♪♪​
-All right, so now you can open your binder.
We're going to practice the story.
♪♪​
-Name. What's your name? Name?
-What's your name?
-I always tell my students that it's
not bad to have an accent.
It's actually great, because that shows
that you have done a lot and that you have a story.
( students conversing )
-These students gather four days
a week, determined and eager to learn their next chapter
in life will be written in English.
-What can...
-What can she do to learn English?
-Thank you.
Thank you.
-They used to be taken for granted that
the American dream was just available to everybody,
but there's real huge barriers for everybody
these days. Particularly for people who whose English
is not fluent.
So we want to even the playing field.
-This is the Ready to Work program.
It's designed to help limited English
speakers integrate into society
and move up the economic ladder.
-Part of that is having a good quality job and part of
getting a good quality job is to learn English.
-Ah. -”A,” man. No R.
( practicing English )
-When you look at all the barriers that folks face,
The language barrier continues to emerge as a major
stumbling block.
-Sometimes not being able to communicate
makes you live in a shell and maybe not get out of home,
or maybe being afraid to go to the grocery store,
and what I want for them is not to have that type of fear.
-Good! Yeah, you made it!
-Once they start learning English,
it builds their confidence.
-Considering
-They look around and they see all these other people
who've been here two months, three months a year,
but who's made the same journey
to America in search of the American Dream
or a better life.
-I was myself an ESL student once.
-I came to America December 1987
when I was seven years old.
-So I can relate a lot to
the difficulties and the
barriers that students face.
( practicing English )
-They come to class
and they know they're not alone.
-Very good.
-Through the collaboration
of many community partners, Ready to Work is much more
than an ESL or English as a second language program...
-This is English
plus digital literacy, plus holistic case management,
employment case management, to help people get jobs
and ideally, careers.
-There is someone always
who speaks the language, who understands their culture
and talking to them, helping them.
-It's a very intensive program.
They're here in class 3 hours a day...
-We learned about conversation.. -And that's just the start.
Learning English takes time.
This program monitors their progress
for years through case management.
-Part of what I'm so glad we're able to do
is stick with people for the long term.
We've had many clients ask for assistance
with citizenship services, with medical issues,
behavioral health issues, mental health issues.
We've had clients seek out our free legal clinic.
-What is this one?
-Learning English is a focus, but more subtle
forms of communication are also taught.
-Yeah, that is inappropriate.
-We teach things like body language, making eye contact,
or even
doing a handshake because not
necessarily in the students cultures, they do that.
-Can I help you?
-Some sacrificed prestigious jobs in their homeland
for hope and prosperity in America.
-I had a professor from Vietnam.
We have someone who is an accountant in Djibouti,
an architect from Thailand.
-But they're working as as waiters.
They're working as Uber drivers.
-The disorientation, the loss of status,
the loss of of command of your language.
It takes a toll on people.
And they can
come to envision themselves
only in terms of the very short term.
-Very good.
But if they have hope
that they can get to a better place,
that gives them back
the hope for their selves and their own future.
That's a very powerful thing.
-Once they've come here,
they're part of the ACRS family
and we’ll always help them to the degree
that we can. And that they are welcome here.
They're welcome in the United States
and they're welcome in Seattle.
-This is an investment
and the kind of city we want to live in.
-At the end of every quarter, the class has a potluck
where students celebrate their culture and their successes.
( laughter )
-More importantly, it's a time for the students
to say thank you.
-And when they move on, great.
You guys did a great job, you know, like my kids.
And I want everybody to succeed.
So whatever I can do, I'm going to do it.
-Working one-on-one with people who
have struggled so much to come to this country,
that's an honor to be part of their process.
-Thank you.
-I challenge someone to go in that room
and not come out feeling happy.
-Okay, everyone.
See you tomorrow!
-Watch City Stream Thursday nights
at 7 on the Seattle Channel
or get video on demand and podcast anytime at
SeattleChannel.org.