As Lab/Shul’s Rabbi Amichai said, “...this is not the last time we co-create sacred space and community together.”
Life after 40: Riverside’s Next Act
Like the immigrant community we serve, Riverside has grown and changed significantly since we were established over 40 years ago. We started as an English Language program but, as we quickly learned about our students’ needs for social service support, we added case management and counseling services to provide referrals and direct assistance. When our students told us they were reluctant to use the language they were learning with fast-talking New Yorkers, we partnered with our wonderful community volunteers and established conversation labs to build up their confidence.
Our move to the B’nai Jeshurun four years ago opened up an opportunity to partner with synagogue members to provide resume writing and mentorship services to students getting ready to join the workforce. And just this past spring, when the pandemic hit, our innovative faculty members quickly shifted all of our services to a remote platform and developed new ways to teach and train our students via Zoom and other online tools.
We are now at another moment of change. While English Language instruction will always remain our core program, in the current social and economic environment, our students and alumni need a broader, more coordinated set of services to ensure that they can fully integrate in the U.S. Over the next 3-5 years, guided by a strategic plan shaped by our students, alumni, staff, Board, volunteers, and other key stakeholders, Riverside will place a stronger emphasis on direct job training and placement, broaden our client base, and pilot new service models that complement the current needs of the immigrant community.
It is an exciting moment. Our staff is growing, and our programming is expanding. As we move forward, we are proud of our past, and excited for our future. We hope you will continue to partner with us as we move into this new chapter.
RLP Welcomes Gabriela and Nursen
We are pleased to welcome two new members to our team: Gabriela MacPherson, Riverside's new Outcomes Coordinator, and Nursen Turan, a new ESOL instructor.
Gabriela MacPherson
Gabriela joins Riverside from the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). At NYIC, she worked on increasing legal access available to immigrants. Gabriela graduated magna cum laude from William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, with a BA in Anthropology. As Riverside’s Outcomes Coordinator, Gabriela will collect data on student needs and generate impact data on Riverside's services. She will also oversee Riverside's Alumni Network. Gabriela is excited to work with an organization that prioritizes language access and shares, "I know from my mom and friends who are immigrants, that one of the biggest challenges you face when you first come to the US is the language barrier. [Teaching English is] a really powerful way to help folks who are coming here."
Nursen Turan
Nursen Turan joins us from The English Language Center at LaGuardia Community College, where she taught for eight years. Nursen immigrated to New York from Turkey in 2003, which she feels gives her a personal understanding of the experiences of her students, “I have been helping people like myself get used to the culture, both by increasing their language skills and by increasing their familiarity with the culture.” Nursen studied Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in college in Turkey and earned her master’s degree from Columbia University's Teachers College.
Please join us in welcoming these two wonderful women to the Riverside family!
Lindsay Pearson Retires After 39 Years of Teaching at Riverside
Lindsay with her class, February 3, 2012.
A great teacher can transform the course of their students’ lives. Their influence can stretch beyond the classroom, providing friendship, wisdom, and guidance in all future endeavors. Lindsay Pearson, one such great teacher, taught at Riverside for 39 years and retired this summer. Over the course of her career, Lindsay taught over 5,000 students. “Lindsay has a friendly attitude and compassion. She had a huge ocean of patience that made each student love her so much. We could see in every class how much she loved her job and her students,” said former student Lynda ’20.
Lindsay graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College, where she also received a master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. She joined Riverside in 1981 at the suggestion of her Hunter College friend and soon-to-be colleague, Lane Serota, who retired in 2019.
As she reflected on her time at Riverside, Lindsay discussed the impact that geopolitical events and domestic policy had on the makeup of Riverside’s student population. She took great pride in introducing new immigrants to New York City and to one another.
“Working with people from so many parts of the world, I’ve learned so many things about life, about how to live. It’s made me a happier person. I’m very thankful to the students for helping me live a better life.”
Lindsay says she probably has a “hundred little stories” about her students. “Riverside has always been the standard… because of the happy environment, the very motivated international students, the supportive colleagues, and the emphasis on subordinating teaching to learning.”
