English Language Center

Our very own Judith Mwamba recently shared her story on Idaho Office for Refugees podcast, Mosaics. 💜

Judith Mwamba on Parenthood and Holding on to Hope Judith Mwamba is a teaching assistant at the English Language Center in Boise. She loves math, music, and laughter. Judith resettled in Idaho in 2022 with her young son, mother and brothers, and they long for the day when they will be reunited with her father and older siblings. Judith shares what i...

This Saturday June 17th is ! We hope to see you downtown. We will be at the Idaho Office for Refugees booth!

We are hiring! The position is part-time and benefit eligible. Please follow the link to apply and forward to anyone you know!

https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=e3313e20-2522-40e5-ab2e-8dbc95be059a&ccId=19000101_000001&type=MP&lang=en_US&jobId=468350

Happy Summer - We are doing a School Supply Drive!

We are running low on pencils and whiteboard markers for our students. These basics are essential for our students to feel supported during their first months in Boise - anything helps!

Please consider checking out our Amazon Wish List if you'd like to help out!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1NNRLJD1Y0U1G?ref_=wl_share

Idaho Gives is starting! Please check out the ELC's Idaho Gives page for more information about what this is and how you can help: https://www.idahogives.org/organizations/english-language-center

Donating your car is the way to go!!

English Language Center is going to the TESOL 2023 Conference next week in Portland! This international conference is the largest in our field, and we are thrilled to get the word out about some of what we do at the ELC.

Program Manager Chelsea Jordan and Curriculum Coordinator Devon Jancin will present "Addressing the Digital Divide and Increasing Access with WhatsApp" on Thursday March 23 from 12:30-1:45pm.

We hope to see you there! 😁

A father and daughter were reunited after 6 years. ❤️

Our team is growing! We're so excited to welcome Lila and Rylee to the ELC! Check out the IOR blogpost for more information about these awesome new teachers!

https://www.idahorefugees.org/blog/new-teachers-join-the-elc

URGENT VOLUNTEER NEED! Volunteers needed for transportation on Tuesday and Thursdays. This volunteer need is ongoing but we would appreciate any help.

Logistics for driver
• Drive a 12 passenger Glocal van.
• willing to do a background check
• be available from 3:15-5:30 (might not always need driver for all these hours)
• pick up students from the Boise Brick House (704 N. 7th St. Boise ID 83702) at 5:00 and drop off to various locations
• might transport students to various locations in the community for field trips

Please email Whitney at [email protected] or Chantale at [email protected]
if interested or for more information.

This month we welcomed two new teachers, Rylee and Lila, to our team. Together we made connections and learned a lot at the 2023 Idaho Conference on Refugees.

We have the best team and are so happy to be part of the wonderful Idaho community!

We loved connecting at the Idaho Conference in Refugees this year!

The Idaho Conference on Refugees is always such a breath of fresh air and a nice chance to connect with everyone working with refugees in our community. Hope to see you there on Feb. 22 and 23!

Hello to our ESL and refugee organization friends!

The English Language Center in Boise is hiring a full-time, benefit eligible ESL instructor to fill out our staff. The ELC is a rewarding, fun, and exciting place to work - We'd love to find a wonderful new team member! Please forward to your networks and anyone who would be interested.

To apply, please follow this link: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=e3313e20-2522-40e5-ab2e-8dbc95be059a&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=453194&lang=en_US&source=EN

Afghan Najib Amani calls attention to women’s rights to universal education, please join him tomorrow to rally for women in Afghanistan!

- Since 2021, the Taliban has restricted the rights of women and girls to attend school. In March of this year, the Taliban denied education for girls above 6th grade. Yesterday the Taliban extended that edict to women and girls attending public and private universities.
- Najib will be on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol tomorrow from 12-2pm to stand for his wife, daughter, and all women of Afghanistan.
- He is joining with Afghan and Human Rights Advocates internationally to demand, “Let the Afghan girl go to school!” Please join him!
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You’re invited to join us for our next Community Coordination Meeting! We meet every quarter to share updates and connect. Hosted at the Boise Public Library Cole & Ustick location.

Update: The meeting is from 1:30-3 p.m.!



Agency for New Americans Glocal Community Partners The International Rescue Committee in Boise Artisans For Hope Global Gardens Global Talent Refugee Speakers Bureau Tidwell Social Work Services & Consulting Neighbors United Treasure Valley Family YMCA West Ada School District Boise School District Boise State University College of Western Idaho Northwest Nazarene University The College of Idaho American Red Cross of Greater Idaho Saint Alphonsus St. Luke's Health System

Happy Halloween from the English Language Center!

We are averaging 15 new students a week! It has been great to welcome these new students to Boise. Our welcoming package for our new students includes a folder, lined paper, and a pen and pencil. Right now we are running low on folders. Please take a look at our Wishlist; if you can help us out with some more folders, our students will be so grateful!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1NNRLJD1Y0U1G/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist

Idaho Office for Refugees is hiring! Our partner program is a fantastic place to work! We have a great sense of collaboration, fun, and purpose.

Follow the link to apply and share widely!

We have two exciting openings on our team! These full-time roles are key in building community connections and a strong resettlement structure in Idaho.

More details on the positions and how to apply: https://www.idahorefugees.org/jobopenings.html

Please join us in congratulating three of our newest citizens! We are so proud of Jerome, Agnes, and Nsamba and so excited for them! These three have spent years practicing their English and learning about US history and civics. It's amazing to see their hard work pay off. Congratulations!

