Iowa Valley Continuing Education – “Learn About Iowa” Project

We had a wonderful project that we used our grant money for, “Learn about Iowa.” This project was done in our Iowa Falls Continuing Education location with our English as a Second Language program.

The students that participated in the program were from Czech Republic, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, China, El Salvador and Columbia. The ages of these individuals varied from college age students to individuals over fifty years of age. Our group included single females and males to mothers and fathers of several children. This was a very diverse and fun group!

Our project included several different modules:

1. Presenters came to our classroom and spoke; they included the Iowa Falls mayor and the Iowa Falls Chamber-Main Street director.

2. We went to the Hardin County Courthouse in Eldora, Iowa. There we met the County Supervisors and they gave us an explanation of the services offered in our county government and a tour.

3. We went to Pine Lake State Park in Eldora following our tour of the court house. We had a “typical” Iowa picnic lunch. The students really enjoyed this and were interested in learning about some of our culture and nature in Iowa.

4. Our next tour was at the Iowa State University Extension office in Iowa Falls. This tour was included because this office is a great resource for information on a variety of topics. Many of the pamphlets and brochures they offer come in Spanish or other languages.

5. We had an education module about the State of Iowa and our state government. Our students who had gone through our citizenship class, or who were attending, were very interested in this module. After completing the classroom material we organized a trip to Des Moines to visit the capitol. We had an opportunity to take a guided tour of the capitol and have lunch there. Later that same day we went to the Science Center of Iowa where the students attended a showing in the IMAX Theater.

The opportunity to receive this grant opened the possibility for us to do so many wonderful projects with our students. I think everyone benefited from this grant with an educational and fun experience. All of theses opportunities have exposed them to people, places and things that they will use in the future and may not have had the exposure to without this grant.

SUMMARY OF

15TH ANNUAL IOWA ADULT EDUCATION SUMMER SEMINAR

THEME: HOW DO WE BETTER SERVE MULTI-GENERATIONS AND FIRST GENERATION IMMAGRANTS IN OUR CLASSROOMS?

Goal: To explore the effects of age and culture in our classroom.

August 10 & 11, 2006

Jones Commons, Lindquist Center

University of Iowa

Session #1

X, Y, Z: Managing Multiple Generations in Community Colleges Today by Celina Peerman, M.A., PHR.

Emphasis of this discussion centered on the following three questions:

1. What are the behavioral tendencies of today’s generations?

2. What external forces are influencing these tendencies?

3. As these tendencies emerge as patterns, what can the community college leaders and educators learn?

Generational tendencies:

Students born before 1945 are focused on quality, motivated by security, have the highest level of loyalty, see money as their livelihood, and value family/community.

Students born from 1946-1964 work long hours and are motivated by money, have high levels of loyalty, see money as a status symbol, and value success.

Students born from 1965-1978 are very productive, motivated by time off, have little loyalty, see money as a means to an end, and value time off.

Students born from 1979-2000 focus on contributing, are motivated by time off, have little loyalty, see money as today’s payoff, and value individuality.

Other tendencies that discussed were:

1. Common complaints about twenty and thirty something employees.

2. Comments from X’ers and Nexter’s.

3. Generations in today’s organizations.

4. External forces on today.

5. The individual and the organization.

6. Banishing demotivators.

7. The new learner-facilitator relationship.

8. Asking questions.

9. How to strengthen the ties that bind.

10. What can educational leaders do?

Session #2

Hispanic Outreach Programs by Sister Carol Besch.

Sister Carol Besch presented ways that adult educators can build respect and tolerance for immigrant and refugee newcomers. She provided a background to the changing demographics in Iowa and the immigrant’s motives for coming to the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are 104,000 Latinos in Iowa by the end of 2005. Iowa ranks 10th in the U.S. in Hispanic growth. Hispanics now represent 14.1% of the total population.

Unemployment, extremely low wages, poor working conditions and lack of economic opportunities in Latin America are the reason that many Hispanics migrate to the United States. Policies of our government such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NZAFTA) opened new markets for U.S. products, but often decay local economies in Latin America. Those who benefit from NAFTA are mostly the rich. In Mexico, the wealthiest 20% of the population receives 58% of national income, while the poorest 40% receive only 11%. In Latin America, 44% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

The approximately 10 million nationals who reside in the U.S. sent back to their families an estimated $20 billion in 2005, an amount equivalent to 3% of Mexico’s Gross National Output. Migrants without legal status account for 80% of the remittances sent to Mexico. Remittances tend to go to people at the bottom of the income scale. In Mexico, as many as 1.3 million homes – more than one out of ten families – depend on remittances as their main source of income.

Sister Carol shared a documentary video “Taking Root: Immigrant and Refugee Communities in California, Texas and Iowa” of real life experiences of Hispanic immigrants in Iowa Communities. The video reminds us to treat the immigrants as fellow human beings; to greet them with a friendly smile and welcome them into our communities.

Session #3

The Influence of Mexican and Mexican-American Music on American Culture by Dave Moore.

Through his gifted music and story telling of real life experiences, Dave Moore discussed the rich history of Mexican and Mexican-American music and how it has become a vital part of Iowa’s culture. Many Latino’s have maintained their livelihood through playing at bars and gatherings throughout Iowa. He spoke of a national history week several years ago in Washington D.C. where states showcased their musical heritage. Dave showed a video of this festival in which Iowa featured many notable Mexican musicians that live throughout the state.

Session #4

Iowa Valley Education and Training Center’s ESL, GED and Citizenship programs by Amy Vybiral.

Iowa Valley education and Training Center’s ESL, GED and Citizenship programs served 848 students in the 2005-2006 school year. 93% of the students were Spanish speaking. The educational mission of Iowa Valley provided students with skills to become self sufficient and provide them with opportunities that will ultimately create a better way of life for them. Programs offered include career training and expectation seminars, diversity training, tax and ITIN information, Marshalltown school district enrollment information, immigration forums, voter registration, and college preparation. Iowa Valley also collaborates with health care and manufacturing industries to provide training to current and future employees.

Session #5

Legal and Social Issues facing Documented and Undocumented Immigrants by Julie Mitchell.

Julie works in Los Angeles as a Violence Against Woman Act (VAWA) Coordinator for the Central American resource Center (CARACEN) – a community based organization financed by area businesses. She provided seminar participants with a 20 minute video she had produced in the Los Angeles area. In this video a lawyer discussed the weaknesses and shortcomings of both the House and Senate versions of current immigrant legislation. After viewing the video, participants got to speak with Julie in Los Angeles via teleconferencing. She discussed how her organization offers low-cost legal aid, provides a largely immigrant community with advocacy through voter registration, writes letter campaigns, engages in telephone solicitations, knocks on doors throughout their neighborhood, forms media campaigns and organizes protests and marches. She identified legislation related to immigrants entering college, road blocks to gaining legal residency, and particular problems facing undocumented women. [Use “Back” key or arrow to return to home page.]