Queensborough Community College Establishes Language Program for Immigrants

Queensborough Community College (QCC) has been awarded a $300,000 grant to fund the Queens Civics Collaboration of the City University of New York (QCCC), a partnership program between Queensborough, Queens College, and the CUNY School of Law. This grant will provide both English language and civics education to the adult and out-of-school youth immigrant population in the borough of Queens.

Participating students will study various aspects of American culture and government. As part of the programís emphasis on both civic participation and technology-based learning, the program, beginning this summer, will offer a theme-based curriculum for students as a means of preparing them for effective communication in a variety of media. Instruction in the functions of government and civic rights and responsibilities will also be stressed.

Information from the latest census reveals the increasingly diverse makeup of the Queens populace. The Latino population within the borough increased 46 percent over the past decade, and the Asian population grew 7 percent, highlighting an overall increase in immigration during the time period. This has created demand for programs to assist this population ís assimilation into the overall Queens community.

"The impetus of this program grew out of the tremendous growth of non-native immigrants into the Queens community," says Professor Kitty Bateman, Director of the QCC Literacy Program, who will serve as director and be responsible for implementing some of the curricula. "It ís essential to integrate these new immigrants into the already existing institutions of our community, and this program is a direct response to this need. The number of seats currently available in Queensboroughís Literacy Program does not meet the demand for instruction."

The program, an expansion of the already existing adult literacy program established at QCC, is an outgrowth of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, a Federal program whose partial goal is "to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States."

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