Lights, Camera, Action!

On Saturday, the ESL to Go team met at Edmondson Manor Apartment complex--a site where we're hoping to bring the mobile classroom. News Channel 4 had contacted us about wanting to run a story on our concept, ultimately hoping to bring awareness to our cause.

News Channel 4 wanted to show their viewers the type of students who would benefit from our program, so we decided to go into the home of Ching Nuam, an elderly Burmese woman who opens her apartment to a weekly English class led by a volunteer teacher. Our excited group of Burmese mothers, along with their children, were camera ready.

Ching Nuam, far right, second row, sits with her granddaughters and fellow classmate.

Ashley Ekers, ESL to Go's Curriculum Coordinator, led an impromptu class for the camera.

We love how the piece turned out and are hoping that it will bring attention to our fundraising campaign.

Watch it here. What do you think?

We're (almost) Rolling

I always tell myself, in order get something done you have to begin by doing it.

Help us do it.

Our Video

We're thrilled to present our ESL to Go promotional video. We'll use this video to spread the word about our project and include it in our proposal to sponsors.

We're incredibly thankful to everyone who made this video possible, especially Percy, our director/editor/camera guy, who graciously volunteered his talents and time to this project. 

So, without further adieu, WATCH IT. 

Oh, and don't forget to check out the bloopers at the end. We think they're funny. 

Nashville Mobile Market's One Year Anniversary

Today, on an unseasonably warm Superbowl Sunday, a crowd gathered outside of the Edgehill Apartments to celebrate the Nashville Mobile Market's first year of service. Over a year ago, a group of Vanderbilt students saw the need to eliminate food deserts in Nashville and began dialogues with community leaders whose neighborhoods would benefit from their initiative. With the generous support of the Frist Foundation, the idea became a reality. Now, a year later, the Mobile Market visits food desserts throughout the city bringing fresh produce and healthy options to individuals who otherwise do not have convenient access to such goods.

Ladies from the Vanderbilt Coalition for Healthy Aging and 
Tennessee Foreign Language Institute showing their Support for the Mobile Market 

The success of the Mobile Market, and the support we have received from its founder, is one of the reasons why we believe in the success of a mobile ESL classroom.

Way to go Mobile Market team and the volunteers who put in 15,000 hours this past year!

The Best Advice

On January 19th, a scattering of Nashville's most influential individuals from resettlement centers, the public school system, and community organizations who provide services to refugees, joined ESL to Go for our first advisory committee meeting.

The enthusiasm from everyone present and the expressed desire and NEED for this initiative bred creative and thoughtful ideas.

Here are some of our favorites:
-Open resume writing workshops
-Getting the word out via Metro Nashville Public Schools radio announcements and school board meetings
-Work in collaboration with companies that employ a large number of refugees to help both sides, the employers and refugees, better understand each other's needs

This project is truly a community effort. We are thankful for the strong and supportive individuals who empower this community.

Moving to Madison

Most refugees resettled in Nashville are placed in the southern part of the city, in apartment complexes along Nolensville Road--a long stretch known for its diversity of shops, cuisine, and residents. Although schools and hospitals in that area are used to dealing with the cultural and language barriers that come with working with diverse populations, they have capacity limits that are reaching a tipping point, and resettlement centers are realizing the need to place refugees in other neighborhoods so as to lessen the concentration of newcomers in South Nashville.

As the only adult English speaker in the household, he did the interpreting for us. He walks 30 minutes to and from English class every Saturday.

A copy of the ESL needs and barriers survey.

Madison, TN, just east of Nashville city limits, is becoming a new destination for refugees in Nashville. Although far from the convenience and community of Nolensville Road, refugee families in Madison can live affordably in a quiet and laid-back environment.

Due to the limited availability of ESL classes in Madison, ESL to Go has identified an apartment complex where many refugees have already been resettled as one of our chosen sites to bring our mobile classroom.

On Wednesday, we drove out to Madison to meet a newly resettled Somali family. They greeted us with warmth, hospitality and a readiness to share their life stories.

Many families similar to this one will continue to fill the vacant apartments at the complex where this family lives. We hope to greet them, as they greet us, with warmth, hospitality, and an abundance of knowledge to share.  

A 28-year-old mother of four, pictured with her youngest daughter,

who is unable to attend ESL classes due to a lack of transportation and childcare. 

We want it!

This is a blog about two women, a supportive community, and many newcomers anxious to learn English, who are on a mission to bring ESL classes to refugees in Nashville. Please follow along on our journey as we gather the resources to fund this initiative, meet new and excited potential students, and begin to bring ESL classes to the doorsteps of individuals who are READY and EXCITED to learn the English language.