*Please click the image above to start the video.*

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, hosted by the DC Adult and Family Literacy Coalition (DC-AFLC), began Monday, September 21, with an essay contest and celebration.

Any adult learner studying in an adult basic education (ABE), family literacy, english as a second language (ESL), or GED program in DC could enter the contest.

The contest was judged in five categories: basic/beginning learner, intermediate learner, advanced learner, english as a second language learner, and essays in spanish.

Katrina McKinney, a SEM participant won the intermediate learner essay category!

“I just came from the heart and talked about my experiences and what has helped me meet my goals of obtaining employment, taking care of family, taking care of self,” says Katrina. In regards to how SEM has helped her along the way, Katrina says, “no matter how tough it gets, you want to quit, you want to leave, but when you have an environment of people who you feel care … I think  I’ve had a pretty good amount of support since I’ve been here, and I think that’s what’s really driving me.”

When asked to give advice to fellow adult learners, Katrina says, “come to Southeast Ministry prepared, communication is key. If you make others aware of what your weaknesses are, what your strengths are, and what your obstacles are, you can definitely make it.”

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

*Please click the image above to play the video.

Gifts of Hope (GOH) is an alternative gift-giving program with gifts available year-round to anyone who wishes to help those in need on a local or international level. Gifts of Hope serves as an intermediary between donors and organizations serving persons in need.

This Sunday, October 18, at 4:30 pm at First Trinity Lutheran, on the corner of 4th and E st. NW, is the third annual GOH benefit concert. This year, the featured artists are The 18th Street Singers, who have been named one of the best vocal groups in the area. The concert will have free admission.

For more information about the concert, click here: GOH 18th Street Singers Concert

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

Katrina McKinney, SEM Participant

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, hosted by the DC Adult and Family Literacy Coalition (DC-AFLC), began this Monday, September 21, with an essay contest and celebration. The event, which had a great turnout,  was held at the Busboys and Poets in the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast, DC.

Any adult learner studying in an adult basic education (ABE), family literacy, english as a second language (ESL), or GED program in DC could enter the contest. The prompt for the essay was for the learners to write an essay to their council member explaining some of the obstacles they face in pursuing their education, taking care of their families, and/or getting a good job, and what could the Council do to address these obstacles.

The contest was judged in five categories: basic/beginning learner, intermediate learner, advanced learner, english as a second language learner, and essays in spanish.

Katrina McKinney, a SEM participant won the intermediate learner essay category!

There was also a panel on adult education at the celebration event.

“Dollar for dollar, adult literacy has such a great return,” said Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets.

Councilmember Elissa Silverman added, “how you spend your dollars as a city shows your priorities, and sometimes our budgets haven’t reflected that.”

Riley Grime, SEM ABE Instructor

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

On Wednesday, September 9, our learners were led by Samantha Davis, Senior Advocacy and Community Engagement Specialist at So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.), in a visioning session that got our learners in a discussion about some of the barriers they face on a daily basis, as well as potential solutions.

Some of the barriers that were mentioned by our learners included affordable housing, transportation, homelessness, child care, and violence in the communities they live. Other barriers that were identified by SEM learners were access to more educational programs and the fact that the new GED exam is computer-based. Another barrier that was identified was time, specifically the times that certain programs begin and end, since adult learners are often fitting their education around their work schedules that often change.

To address the barriers that were named, SEM learners brainstormed possible solutions. There was a great deal of discussion around the possibility of having more computer training available for adult learners who do not have the sufficient computer skills necessary to complete the new computer-based GED exam. The class also discussed the idea of having transportation designed specifically for adult learners to programs throughout the District, in order reduce the burden of having to find their own way to classes.

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

*Please click image above to play video.

For the past month, Angelicia Boyd has been taking advantage of the resources provided by Southeast Ministry, “About a month ago I came (to Southeast Ministry) and Ms. November has been very helpful. She re-built my resume, helped me apply for different jobs, and has just been very encouraging.”

Within that one-month period, Ms. Boyd has also learned and improved her job readiness skills, which has helped her earn employment. She credits the SEM staff for playing a key role in her recent success.

