Lincoln Literacy

Our 2024 Global Celebration is coming up Sat., Nov. 9 from 6-8 PM. Thank you to our Premier Sponsors, The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, Duncan Aviation, Union Bank & Trust, Nelnet, and ALLO Fiber Nebraska. We’re still accepting sponsors. If you would like to become one, visit https://buff.ly/3XpTOVO.

We teach 6 days a week, including evenings and weekends, all over Lincoln where our live and work to make it easy for them to get to . Today is the first day of our Fall semester. To all our students, welcome back to class. We are so grateful to our site partners for hosting our classes, like Good Neighbor Community Center. Thank you! You're doing great work in our community. Learn about our other class locations at https://buff.ly/475EjWq.

Our Welcoming Week Open House is happening Friday, September 13 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM at 1023 Lincoln Mall. All Lincoln Literacy , , and community members are invited to attend.

Join us and enjoy visiting our new classrooms and renovations, learning about our Fall , meeting our coordinators and , hearing stories, viewing art activity, henna, and music. And, of course, delicious food!

Learn more about the event at https://buff.ly/470jyLC.

We’re looking forward to our Global Celebration on November 9. Come join us from 6-8 PM for a plated dinner and cash bar with table service at The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S 13th St. We're celebrating achievements, dedication, and a record number of served. Sponsorships are welcome! Learn more about the event at https://buff.ly/3WWn45h.

2024 Global Celebration - Lincoln Literacy We can’t wait for our 2024 Global Celebration. Come join us from 6-8 PM on Saturday, November 9, at The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel, 333 S 13th St., as we […]

You probably know many folks or have experienced how hard it is to find an affordable apartment in Lincoln. Our students are no exception. Read on to learn more about housing in Lincoln and statewide. This article from the Flatwater Free Press does a very good job explaining the problem and steps being taken to help. Learn more about this ongoing debate at https://buff.ly/3LqkO0X.

Fall is almost here, so get your rakes and start catching those leaves. The first day of Fall will be September 3, 2024.

We'll release our class schedule on our website soon.

See you in !

Reminder that our office will be closed and no will be held on September 2, 2024, in honor of Labor Day. We’ll see you again during our normal hours. Have a great holiday and happy Labor Day!

See all our upcoming events. https://buff.ly/4dQ0brD

Reminder that our Annual Staff Retreat will be on August 26 from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM. Lincoln Literacy's office will be closed. Learn more about the event at https://buff.ly/3M9Xu7U.

Associate Director for ELL Programs Sandra Rojo and Adult Skills Coordinator Amir Waly represented Lincoln Literacy at Lincoln Standing Bear High School (Lincoln Public Schools) on July 22, 2024. They shared information with parents about our English language classes.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Rural Prosperity Nebraska) is hosting its first Latino Small Business Conference of Nebraska in Lincoln on August 24th at the Sandhills Global Event Center. They will present awards to different businesses. They have honored Lincoln Literacy with the Community Award!

Raul Sarmiento from Union Bank & Trust (UBT) is one of the organizers. He has taught a couple on how banks work in the U.S. to our Latino , and he came to the office in July to share the news with Associate Director for ELL Programs Sandra Rojo in-person.

We are very proud of the recognition and respect the community has for Lincoln Literacy.

Lincoln Literacy staff members, Sandra Rojo and Azhar, were invited by Clinton Elementary School and Lincoln Public Schools to attend their Open House before school started on August 12th. We distributed books to and information about our to English Language Learner parents. Lincoln Literacy classes restart on September 3rd!

Donna earned her SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional) certification last month. This certificate focuses on the operational aspects of HR, including policy implementation, data collection, compliance, and employee performance. We appreciate all the work that Donna does to keep our organization moving and her willingness to take on this professional development goal.

Meet our staff at https://buff.ly/3YQ9va2.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Yezidi Genocide. We are honored to serve Lincoln's Yezidi population. They are not only learning English; they are community leaders, and they lead Yazda and the Yazidi Cultural Center in Lincoln. To our Yezidi community here in Lincoln, we're so thankful you're here. At the Yezidi Genocide Commemoration, Executive Director Bryan Seck was asked to share his thoughts. See photos of the event at https://buff.ly/3M0a0a4.

Excited to start on September 3! We're expanding our offerings to keep up with demand. Stay tuned in the next two weeks to hear more. Thanks to our partners for allowing us to hold classes at their locations so our can get to near where they live and work.

Have you heard about our two driving simulators? Thanks to funding from the Nebraska Presbyterian Foundation, who want to learn how to drive safely in the U.S. will practice on our driving simulators and take our Driving Safely in the USA to learn the rules of the road. Learn more about our driving at https://buff.ly/4dfXC1H.

Maria Cruz de Pesina, ELL & Childcare Coordinator, and Sandra Rojo, Associate Director for ELL Programs, represented Lincoln Literacy at the Spanish Networking Group based in Fremont, NE.

The group, which has grown to about 187 bilingual professionals and has become a significant platform for the Latino community in Nebraska, meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 10 AM. They gather both in person in Fremont and virtually, with members joining from across Nebraska, South Dakota, and even Iowa.

The Spanish Networking Group serves as a vital space for exchanging information, discussing opportunities, and fostering connections among Hispanic professionals. Members come from various fields, including education, healthcare, community services, and business, making it a diverse and enriching environment.

Thanks to the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce for organizing the event. Learn more about the event at https://buff.ly/4clOl6W.

Did you know we've been helping people since 1972? Lincoln Literacy Council (LLC) was formed as part of the Council of Nebraska, after a visit by Dr. Frank Laubach. His son, Dr. Robert Laubach, has since founded, in part, an organization called ProLiteracy. Learn more about ProLiteracy at https://buff.ly/2Je38Iu. Learn more about our history at https://buff.ly/4dg2hRc.

