I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do in this neighborhood and what organizations I want to get involved in. I really wanted to work with the refugee population in Lincoln park. I used to teach English to a refugee woman from Burma and I wanted to do something similar in this neighborhood. We have a large population of Somalians who live in the Government Housing right next to us. However, the current need for English teaching in Lincoln Park was assisting and teaching a class during the day. Since I have to work during the day, this option wasn't really possible for me.
I found another organization though called The Bridge Project. The Bridge Project is an organization that works to provide educational opportunities for children living in Denver's public housing neighborhoods so they graduate from high school and attend college or learn a trade. They work in 3 of Denver's public housing locations - Lincoln Park being one of them.
Today I went to orientation where I was able to learn a little bit more about what this organization does. The orientation was really informative. The kids that live in these housing situations tend to not have the same educational message that I grew up with. There's no one there telling them why good grades are so important or the possibilities that a college education will give you. No one is asking them what they learned in school today and what their favorite subjects are. No one is making sure they get their homework done or even providing them a place where they can study and focus on their homework. This is where the Bridge Project comes in.
If I choose to work with them, I would be paired with a child who lives in Lincoln Park Housing and I would mentor/tutor them once a week. I still have to get a background check and complete more training before I can get started. I plan to be praying about this opportunity for the next few weeks while I finish the necessary steps to get started.
Kirsten
Lincoln Park Public Housing that is right next door
