Education Pathways
Strategic Priority 3: Enhance opportunities for people to achieve their goals and contribute to community
through diverse, equitable, culturally responsive, and transformative educational
pathways.
Mutual Learning: Increase opportunities for postsecondary students and educators to collaborate with preK–12 students and educators in mutual learning, inspiration, and empowerment.
Family-School Collaboration: Strengthen the capacities of families and educational institutions to build trusting relationships with one another and create opportunities for collaboration.
Decreasing Barriers to Education: Strengthen hubs and networks—in our neighborhoods and at the University—through which partners can collaboratively address the multilevel barriers people face to accessing educational opportunities.
Lifelong Education: Support education institutions and community groups in creating and connecting learning opportunities through which individuals of all ages can define and further personal, professional, and community goals.
Key Indicator: # of west side residents enrolling in and completing postsecondary education at the U of U and SLCC.
West Side Youth Get Hands-On Science Experiences
By:Lizzie Su, Science in the Parks
Hartland Community 4 Youth and Families (HC4YF) is a community organization working to provide pathways to college for Salt Lake County youth who are at-risk or underserved. Science in the Parks (SITP) is a student organization at the University of Utah dedicated to providing access to science education for the same youth. Hand-in-hand, the two organizations have been able to achieve their goals by empowering youth to envision themselves as possible future scientists in their pursuit of higher education.
In October 2021, youth with HC4YF headed to the U campus to participate in science demonstrations and experiments. The program was hosted by SITP, with faculty advisors Adam Beehler (Physics) and Holly Sebahar (Organic Chemistry) running demonstrations.
First, the students stopped at the Physics & Astronomy building to see Adam’s demonstrations, which always delight students. For example, in one demo Adam showed off his Airbender skills. He filled a cylinder container with fog through a small circular hole at the top. By tapping on the bottom of the cylinder, Adam launched fog rings at the students to showed how air moves when a force (his hand) was applied to the container. This activity is always a hit with kids of all ages (even college kids!) and shows how forces applied to different materials can generate cool responses.
Next, the kids headed to the Chemistry building on the other side of campus where its labs are located. With the help of some SITP volunteers, Holly prepared some cool Halloween-themed chemistry experiments for the kids. In one activity, the kids made “ghost bubbles,” which required liquid nitrogen and dish soap. Then, dry ice was put into a large container filled with some water and a tube with a funnel at one end was attached to the container while the funnel was dipped into the dish soap. The gas produced from the reaction of the dry ice and water flowed through the tube and the funnel and helped blow a dish soap bubble. By putting on gloves and dipping their hands in the soap, the kids were able to hold the bubbles in their hands before they popped. When the bubbles popped, the gas flowed out like fog, hence the name “ghost bubbles.” The volunteers helping with this experiment were also able to make bubbles that bounced on a countertop before popping.
At the end of all the experiments, the kids and parents from HC4YF were able to ask the SITP volunteers any questions about college, such as how the application process works, what classes are like, and what skills kids should have before going to college. The volunteers were able to answer the questions while sharing their own personal experiences and all the lessons they had learned thus far. All in all, it was an exciting night for everyone involved, and SITP hopes to continue their community outreach through this partnership with HC4YF.
SITP would also like to extend a special thank you to Paul and Jarred from UNP who helped coordinate this event, and to UServe Utah, for its generous funding that supports the HC4YF and SITP Civics & Science partnership.
A new scholarship, along with other efforts, supports paraeducators in earning a teaching license.
By: Carlos Palestina, Coach Mentor, Utah Development Academy Kellie May, Education Specialist, Salt Lake City School District Breda O’Keeffe, Associate Professor of Special Education, University of Utah Paul Kuttner, Associate Director, UNP
Paraeducators, or paraprofessionals, play critical roles in our schools. They are teachers’ aides, afterschool leaders, student advocates, and much more. They provide everything from afterschool care to supports for students with disabilities to engagement with families. But they are often overlooked when it comes to conversations about teachers and schools. The partners in the Grow Your Own Educators (GYOE) partnership are trying to change that.