Our partner organizations do some amazing work. One example comes from Lincoln Littles, where they are helping Melba Al-Sayagh envision her dream of opening a childcare center. Melba is a former Lincoln Literacy student, and now, thanks to the Childcare Teacher Foundations through Lincoln Littles, she is one step closer to achieving her goal.

“Not only is Lincoln Littles helping me actually envision my dream,” Melba says, “they are teaching me the nuts and bolts of making it happen. I am figuring out accounting, insurance, finding staff.”

Read more about this story at https://buff.ly/3WKb08m.

Did you know one of the first U.S. presidents spoke a first language other than English? President Martin Van Buren, not born a subject of an English King, gave the English language the term “OK.” Examples like this are why is so important in this country. It’s important to remember the impact they have had on our lives, right down to giving the English language one of its most iconic terms. Learn more about this story at https://buff.ly/46xU4oF.

July 19, the final day of International Art Camp, ended a fantastic week. We all had a lot of fun during this camp. Thanks to Anna Alcalde, Urban Legends Art Studio- classes & Offsite art, and Daniel Martinez for organizing and activities on this day. Anna taught what they can do with yarns, and Daniel showed a lot of different types of guitars from all over the world. We played a game, got prizes (those who were at camp all 5 days got 5 stickers), ate pizza, and then played on Antelope Park’s playground (City of Lincoln Government). It was such a wonderful time.

This was a event for Lincoln Literacy students and their children to play games together and learn about art and music from around the world. Thanks to the Lincoln Arts Council Upstart grant and the Arts Access director, Robert Goldberg. for the support!

On Day 4 of International Art Camp, we enjoyed a fantastic Japanese drummer. Thanks to Maureen Houchin, Anna Alcalde, and Urban Legends Art Studio- classes & Offsite art for helping to organize and . You made this day just amazing, and we were so glad to see you all here with us.

This was a event for Lincoln Literacy and their children to play games together and learn about art and music from around the world. Thanks to the Lincoln Arts Council Upstart grant for the support!

On July 17, our 3rd day of International Art Camp, we learned about music and art from the Middle East. Thanks to Tetiana Melnychuk and Alktra Farhan for helping organize and .

Tetiana, a musician, organized many fun activities during the music . Alktra, an artist, showed her own collection and taught how to decorate glass and plastic. During the break, we played 2 games and had a chance to introduce each other.

This was a event for Lincoln Literacy and their children to play games together and learn about art and music from around the world. Thanks to the Lincoln Arts Council Upstart grant for the support!

July 16 was another fantastic day at our International Art Camp. Thanks to Seth Mock and Midwestern African Museum of Art, Culture & Resource Center for helping organize and teach this day. In music, we learned about African drums.

"African drums were so amazing," says Nataliia. "l love that part. Seth is a genius and fantastic teacher."

In art, the drew the African part of the map, which was interesting, as well. We played a game called “Moving Box” and learned a few African words.

This was a event for Lincoln Literacy students and their children to play games together and learn about art and music from around the world. Thanks to the Lincoln Arts Council Upstart grant for the support!

Day 1 of International Art Camp (July 15) was a wonderful start. We had around 35 . In art, we made canvas bags. In music, we learned a little bit of Hopak (traditional Ukrainian dance), played a few music games, and just had fun. We ate a snack and played the game during the break between .

Huge thanks to our two who helped a lot that day — Olha Dzhabko and Tetiana Melnychuk — and to our organizers and , Lidiya Postrygan and Inna Synia. Olha helped us with the canvas bags, Lidiya taught the , Olha and Nataliia were helpers, and Tetiana helped Inna with music.

This was a event for Lincoln Literacy students and their children to play games together and learn about art and music from around the world. Thanks to the Lincoln Arts Council Upstart grant for the support!

Our driving simulators were featured in Nebraska Public Media. We’re so glad to have these simulators to help people thrive. Meena Shams said, “It was joyful. I’m very interested in driving because of job opportunities.” Read the full story at https://buff.ly/3YjWYvj.

We received a federal Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant from the Office of Resettlement through our partner, the International Council for Refugees and Immigrants, in Omaha. This grant is an Employer Engagement grant to upskill who are . We'll be teaching English to Walmart employees, exploring various topics like contextualized English, safety, U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA) standards, and career pathways and promotions.

Shown in the photo is our welcome class at the Walmart on North 84th Street, taught by our Career Navigator Amir Waly, who formally worked at Walmart before starting at Lincoln Literacy.

Learn more about our Workplace Classes at https://lincolnliteracy.org/classes/workplace-classes/

At our 2024 Annual Awards, Dakk Thompson was the honored winner of the Champion of Literacy Award. Dakk is an artist with Iron Brush Tattoo and Body Piercing. Iron Brush Tattoo has one day where an artist can donate his proceeds to a charity of their choice, and in 2022, Dakk chose us! He’s continued to choose us every year since and pins all his thank you cards, reports, and mailers to his wall next to his ink. Three straight years of generosity and advocacy are amazing. We’re delighted to present this award to celebrate his giving spirit.

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At our 2024 Annual Awards, Ruslana Barkalova was the honored winner of the Learner of the Year Award. Originally from Ukraine, Ruslana started with Lincoln Literacy in September 2022. She first tested at Level 1 but quickly advanced, recently testing at Level 6 (out of 7 levels total). Her describe her as an eager and enthusiastic , arriving early and studying on her own. She puts a great deal of effort into her English learning—all while raising nine children!

Sign up for our newsletter for more stories at https://buff.ly/47iJAZg.

Our 2023 Global Celebration was a huge success! Thanks to The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel for providing us the space we needed for the event. And also for catering some delicious food! Read a summary of the event at https://buff.ly/3GMaApn.