June is Immigrant Heritage Month!
National News – June 3, 2020
National News – June 3, 2020
National News – May, 11 2020
On May 14th, ARNIC held its second virtual town hall meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to foster community, reduce social isolation and share resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting included a Know Your Rights presentation, which was led by MASA in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. Over 30 of our immigrant clients attended the event along with ESU staff.
Topics covered in the presentation included:
City health guidelines during COVID-19
Recent changes to immigration policies
Strategies on how to interact with federal immigration officers and local enforcement
Free and safe legal services available to New York City residents
Tenant rights
ESU will be hosting a series of town hall meetings on timely and relevant topics for our immigrant clients. Our next town hall meeting will focus on Upstander Bystander Strategy Interventions.
National News – May 1, 2020
We were thrilled to host our first virtual Town Hall Meeting for tutors on May 1! The event was attended by over 50 volunteer tutors from all over New York City as well as other ESU branches across the U.S. We discussed the new ways in which the English in Action conversation program continues to provide services to our students. Tutors shared their experiences of talking with students remotely and best practices for holding conversation sessions online. As part of our ongoing support for our tutors we will be sharing helpful resources, online platform guides as well as tutoring tips shared by our community of tutors. We will also be hosting workshops for tutors on topics of interest and continuing our monthly tutor support groups.
National News – May 5, 2020
Support our community of immigrants!
Our immigrant students have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. They live in neighborhoods at the center of the pandemic, including Corona, Elmhurst and the South Bronx.
The ESU has created an emergency fund to support our 250 immigrant clients during this uncertain and challenging time.
National News – April 27, 2020
Embodying the premise that the "show must go on," the English-Speaking Union (ESU) celebrated its 100th anniversary by employing available technology to produce a digital ESU National Shakespeare Competition in this, its 37th year.
Using texting, online meetings and YouTube, the organization responded to the pandemic by putting on its first-ever digital competition. A 3-day event filled with activities had been planned for the 50 high school students representing ESU branches across the United States. When COVID-19 intervened, the organization chose to pivot rather than disappoint the thousands of students who had participated in classroom and ESU Branch competitions for the opportunity to perform at the finals, originally sited at the Public Theater in Manhattan.
Ava Blum of the Washington D.C. Branch won first place and a scholarship to attend the 2021 Midsummer Conservatory Program at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, U.K. Her teacher, Jim Mahady of Georgetown Day School, will receive the $1,000 Teacher Recognition Award, instituted this year as thanks to teachers who have adapted to current challenges.
National Event
You can celebrate the Queen's Birthday and support the ESU by posting a creative photo of you hosting a tea party on Facebook or Instagram (even a party of one) and a short birthday greeting to the Queen! For every photo posted on Facebook or Instagram, President Dr. Quinn Peeper and Chairman Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill will each donate $100 per entry for the first 100 entries! This means that each post with #esuteadrive donates $200 to the ESU! We are grateful to Quinn and Paul for their support at this time. Please help us raise much-needed funds to support our programs and students.
Click here to view our Facebook post
National News – April 19th - 25th 2020
April 19-25 is Volunteer Recognition Week! We salute all of our volunteer tutors, unit directors and partner organizations and thank you for your dedication to the English in Action program. Your compassion is at the heart of every session. You create a welcoming environment for our students to improve and build their confidence in the English language.
National News
The moment you've waited for is here!
Before we announce the finalists, we would like to thank each and every one of our participating ESU branches and their coordinators for their tireless support of this competition. We congratulate every teacher and family member who helped a student participate. We thank you, our students, for brightening our days by sharing your love of Shakespeare with us all.
7. Jordyn Jenkins, Kentucky Branch
18. Julia Kolinski, Monmouth County Branch
20. Max Mester, Philadelphia Branch
25. Ava Blum, Washington D.C. Branch
29. Hayden Mays, Austin Branch
35. Sofie Berg, Denver Branch
37. Adina Cazacu De Luca, St. Louis Branch
40. Adam Wilson, Charlottesville Branch
45. Kaia Williams, Memphis Branch
47. Sheridan Mirador, Kansas City Branch
Information about the finals will be sent out next week to finalists, their parents, teachers and Branch Coordinators.
Information about how to watch the finals will also be announced next week.
National News – April 17, 2020
The challenges presented by the global health crisis have strengthened our commitment to better serve New York's communities of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. The ESU Immigrant Programs team has been hard at work adapting our education programs to online formats. We are excited to share some of these new initiatives!
This has been an uncertain time, but it has also been a period of creativity, collaboration and innovation. Our community is resilient, and we are certain that we will get through this by working together.
National News – April 13 - 19, 2020
Immigrant Heritage Week is an annual celebration of the unique contributions and diverse cultures of immigrant communities in New York City. It is a chance to recognize the many immigrants, past and present, who have contributed their talents, skills and hard work to our city and country. In light of the current health crisis, we honor the immigrants in New York City who comprise more than 50% of this city's front-line essential workforce. They are the heroes who make us stronger.