S.M.A.R.T. youth with Chancellor Michelle Rhee of D.C. Public Schools

The youth of S.M.A.R.T. (Student Multi-ethnic Action Research Teams) will use blogging and video diaries to bring attention to issues of language access barriers in the District of Columbia. The D.C. Language Access Coalition (DCLAC) works with and for limited and non-English proficient (LEP/NEP) individuals residing in D.C. to ensure that language access services are being provided by District government agencies. The need for equal access to services for LEP/NEPs is great in D.C., where the total number of LEP/NEPs is 27,362, according to the American Community Survey 2006-2008 estimates. LEP/NEP immigrants are one of the most disenfranchised and isolated populations, and with communication and technology being necessary to navigate in society, this proposal seeks to empower immigrant youth to use technology (blogging, video diaries and SMS texting) to collect the stories of LEP/NEPs and disseminate their findings.  These stories will be used to advocate for resources that would enable LEP/NEP youth to graduate from high school on time, as they will be shared with key decision-makers in the D.C. Public School System, as well as the legislative and executive arms of the D.C. government.

S.M.A.R.T. is DCLAC’s initiative on education and aims to educate, train and empower LEP/NEP and ELL (English Language Learner) youth in advocacy, community organizing, public speaking, new media platforms, the D.C. Public School and public charter school systems, and their rights to language access and public education to improve the quality of and access to education for immigrant students, with the end goal of doubling their college-ready graduation rates. DCLAC focuses on developing the leadership of SMART fellows to organize their peers, conduct action research, engage in advocacy and partner with other groups in order to forward DCLAC’s language advocacy work. SMART youth are immigrant high school students attending DC public and charter schools. Twelve will be core participants in the year-long program and twenty-five have attended the summer program. The core group of SMART Fellows meets with Lead Education Organizer Karina Hurtado on Fridays for reflection, planning and leadership development. They return to their high schools to facilitate a SMART Club meeting once per week to incorporate other students into the work and remain flexible on weekdays and weekends for actions and professional development opportunities. 

The youth’s assessment of government agencies’ implementation of the D.C. Language Access Act will come from direct observation and story collection. The youth will present findings gathered through targeted surveys with other DCPS students, parents & administrators, story collection via video, and language access implementation review to the D.C. government representatives, parents, community members, and classmates in the form of a report, with the help of the Language Access Advocate Tereguebode Goungou. They will be trained on media production, video editing, public speaking, and interviewing, and they will have completed video interviews of people who offer their stories, and maintain their own video diaries about their organizing work and leadership development. Youth will also keep a blog on the DCLAC website where they will express their voice, reflect on their weekly meetings, and incorporate media into the posts such as videos and photos. DCLAC plans on mobilizing other LEP/NEP students to participate in S.M.A.R.T.-led actions using text messaging on cell phones. The S.M.A.R.T. students would launch a text messaging program to send out multi-lingual action alerts and motivational reminders about students’ rights to language access in school (i.e. bilingual counselors, current textbooks in the widely spoken languages, after-school services for LEP/NEP students and their families). For example, if there was a town hall meeting or candidates’ forum, DCLAC could send out a mass text message to tell people where to meet for their next action to improve education and other areas. DCLAC is using technology to increase the voice of immigrants in city politics and civil society in D.C. through civic engagement. They will also learn how to use the cell phones to record video to collect stories from one another. When DCLAC educates this traditionally isolated population about the forms of technology, they can be more easily moved to action. This idea is similar to a project in Los Angeles where immigrant laborers are taught how to use cell phones to record and document their stories. This project has given a voice to immigrants to represent themselves instead of others doing it for them. The project is described more here: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/19/local/la-me-laborer-blogs-20100919

Collaboration is at the core of DCLAC’s work, since the Language Access Coalition is a coalition of community based organizations who have come together and decided that language access is the issue that intersects all of their missions, purposes, and clients who walk through their doors. DCLAC is also developing a strong partnership with one of its coalition members, Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) and its youth advocates and organizers to explore ways to collaborate in the coming year. Furthermore, a staff member will also work on engaging the Education committee of the Language Access Coalition with SMART work and education reform in DC Public Schools. The SMART youth collaborate and bring together other ELL students in their schools through SMART clubs. In addition, SMART is part of a coalition of other education groups called Collaborative for Education Organizing (CEO) which coordinates testimonies before council and education organizing initiatives. Other CEO partners like Empower DC help SMART reach out to other parents of DCPS students, in addition to the parents of the SMART youth, community members, and other advocates for education reform I D.C.

The proposal is feasible from a technical point of view because DCLAC has staff experienced in mobilizing disenfranchised immigrant communities around media, research, and story collection. SMART youth come from various racial/ethnic backgrounds, speak various languages (Spanish, French, and Amharic) and have different levels of English proficiency. The youth will collaborate across multicultural lines realizing the power of racial/ethnic groups coming together to work towards an issue that affects them all. They will work closely and communicate effectively with each other on the production of blogs and video recordings of stories.

This project has a great impact for little cost, as the blog will become a part of the already functioning DCLAC website. DCLAC has submitted a proposal to the National Cristina Foundation to ask for donations of computers and video equipment when available in the area. DCLAC will not need to hire new staff or bring in other trainers as the staff is already knowledgeable in the types of technology we would be implementing. The end result will be a positive step forward for the LEP/NEP as the youth will gain valuable skills in technology as a means to organize others. This is a skill they can bring to social justice organizing efforts which they can lead in college and/or among their communities in DC.  The SMS texting to cell phones program will help DCLAC reach out to a larger audience and mobilize them to action. IT companies will be interested in donating technology, and others who work for immigrants will see benefits in supporting this work.      

This project is innovative for the population DCLAC serves, as low-income immigrants and limited English proficiency t often do not have access to technology that other social justice movements rely on, such as computers/internet due to language and socio-economic barriers. . However, DCLAC will educate them on where to access free or low-cost computer/internet resources and training, how to use this technology to their advantage and utilize technology that is available to them (such as cell phones), in order to help them advocate for their right to language services. The youth will learn how to use media to improve their educational system, and LEP/NEPs will be trained to use their mobile technology to collect stories and gather information. Other youth programs can replicate this project to engage their youth. SMART can demonstrate this project to the other education organizing groups in CEO. The SMS texting project can be replicated in other cities with diverse multilingual communities like ours, similar to the project in Los Angeles. SMART staff will create a curriculum and toolkit as an end output of this project which can be shared with others.

Project Details

Project url: 

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/19/local/la-me-laborer-blogs-20100919

Project image: 

Supporting organization: 

DC Language Access Coalition

Location