Lindsay continues to stay in touch with her former Riverside students and colleagues, and is now a Riverside language lab volunteer.
The Year in Review
In the past year, attacks against the immigrant community created a climate of fear and despair. The global pandemic stripped away threadbare economic safeguards, with many immigrants losing their jobs in the service and food sectors. As the demand for police reform and racial justice echoed around the world, the deep-rooted divides across race and ethnicity in this country were once again publicly displayed.
In this environment, Riverside focused on strengthening and empowering its immigrant community. Students in all five of our class levels received training in workforce readiness. We held workshops and presentations on resume writing and interview skills, know-your-rights, financial literacy, and health insurance access. To re-engage former students and support their ongoing needs, we launched the Riverside Alumni Network.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we shifted to online services and held all classes remotely. To provide a lifeline for students and alums devastated by the economic impact of the pandemic, we established a Relief Fund that raised $55,000 for emergency grants from our community of supporters, including a grant from The Robin Hood Foundation.
In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month, we held a virtual International Food Festival with over 100 participants. The event showcased the skills and creativity of our students and alums and created a space for our community to come together. Riverside also welcomed new volunteers to our language labs and expanded the program into the summer to continue to build student confidence and strengthen learning. In total, our volunteers dedicated over 8,000 hours to Riverside, and we are so grateful to them!
To say that it has been quite the year is an understatement. I am incredibly proud of the collective work our community has done to build up and support newly arrived immigrants and each other.
I wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you in the fall.
Warmly,
Berta Colón
Executive Director
Riverside Language Program, Inc.
Dinner is served at the 2nd International Food Festival
Riverside friends, alumni, and guests “dined” together June 16 and celebrated the 2nd Annual International Food Festival. Seven current students and alums welcomed over 100 guests into their homes and kitchens, with cooking presentations of special home country dishes. (See video).
The menu included José Luis Camós Victoria’s (Spain) Tortilla de Patatas; sisters Camila and Nicole Mercado Baria’s (Dominican Republic) Mangú; Tatiana Stepanova’s (Russia) Borscht; Liudmila Dainiak’s (Belarus) fritters; Inas Meshaal’s (Egypt) stuffed grape leaves and Dilorom Musaeva’s (Russia) Blinchik for dessert.
A question and answer period followed dinner, giving the alumni, current students, volunteers, and community members the opportunity to enjoy one another’s company. A recipe book from last year’s International Food Festival was shared with participants and is now available on Riverside's website, along with other student recipes.
Riverside launches Community Relief Fund in response to COVID-19
At the outset of the pandemic, when Governor Cuomo signed the “New York State on PAUSE” order, directing the closure of all non-essential businesses statewide on March 22, students and alumni began calling Riverside for support. Many suddenly found themselves unemployed and struggling to navigate the complexities of the health care system. Approximately 60% of Riverside students lost their jobs because of COVID-19; a majority worked in the service sector.
In response, Riverside created a Community Relief Fund and, with help from its community and two generous donors who provided match grants, raised $30,000 to distribute emergency grants for food and other necessities to students and alums hardest hit by the pandemic. A $25,000 grant from the Robin Hood Foundation helped Riverside expand the Fund to include its broader alumni population.
To date, Riverside has distributed over $40,000 in emergency grants. Rent, food, medicine, and utility bills constitute the areas of greatest need. These grants have been a critical lifeline as our students and alumni navigate the current economic landscape for themselves and their families.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020
Over 100 students graduated on June 25, 2020. After studying English full-time for at least six weeks, and weathering the transition to remote learning, Riverside students proudly presented via Zoom poetry, songs, and speeches they had written to mark the occasion. The event featured a roll call of student home countries that highlighted Riverside’s rich diversity. Congratulations on your well-deserved success!
Safeguarding Students and Alums: Case Management & Counseling
Imelda Melgar
Imelda Melgar came to Riverside in 2005 and never left. Now in her 15th year as Riverside’s case manager and counselor, Imelda originally attended the school as a student a few years after arriving in New York from El Salvador. “Riverside’s mission resonated with me -- personally and professionally,” she said.
