Roosevelt Island Youth Program Offering We Are New York English As A Second Language Classes For Adults and Science/Math Mentoring For Kids Through NY Academy Of Sciences STEM Program

These previous posts reported on the the Roosevelt Island Youth Program (RIYP) We Are New York English As A Second Language (ESL) instructional classes.

We Are New York ESL Class Image From Roosevelt Island Youth Program

On Tuesday, November 15 RIYP is starting a new ESL instructional series.

We Are New York English As A Second Language
Program Being Offered By
The Roosevelt Island Youth Program @ 506 Main st. The Youth Center-

Tell Someone Who May be Helped By It

Roosevelt Island Beacon

ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP

For Adults Only

Tuesdays & Thursdays

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Meets on the following dates:

November 15, 17, 22, 29 &

December 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20

at Roosevelt Island Youth Center

506 Main Street

RIYP Executive Director Charlie DeFino adds:

We Are New York TV Program will be offering a nine-episode series developed by the City University of New York and the Mayor's Office of Adult Education for the second year and third session. We are using the series as the basis for conversation groups to help adult immigrants practice English while learning more about City services. The conversation groups are not traditional ESL but they do help people gain sorely needed skills. The groups are one way to help the City’s many immigrants who cannot enroll in existing ESL courses—at no cost. The information below is in English, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Indian and Haitian Creole.

Registration Starts Now!!! Call Hassan Wazani at 212-527-2505

The Mayor's Office of Adult Education explains more about the We Are New York Adult English as a second language program: We Are New York is intended to help people learn English that will be useful to them. Each week, a new story will show people speaking English in important and realistic situations, like going to the doctor or talking with a child's teacher.

The characters speak the English of everyday life. But, they speak a little slower than the average English-language television show. The show also has subtitles in English, helping people to understand and learn the language.

The We Are New York Community Project organizes free conversation groups across the City. Volunteer language leaders are trained and placed at community organizations, and they use the show to help immigrants practice their English.

RIYP is also offering science and math mentoring programs for students in the 4th to 8th grades. Mr. DeFino reports:

We are pleased to tell you the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) funded Roosevelt Island Youth Program @PS/IS 217 is participating in this year’s NY Academy of Sciences (NYAS) STEM Afterschool Mentoring Program.

 STEM Mentoring Image From RIYP

As a result, graduate students Tamar Hermesh, Michael Wheelock and Hyung Jin Ahn from Rockefeller University, Michael Urbanski from CUNY, and Cindy Puente from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, have been assigned to the Beacon program to facilitate science activities for program participants. Please check with Beacon Program Director Hassan Wazani 212-527-2505 for details.

Approximately one year ago NYAS partnered with DYCD to launch the NYAS STEM Afterschool Mentoring Program. The program trains post doctorate and graduate student members from NYAS’ Science Alliance program to facilitate math and science curricula, and mentor 4th through 8th grade students attending DYCD funded afterschool programs. Curricula topics are genetics, space science, earth science, birds and math. Some mentors are also trained on LEGO Mindstorms NXT to support afterschool programs participating in FIRST LEGO Robotics competition.

 STEM Mentoring Image From RIYP

Mentors are scientists in training from academic institutions located throughout NYC. Mentors volunteer their time and are fingerprinted for background checks before beginning to volunteer in afterschool programs. They also attend a 6-hour workshop on strategies for working with youth and approaches for teaching science and math in informal learning environments. Each mentor is partnered with an afterschool program staff person who supports the mentor with facilitating the curriculum and managing the classroom.

To learn more about NYAS and its Science Education Initiative click here.