Students are not the only people who sometimes have difficulty adjusting to life in Charlottesville. The city boasts a large international community, which is largely comprised of newly arrived immigrants trying to find jobs and raise families. To add to these challenges, some of them must manage these responsibilities while learning to speak English. Thus, to help these families adjust to their new cultural and social environments, University students volunteer through Madison House's Migrant Aid and English as a Second Language programs.
Migrant Aid at Madison House consists of four smaller programs: Homework Helpers, Hispanic Family Night, Adult Tutoring and Migrant Camps. Each is aimed at helping migrant families - the majority of whom are Spanish-speaking - cope with different aspects of resettlement. Volunteers work to help families find their places in the community, all while helping them keep their traditions alive within their homes, program director Katie Owen said.
"Migrant Aid is appealing to everyone, whether they have a more international or community focus," she said. "The program is unique in that it allows volunteers to engage in the international community here in this area, and our volunteers' efforts are very important to the transition migrant families make to life in the United States and this area."
Within the Migrant Aid program, volunteers with Homework Helpers tutor children from Latin American families at their homes to make up for the fact that their parents may still be learning English and may have busy work schedules. Migrant Aid volunteers also train adults for specific tasks requiring the English language, such as job application forms and writing checks. In addition, adults receive instruction in more general, colloquial English.
English as a Second Language is similar to Migrant Aid in that it assists immigrants learn English and adapt to American culture, but many of its participants come from Africa and Asia in addition to Latin America. The program is built within the school system and uses academics to enhance the interaction between community members and volunteers.
"ESL works in school systems which are organized and structured, allowing the actual teaching process to take place," said Yousaf Sajid, ESL head program director. "I like to think that Migrant Aid volunteers supplement the lessons and values learned in the classroom which are implemented by ESL volunteers."
Volunteer commitment and regular attendance is crucial to the success of both programs, Sajid added. Most volunteers devote around three hours a week, at least two of which come from tutoring English and taking the time to travel to and from the site locations.
Students serve families within Albemarle County or in surrounding localities such as Nelson County and Madison County. In contrast to Migrant Aid's Homework Helpers - who usually go directly to family homes - ESL volunteers work at local schools.
In addition to the weekly sessions, the programs organize larger events throughout the semester. This month, the volunteers and migrant families will gather together for the traditional spring party on the Lawn, to share a picnic. The event, and others like it, are intended to foster the growth of the international community in Charlottesville while enabling Madison House volunteers to interact with the families they helped in a social setting.
Several of these volunteers can particularly relate to the families they see if they, too, are new to the country. For international students, these programs can provide a greater sense of community as they explore a new culture, even if those students do not experience the same language barrier.
"Initially, I chose to join Migrant Aid because I felt that these people would make me feel at home away from home," said Jos