🤝 Save the date and join us on Sat., Sep. 17 for a Welcoming Week Family Field Day! All are welcome to this free event where we will have the chance to connect with our neighbors and celebrate what unites us as a community.

The Y will host activities for all ages, provide global cuisines, play music, as well as games and prizes.

Sat., Sep. 17 | 4-7 p.m.
Boise High School Field
1010 W Washington St.

Thank you to our partners for their support: Idaho Office for Refugees and The International Rescue Committee in Boise

We need school supplies!

For the past month, the ELC has seen an exciting surge in new students. Last week, we hit our summer record of 20 new students in one week!

With more students coming in, especially from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the DRC, we're running out of school supplies.

Please consider checking out our Amazon Wish List to help our students have the quality school supplies they deserve!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1NNRLJD1Y0U1G?ref_=wl_share

There have been a lot of new arrivals to the ELC recently and we're looking for volunteers to help us in the classroom on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Classroom volunteers help with small group activities, one-on-one practice, and material preparation.

If you're interested in volunteering with us, please check out or volunteer application:
https://forms.gle/UizBuyHbtZezyJCh8

We are so excited to welcome Judith to the ELC and to Boise!

Originally from DRC Congo, Judith lived in Namibia for over twenty years and has recently arrived in Boise. She has an Associates in Accounting and Auditing. She loves spending time helping people in different ways.

Since her arrival in Boise, Judith has often helped interpret for the IRC and volunteered with Global Talent on World Refugee Day. Her experiences as a refugee, with refugees, and with different language and cultural groups, gives her the strength, understanding and knowledge to help people to her very best ability.

Please join us in welcoming Judith!

ELC staff are celebrating 17 of our students passing up to a new English level this month!

Here we are with the graduation certificates for students moving from Beginning to Intermediate. Go team! 🥳🤩

This week we were honored to be awarded a grant by the Budding Philanthropists Foundation!! Laila Herstein presented us with grant and worked very hard to persuade her classmates that the ELC was worthy of their grant.

We are so grateful for the opportunity and love to see future generations so passionate about refugees in Boise.

Thank you, Laila and the Budding Philanthropists!

We are hiring a Teaching Assistant! The position is part-time and benefit eligible.

If you love working in a fun environment while doing something meaningful and fulfilling, this is the job for you! Please follow the link to apply.

https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=e3313e20-2522-40e5-ab2e-8dbc95be059a&ccId=19000101_000001&type=MP&lang=en_US

Consider helping out the REACH program this summer by working with children from refugee backgrounds!

Calling volunteers in the Boise area! There's a great opportunity to hang out with students from refugee backgrounds this summer in our youth summer Reach program.

We meet from 12-3 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays and need some more hands on deck! From college students to retired folks, we invite you to join the fun.

Volunteers help with reading and craft projects alongside the Boise Public Library and other partners, chaperone field trips, help serve lunches and snacks, do set up and clean up, and just get to play a lot!

Please sign up here if you'd like to volunteer or lead an activity: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLvwI-v0cJgoYIjzxk7kZpX_KQO_BYh1ZSH4dA1VWKu1axQw/viewform

Pictured is Boise Bicycle Project's visit last summer to teach the kids about bike repairs. If you have a passion or skill you'd like to share with the students, let us know.

Thank you to all of our partners, including Agency for New Americans and The International Rescue Committee in Boise, and to Glocal Community Partners for being such amazing co-organizers.

Laptops are an important tool in our classrooms, and now we have a newly equipped computer lab thanks to a generous grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust! The new laptops equip students to strengthen their language and computer skills and prepare for success in the workplace.

When your students say that they made quacamole for Mother's Day, you make guacamole in class the next day! Alejandra and William talked us through their recipe. It was delicious 😋

We had such a great turnout! Thanks to everyone who made this possible.

If you didn't know, this week is Idaho Gives! A donation helps students like these have quality classroom supplies, access to computers, and a quality place to study. Any amount helps!

Here is a link to donate: https://www.idahogives.org/organizations/idaho-office-for-refugees-da4bfee7-30e7-4e83-86d5-20693fbfd757

We know the welcoming city of Boise has lots to give, so we appreciate all of your support!

If you prefer to make a tangible donation, feel free to check out our Amazon Wish List. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1NNRLJD1Y0U1G?ref_=wl_share

ELC Volunteers and students practice emergency vocabulary during Integrated Skills Class.

Students at the ELC practiced spelling by creating their own posters! We had fun drawing and sharing our ideas.

Integrated Skills teacher Ashley Hislop created cities on the floor of the ELC so that students could practice asking for and giving directions. Thanks ELC teachers and volunteers for helping students gain confidence and have fun!

We are so excited to update our computer lab so that we can provide even more digital literacy opportunities for our students.

Thank you so much M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust!!

We want to share huge thank you and shoutout to the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which has awarded a generous grant to Jannus, Inc. to improve technology and connectivity for new refugee arrivals in Boise.

Highlights include funding for translation and communication services for the Idaho Office for Refugees, new computers and supplies for the English Language Center, and smartphones for refugee arrivals at Agency for New Americans.

The pandemic brought to light a need for better digital connectivity and information sharing. This grant will make a huge difference, and we are so grateful!