Please join The Welcome Project on June 7 for a graduation celebration for some special people from cultures and countries all over the world. These are the students in our youth language interpretation and adult language learners programs who have just completed a year’s worth of learning as language interpreters and English language learners.

As supporters of Somerville’s immigrant communities, you’ve already played a role the success of these students. We hope you will stand with our students as we share cultures, foods, and solidarity — together as people whose family origins span the globe and who now make their homes here.

We’ll be celebrating the first class of high school students to complete their training in LIPS — the Liaison Interpreters Program of Somerville. At the same time we’ll be celebrating the progress our adult learners have made in their English for Students of Other Languages classes this year.

Welcome Project Graduation and Celebration

When: Sunday, June 7, 2009, 4-7 pm

Where: Mystic Activity Center, Mystic Public Housing Development.
530 Mystic Ave. Somerville, MA 02145

As you may know, LIPS trains bilingual high school students to assist with language interpretation at community meetings in Somerville. In addition to learning formal interpretation techniques to connect people who do not speak the same language, LIPS also builds the leadership of young people from immigrant families to be knowledgeable and engaged in issues that affect themselves and their community. Fourteen youth participated this year, learning to assist with interpretation between English and three target languages – Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Students in our English classes came from many countries including Albania, El Salvador, Poland, Hong Kong, Brazil, Nepal, Haiti, and the Congo. In addition to helping adult learners with a new language, our classes focus on helping students survive and thrive in a new culture and community. That’s why this year our teachers took students on field trips to a local supermarket and a local community college, taught students about their rights as tenants and as workers, and brought in guests to help them learn about budgeting and health issues.

For directions click here

Let us Know You Are Coming

Please let us know you are coming to the graduation celebration by sending an email to warrengg@gmail.com.

The event is free, but you can support our continuing work with our LIPS youth and English language students by making a contribution to The Welcome Project. Click here to make a donation to support these programs We hope that you will be able to attend our ceremony. We, as well as our students, would love to see you there!!