“The people here are very nice, they have open arms and are open-minded to help people such as myself. There’s a good spirit when you walk through the door,” says Ms. Boyd.

Ms. Boyd also shared some advice to those who are considering coming to Southeast Ministry, “keep coming, keep having belief and faith. Don’t give up because they won’t give up on you.”

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

A message from the DC Adult and Family Literacy Coalition:

“We have decided to postpone our Advocacy Day (previously scheduled for Sept. 24^th). As you may be aware, the Pope will be in DC and speaking to Congress that morning, and then heading to Metro Center in the afternoon. We are anticipating heavy traffic, detours, and changes in bus routes which will make it difficult to get 200 advocates to the Wilson Building in a timely manner.

We will reschedule.

We will still be celebrating on Sept. 21^st at Busboys. If you haven’t done so yet, please RSVP: http://bit.ly/AEFL2015

As of now, the hearing is still scheduled for Sept. 24^th at  12:30p. Providers and experts should still prepare to testify.”

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

More than 62,000 DC residents don’t have a high school diploma or its equivalent. This impacts not just individuals but also families, the workforce, and the entire community.

The DC Adult and Family Literacy Coalition (DC-AFLC), comprised of more than 15 adult education providers and advocates in the District, will host a series of events between September 21-25 to encourage a solution-oriented conversation addressing the issues surrounding adult and family literacy.

EVENTS

Essay Contest Celebration & Adult Education Panel

Monday, September 21st

6:30pm-8:30pm

Busboys & Poets, Brookland

625 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017

Advocacy Day  & Oversight Hearing

Thursday, September 24th

Advocacy Day

10:00am-1:00pm

Oversight Hearing 12:30pm (Room #412)

Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

To attend any of these events RSVP: http://bit.ly/AEFL2015

For the full schedule of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, please click here: Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Flyer2015

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

Earlier this month, the SEM staff attended and participated in group training sessions for the Occupational Literacy Project (OLP). The OLP provides evaluation, technical assistance, and professional development services to Adult Basic Education (ABE) and vocational training organizations serving District residents. This initiative is funded by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and the Department of Employment Services (DOES).

During the training sessions, our staff focused on the areas of occupational literacy, career mapping, and project and program management. Moreover, our staff was able to focus on new occupational literacy areas, such as diversity/cultural competency, self-management, and entrepreneurship/intra-preneurship.

Additionally, the SEM staff was trained on student learning outcomes, lesson plans, and class activities, and program and class assessment and instructor evaluation.

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

Recently, our staff participated in a week-long professional development workshop hosted by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

The workshop, which was held from August 10 – 14, had the theme of “Promoting Teacher Effectiveness: Winning Strategies for Teaching Adult Learners in the District of Columbia.” The workshop focused on innovating strategies to transition to the administrative and instructional reforms necessitated by the impending implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

During the workshop our staff explored integrating career awareness into the adult basic education (ABE) classroom, retention and persistence approaches to help students stay in the classroom, and teaching numeracy through literacy.

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.

*Please click image above to play video.

A returning citizen after nearly 30 years, Kevin Gibbs is the epitome of perseverance. Since his return to society, Kevin has worked extremely hard to make up for lost time.

“Southeast Ministry has helped me tremendously, they really gave me a chance to find myself. More than anything, they grounded me after doing nearly three decades in prison.” says Gibbs. “The Southeast Ministry staff showed me so much love, they didn’t judge me, and with open arms. They continue to this day to help me, I’ve been at Southeast Ministry now for three years.”

Through his consistency and persistence, Kevin took advantage of SEM’s job readiness training, private tutoring, and computer skills classes. Kevin also helps with the daily maintenance around the SEM facility, and does so humbly, which speaks to his character and personal growth.

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t be anywhere that I didn’t want to be because I was somewhere I didn’t want to be for so long. I’m still around Southeast Ministry because this is where I want to be,” Kevin says.

Kevin can now say that his hard work has paid off, he earned a government job, and continues to lend a helping hand at Southeast Ministry when he can.

“Southeast Ministry has been a tremendous help starting my life back over, it’s everything to me.”

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

We also invite you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, and follow our Twitter feed, as well as our Instagram page.