For the past three years, GYOE has supported a cohort of paraeducators working toward becoming licensed teachers. The cohort is made up of mostly non-traditional students, going back to school after years away. One unique offering of this cohort is that most of the members already work in a school district. The cohort supports members’ growth professionally by creating projects and building stronger relationships and partnerships within the community in which most live and serve. Members of the cohort can collaborate, build professional connections, and form personal bonds. With the time spent together, members support each other, look for scholarships, and find ways to pay for college. Members can build genuine, long-lasting friendships. This allows members to create a stronger sense of community and a defined environment for their experience. These bonds also help members to develop stronger leadership and teamwork skills and assemble a pool of resources. These skills and friendships have helped members be successful.
One of the biggest barriers to earning a teaching license is the cost of school. But now, the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) is offering a two-year scholarship for any paraeducator who wants to become a teacher or counselor. As part of a three-year program, SLCSD is one of a group of districts that received funds from the state for this purpose. SLCSD paraprofessionals and individuals fulfilling counseling internships completed an application process at the end of this past school year. The program received over sixty applications and close to fifty scholarships were offered, ranging from $9,000-$12,000 each year for two years. The first Grow Your Own scholarship cohort includes twenty-two paraprofessionals and seven counseling interns, each of whom is paired with a district mentor. Thus far, over $60,000 has been distributed for tuition, fees, and books. Information for how to apply for the second cohort will be announced in the spring.
As these paraeducators move into teaching jobs, that will create an even larger need for great paraeducators, who are such an important part of our schools. How can we better recruit, train, support, and keep great paraeducators in our schools? That is the question being asked by the Grow Your Own Educators Research Group, a team that includes two paraeducators, a UNP Associate Director, a University of Utah graduate student, and a University of Utah Associate Professor. The group is conducting research to learn more about the reasons community members seek, start, and stay in jobs as paraeducators in the Salt Lake City School District. The team would also like to learn more about what influences paraeducators’ job satisfaction. They collaborated with the district to distribute an anonymous online survey in May 2021 to all paraeducators in the district. Respondents included 111 paraeducators (out of 408 possible participants). The team then followed the survey with an invitation to a focus group or individual interviews. The group’s research partners are currently collaborating to analyze the quantitative and qualitative responses to the survey and individual interviews. A report of the results will be available in 2022.
We are excited to see these efforts grow and evolve in the coming year.
Community Advocates Open Office in Rose Park Community Center
By: Almaida Yanagui, Community Organizer & Assistant Partnership Manager, UNP
For many years, the Utah Community Advocate Network (UCAN) has held family programs and classes at the UNP office and at nearby schools and centers. Now, UCAN is opening its first office in partnership with the Rose Park Neighborhood Center (RPNC). UCAN and RPNC will be working together to create a hub for family support and family-school collaboration in Rose Park.
UCAN is an intergenerational network of youth and families that organize to support education and wellbeing. Last fall, UCAN began holding meetings and classes at the Rose Park Neighborhood Center, which is located at 754 N 800 W in Salt Lake City. RPNC was built by the Good Samaritan Foundation in 2018 and is led by Executive Director Amy Wylie and Center Director Danny Davenport. In 2022, UCAN will be moving into its permanent office there. Below, UCAN members share their thoughts on this emerging partnership.
Durante muchos años, la Red de Defensores de la Comunidad de Utah (UCAN) ha impartido clases y programas familiares en la oficina de UNP, en escuelas y centros cercanos. Ahora, UCAN está abriendo su primer oficina en asociación con Rose Park Neighborhood Center (RPNC). UCAN y RPNC trabajarán juntos para crear un centro de apoyo familiar y colaboración de familia a escuela en Rose Park.