Providing counseling/case management is a 24/7 job. Student needs range from navigating government services to filling out college applications and forms. Often, to broaden services and supports to students, Imelda partners with community-based organizations to provide workshops on topics ranging from Career & Education, Financial Literacy, and Know Your Rights. During the late fall, health clinics are invited to provide flu vaccinations.
“As an immigrant myself, I believe our community is very resilient.”
When Riverside transitioned to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Riverside worked closely with its tight-knit community to ensure that both students and alums had online access and support, even at a distance. “The initial issue was keeping our students and their families healthy and safe while following the mandated stay-at-home order. One of the things that became crucial was learning digital skills, and making sure our students had access to technology, not only to stay connected with us but also to survive.”
Imelda, like all Riverside students, is grateful for the opportunity Riverside gave her. “When you are in a new country and face language barriers, immigration problems, health problems, housing, and financial instability, and attend a full-time and demanding program like ours, that in itself is already an accomplishment,” says Imelda.
Remote Student Learning
Within just a few weeks, our teachers adapted to a remote model. They created new lesson plans, incorporated new technology, and designed remote classes that allowed our students to continue learning English from home. The new distance learning format required creativity and imagination. Our teachers used virtual games and presentations, pictured, to engage students and keep interactions dynamic.
Our favorite books about immigration
Riverside students visit St. Agnes Library for the first time. With their new library cards, they are now true New Yorkers!
Are you looking for a good book to read?
Here is one of our all-time favorite reading lists:
16 BEAUTIFUL, COMPELLING, AND POIGNANT BOOKS ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND IMMIGRANTS
By Book Riot
1. EXIT WEST: A NOVEL BY MOHSIN HAMID
I tell anyone who will listen that this is one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. Exit West is a lyrical, heart-breaking, deeply moving reflection on migration, love, and xenophobia. Nadia and Saeed are two very different people thrown together in a perilous time. They must navigate leaving a war-torn country and tending to their fledging love as they migrate to country after country in search of the elusive new and better life. This book will leave you both wrecked and full to the brim.
2. THE GOOD IMMIGRANT: 26 WRITERS REFLECT ON AMERICA EDITED BY NIKESH SHUKLA AND CHIMENE SULEYMAN
The Good Immigrant is so urgently necessary right now; it is a head-on account of the modern immigration in America. Twenty-six authors (including Chigozie Obioma, Alexander Chee, Fatimah Asghar, and others) share their stories of immigration in the United States. The authors of The Good Immigrant give a voice to the varied and complicated realities facing so many across the country.
3. HOME FIRE: A NOVEL BY KAMILA SHAMSIE
Home Fire is the story of Isma, a young British Pakistani woman who has served as the matriarch of her family since her mother’s death. Isma is offered an opportunity to leave England for the U.S., but even as she escapes, she and her siblings must contend with their father’s troubled past as well as the ramifications of a new man in their collective lives. A brilliantly written and totally unexpected book.
4. UNACCOMPANIED BY JAVIER ZAMORA
Sometimes poetry is able to convey depth and rawness of emotion in ways that prose simply cannot. Such is the case with Javier Zamora’s Unaccompanied, which is his reflection on his own immigration story of crossing the border alone to meet his parents in the U.S. at the age of 9. Zamora’s work is stunning and this book is a must-read.
5. CALL ME AMERICAN: A MEMOIR BY ABDI NOR IFTIN
Abdi Nor Iftin’s reporting on a radicalized Somalia in the mid-2000s gained him international notoriety, but also forced him to flee his homeland and leave his family behind. After a childhood spent idolizing American culture, Iftin faced the adult reality of trying to gain access to the country as an asylum seeker. His memoir explores his own experience of the Somali Civil War and his incredible journey to establishing a new and different life in America.
6. THINGS ARE GOOD NOW BY DJAMILA IBRAHIM
I stumbled upon this beautiful book while at a book fair in South Africa and I’m so glad I did. Things Are Good Now follows migrant women in cities across the world as they sort out their new lives in foreign lands. The book explores the profound sacrifices they must make to achieve those lives and what remains when they do. A fantastic read.
