SERRC.net Online Community for Alaskan Educators and SERRC Staff

Please feel free to forward or post this newsletter to other interested parties. To subscribe or to stop your subscription to TLC's Inside Scoop, please contact marketing@serrc.org.

The Inside Scoop is a publication of The Learning Connection and SERRC - Alaska's Educational Resource Center and is distributed the first day of every month.

The Learning Connection provides free GED and Adult Education, Computer Training, Family Programs, and Job Assistance Programs at four locations throughout Juneau.

1. GED and Adult Education Update
   Mark your calendar! TLC’s GED and AVI (Alaska Vocational Institute) Graduation and Awards Ceremony scheduled for May 2.
   Community Partnership First Brown Bag Lunch was a success!
2. Computer Training Update
   TLC’s free computer classes continue in May with “Introduction to Microsoft Word” and “Introduction to Microsoft Excel.”
3. Family Literacy Programs
   The Learning Connections at Cedar and Gruening Parks and Geneva Woods expect 20% cuts in federal funding.
4. Job Assistance Programs
   JobX - a program that puts 16-24 year olds to work in subsidized positions – receives overwhelming support from the community.
   Do you know someone 55 or older who needs new skills to obtain a job? The Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) program can help.
   The Youth Employment Services at SERRC (YESS!) helps 16-21 year olds achieve their employment and education goals.
5. Success Stories
   Kevin and Keegan who attend TLC’s Geneva Woods After-School program.

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1. GED and Adult Education Update
   Mark your calendar! TLC’s GED and AVI (Alaska Vocational Institute) Graduation and Awards Ceremony scheduled for May 2.
   Please join TLC staff members, families and friends of recent graduates, and other community members as we CELEBRATE SUCCESS at the 2008 GED and AVI Graduation and Awards Ceremony on May 2 at the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) Hall at 7 pm. This year’s speaker will be Ernestine Hayes, the author of Blonde Indian and will be sponsored by Coeur Alaska and Kennecott Minerals. To download a flier about this event, please click here or contact Mary McCafferty at marym@serrc.org or 586-5718.

   Community Partnership First Brown Bag Lunch was a success.
   TLC held its first Community Partnership Brown Bag Lunch on April 11. Several people attended this event and the discussion was productive and lively. The group will next meet in late summer. We’ll keep you posted via this newsletter for details about date and time.

2. Computer Training Update
   TLC’s free computer classes continue in May with “Introduction to Microsoft Word” and “Introduction to Microsoft Excel.”
   Funded through a City and Borough of Juneau Community Grant, TLC offers free beginning level computer classes. These classes are very popular and well-attended by a broad spectrum of Juneau residents.

   During the month of May, TLC will be offering “Introduction to Microsoft Word” on Monday and Wednesday evenings and “Introduction to Microsoft Excel” on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All classes take place at The Learning Connection at 210 Ferry Way, from 5-7 pm.

   For more information about these classes, please contact Kate Prussing at katep@serrc.org or call 586-5718.

   Please click HERE to download a flier about TLC’s May Computer Classes.

3. Family Programs
   The Learning Connections at Cedar and Gruening Parks and Geneva Woods expect 20% cuts in federal funding.
   The Learning Connections at Cedar Park and Gruening Park serve adults, school-age children, and pre-schoolers of families who participate in one of the many programs offered at these sites. TLC@Geneva Woods offers an after-school program that tripled its numbers due in part to staffing that was made possible through a Fred Meyer Foundation grant. All of these programs are preparing to encounter a 20% cut in federal funding for fiscal year 2009. Currently, TLC is trying to raise funds through a community fundraising campaign that asks local companies to contribute to these worthy programs.

   To find out more about TLC’s fundraising efforts, please contact Joan Pardes at joanp@serrc.org or 586-5718.

4. Job Assistance Programs
   JobX - a  program that puts 16-24 year olds to work in subsidized positions – receives overwhelming support from the community.
   Funded by a Youth First grant, JobX puts 16-24 year olds in paid work positions. To date, the program has placed close to 40 youth in work sites and the response from Juneau businesses has been overwhelmingly positive.

   For more information about JobX, please contact Nicole Skeek at nicoles@serrc.org or call 586-5718. To download a flier about JobX, please click HERE or visit www.juneaujobx.org

Do you know someone 55 or older who needs new skills to obtain a job? The Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) program can help.
MASST provides free job training that includes paid internships at work sites, job search assistance, and employment placement in Juneau and other communities throughout Southeast Alaska.

To download a MASST brochure, please click HERE. For more information about this program, please contact Susan Bus at susanb@serrc.org or call 586-5718

The Youth Employment Services at SERRC (YESS!) helps 16-21 year olds achieve their employment and educational goals.
YESS provides education, career exploration, work readiness, and job development for eligible Juneau youth 16-21 years of age.

To download information about YESS, please click HERE. For more information about this program, please contact Elizabeth Dahl at elizabethd@serrc.org or call 586-5718.

5. Success Stories
Kevin and Keegan who attend TLC’s Geneva Woods After-School program
The following are quotes from students who attend TLC’s program at Geneva Woods along with TLC Staff Member Milenka Curich’s comments about these students:

“After School Club helps kids understand life by spending time and talking with each other. I help out the kids by reading to them. In the computer lab, they figure things out on the internet. Things that can help them out in life like reading, writing, and math.” - Kevin, a High School student.

“I like the Raven book (a beginning reader non-fiction book on Native Culture). I like to read it all the time." - Keegan, Elementary School Student, age 6.

“In the early part of the school year, Kevin’s sole purpose in attending After School Club was to use the computer lab.  He kept mostly to himself, rarely interacting with other participants-especially the young children. As a staff, we began encouraging Kevin to read and spend time with the other children.  He willingly took this on in a mature and responsible manner. He now models reading for children and plays board and card games with them. The younger children have responded positively to his mentorship and their relationships are evolving into friendships. Keegan is developing into a strong reader.  He began his kindergarten year learning the letter names and sounds of the alphabet and has quickly progressed into putting letter sounds together and forming words.  He reads on his own and takes pride in his ability to recognize familiar words and decode new words. Keegan enjoys books and is excited about learning!"

– Milenka Curich, TLC Family Education Instructor

Way to go Kevin and Keegan!