UCAN es una red intergeneracional de jóvenes y familias que se organizan para apoyar la educación y el bienestar. El otoño pasado, UCAN comenzó a realizar reuniones y clases en el Rose Park Neighborhood Center, que se encuentra en 754 N 800 W en Salt Lake City. RPNC fue construido por el Good Samaritan Foundation en 2018 y está dirigido por la directora ejecutiva Amy Wylie y el director del centro Danny Davenport. En 2022, UCAN se mudará a una oficina permanente allí. A continuación, los miembros de UCAN comparten sus pensamientos sobre la asociación emergente.
“Estamos muy contentos por este nuevo paso que estamos dando, ya que al tener este nuevo espacio podremos abarcar más areas y asi proveer más servicios a nuestro comunidad.”
“We are very happy about this new step that we are taking, since by having this new space, we will be able to cover more areas and thus provide more services to our community”. ~ Viviana Montaño
“As a community advocate, I am excited to be a part of building a partnership with the Rose Park Neighborhood Center. It is awesome that the Utah Community Advocate Network will now have its own office. I like this building because it has so much more room than the one we were using in Glendale. This building is a lot closer to me. I like the friendly faces that greet you at the door.”
“Como community advocate, estoy emocionada de ser parte de la construcción de una collaboración con Rose Park Neighborhood Center. Es asombroso que el Utah Community Advocate Network ahora tenga su propia oficina. Me gusta este edificio porque tiene mucho más espacio que el que usábamos en Glendale. Este edificio está mucho más cerca de mí. Me gustan las caras amables que te saludan en la puerta. “
~ Dulce Hernandez
“En el area Northwest de Salt Lake, especificamente Rose Park, ha tenido la necesidad de tener un lugar donde la comunidad puede reunirse o asistir a una oficina. Ahora tenemos la oportunidad de que University Neighborhood Partners, Utah Community Advocate Network, y Rose Park Neighborhood Center trabajando juntos para tener una oficina de Community Advocates. Sera de gran ayuda para la comunidad de Rose Park.”
“In the northwest area of Salt Lake, specifically Rose Park, there has been a need for a place where the community can meet and have an office. Now, we have the opportunity for the University Neighborhood Partners, Utah Community Advocate Network, and Rose Park Neighborhood Center to work together to have a Community Advocates office. It will be a great help to the Rose Park community. “ ~ Jorge Zamora
Community Resident in Action: Refugee Action for Family Health
By: Suzie Akok, Founder, Refugee Action for Family Health
Refugee Action for Family Health (RAFH), supported by UNP’s Community Resident in Action partnership, aims to empower youth from refugee backgrounds to preserve and maintain their cultural traditions and values.
Utah is home to many people whose country of origin is South Sudan. This includes
a growing number of youths who were born in Utah and get almost no exposure to traditional
dance. Although many do speak their heritage language, I have observed their embarrassment
when they are among peers from other cultural backgrounds. I became concerned and
feared that they were losing our culture. When I talked to parents, they expressed
the same fears. As a result, since September of 2019, a series of health education
workshops and traditional dance sessions with South Sudanese youth have been conducted.
Health education workshops focus on helping youth learn the consequences of risky
health behaviors and how to better communicate with their parents. And the dance sessions
have led to participating youth mastering three different South Sudanese traditional
dances.
In the beginning, there were twenty youth participating. Today there are more than forty attending the workshops and learning traditional dances. Additionally, fifteen parents also attend. We even had a cultural day in August 2020 for youth to showcase their talents to parents, friends, and RAFH partners. And, during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and youth have remained engaged through the use of WhatsApp for group calling, texting, and sharing pictures and videos.
Over the past two years, RAFH conducted two projects to help support refugee youth
and families. We made more than two hundred reusable masks to prevent the spread of
COVID-19 among youth and families, as well as provided five new tablets to support
youth during remote learning. We also reached out to vulnerable households to share
information about the virus and how to access support resources.
Suzie Akok was born in South Sudan and grew up in a Ugandan refugee camp before migrating to Salt Lake City, Utah. She arrived as a teenager in March 2006 with her mom and brothers. She holds a Master of Public Health from Westminster College and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Utah.