7. REFUGE: A NOVEL BY DINA NAYERI
What if, in the 20 years since you migrated from your home in Iran, you only got to see your father four times? How would your lives be different? Would that time apart transform you both? How would the years alter how you view home and heritage? Refuge explores these questions through the story of one Iranian woman who immigrated to the United States as a child.
8. THE REFUGEES BY VIET THANH NGUYEN
In my opinion, Viet Thanh Nguyen is one of the most compelling contemporary writers addressing the themes of migration and the dual cultural identity it creates. The Refugees is a collection of stories that spans two decades and toggles between Vietnam and America. If you love this book, try Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives, a collection of essays written by 17 refugee writers and edited by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
9. THE BEST WE COULD DO: AN ILLUSTRATED MEMOIR BY THI BUI
Cartoonist and writer Thi Bui starts her illustrated memoir at the beginning: the birth of her son. What follows is a reflection on her own childhood as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, held up in the light of new parenthood. She recounts the many sacrifices (large and small) her parents made for the benefit of her and her siblings and contemplates what love and family really mean.
10. FRONT DESK BY KELLY YANG
Mia Tang is a young girl who manages the front desk at her home, Calivista Motel, where her parents also clean the rooms and hide undocumented immigrants. She also wants to be a writer, even though her mother has doubts about English not being her first language. This lovely middle grades book follows Mia as she wrestles with the issues surrounding her family’s immigration status and as she discovers how to accomplish her own dreams.
11. THE ONLY ROAD BY ALEXANDRA DIAZ
In the first of two companion books by Alexandra Diaz, Jaime, a young Guatemalan boy, must leave the dangerous circumstances in his home country behind and start the treacherous journey to the United States. Jaime’s story echoes the violent realities facing hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the globe every day.
12. OTHER WORDS FOR HOME BY JASMINE WARGA
This is a middle grade book focused on Jude, a young girl who immigrates with her mother from Syria to America. Jude navigates the strange newness of a new school, learning a new culture, and establishing a home and identity for herself in Cincinnati.
13. THE DAY YOU BEGIN BY JACQUELINE WOODSON, ILLUSTRATED BY RAFAEL LÓPEZ
Though not exclusively about immigrants, The Day You Begin reminds children of all backgrounds to love themselves, even when they think they are the exception amongst their peers. The Day You Begin encourages children to embrace the ways in which they are distinct and unique, no matter how they look, how they talk, or where they’re from. Not only is this book told with rich, stunning illustrations, it is also available in Spanish and English!
14. FROM NORTH TO SOUTH/DEL NORTE AL SUR BY RENÉ LAÍNEZ, ILLUSTRATED BY JOE CEPEDA
René Laínez’s touching picture book From North to South focuses on one Mexican American family whose matriarch is deported. The story pivots around the insecurity and strain deportations place on families, especially children, and does so with aplomb. The text is written in Spanish and English and can help begin a dialogue with children facing the uncertainty of parental deportations.
15. A DIFFERENT POND BY BAO PHI, ILLUSTRATED BY THI BUI
I love love love this beautiful picture book, which is told from the perspective of a young son of a Vietnamese immigrant. The father and son venture out one day on a fishing trip, where the father tells the story of another pond all the way back in Vietnam. At one point, the young boy reflects, “A kid at my school said my dad’s English sounds like a thick, dirty river. But to me his English sounds like a gentle rain.” A Different Pond engages beautifully with the themes so many children of immigrants have to wrestle with, specifically loving the differences embodied in their parents and their heritage.
16. TWO WHITE RABBITS BY JAIRO BUITRAGO, ILLUSTRATED BY RAFAEL YOCKTENG, TRANSLATED BY ELISA AMADO
Two White Rabbits uses beautiful, subtle drawings to tell the story of a father and a daughter migrating from Central America to the United States. While there may be triggers for children who’ve had similar migration stories, it is critical reading for non-immigrant children and adults while we seek to empathize with our fellow human beings facing grave danger as they seek out a better life.