Strategic Partners for Greater Impact  
November 2016 Newsletter
United Way of Greater Los Angeles: Working Towards Creating Pathways of Opportunity 
" As adults spend longer hours working to provide for their families, their ability to engage in their children's school activities gets cut shorter and shorter. Many of these adults look for opportunities to advance their own education and improve their family's economic outlook. 
 
United Way of Greater Los Angeles proudly partners with Building Skills Partnership (BSP) to create pathways out of poverty by bringing those opportunities directly to their workplace. BSP helps working adults obtain the skills that will enable them to integrate and advance in their community and in their workplace, and spend more time doing what matters most - focus on their children's education."


Elmer Roldan
Director of Education Programs and Policy 
Parent-Workers with Parent Worker Symposium Attendees

BSP is proud to play a critical role in the journey of parent-workers searching for a way to create a pathway for their children toward higher education. BSP participants face numerous difficulties associated with the immigrant experience; including linguistic, cultural and structural challenges. In many cases, some parents work long hours and multiple jobs which prevent them from actively participating in their children's school activities. Partnerships with United Way of Greater Los Angeles, UCLA Labor Center, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) help bridge the gap for these working parents looking to be more involved and be a part of their children's educational success. Through the Parent Engagement Program, parent leaders attend academic conferences on child development and parent engagement, facilitate workshops for other parents at worksites and the union office, and help organize several family educational excursions . Recently, parent leaders shared their experiences and challenges in the program o n October 10th at an event hosted by the UCLA Labor Center called the  Parent-Worker Symposium: Transformative Approaches to Childhood Education.
 
" Educational access for our children was a top priority for immigrant workers, so that their children can follow their dreams and  achieve success," said Executive Director, Aida Barragan. " We have a responsibility to support parent workers who are fighting for a better quality of life for their children."
Bridging the Financial Literacy Gap
Towards Financial Inclusion
Gervacio Ramirez, BSP Financial Literacy Student
Many of BSP's Financial Literacy participants immigrate to the United States with a dream. For Gervasio Ramirez, he dreamed to one day own his own home. Many immigrant workers, like Gervasio, have a limited credit history and access to banks in addition to struggling financially in the face of rising living costs, making it difficult to buy a home and achieve financial stability.

Through the generous support from United Way of Greater Los Angeles and The Siemer Family Foundation, our Financial Literacy Program continues to provide opportunities to individuals like Gervasio to overcome barriers to financial capability. 
By participating in BSP's Financial Education workshops, one-on-one consulting, and lending circles through the Mission Asset Fund, participants are able to make informed decisions about their finances and work towards financial stability for themselves and their families.  
YouTube Corporate Volunteers Provide
Vocational ESL Tutoring to Janitors

Through a collaboration with Google's YouTube campus and its corporate employees in San Bruno, CA, BSP has been able to provide supplemental English instruction to immigrant workers looking to acquire the skills needed to integrate in their community and in their workplace. Once a week, corporate employees meet with janitors in a  vocational education program designed to eliminate the main barrier for most students and volunteers: not enough time. Through this innovative program, immigrant workers and corporate employees are able to build a bridge and learn from each another.

Hector Velazquez, a Security Manager at YouTube and a tutor in the program, says "I already had a good rapport with our janitorial staff and liked the idea of being able to help further develop their language skills in a more structured setting." Janitors and employees recognize the benefit of a worker-employee tutoring model as it connects individuals from diverse livelihoods and backgrounds and most importantly, builds confidence among the janitors. ESL students, Lupita and Roger enjoy the encouragement and humor the YouTube employees bring to the class, helping to build their morale as they learn English. The support o f diverse stakeholders such as Youtube and Google enable BSP to provide the tools for janitors integrate into society through learning English language skills and build a network of support at their workplace.
Save the Date: Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2016

This November 29th, BSP will participate in a global day of giving known as #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is a movement that celebrates and supports philanthropy by connecting individuals, communities, and organizations in the spirit of giving. This year, BSP plans to use your donations to continue to provide educational and career access to low-wage workers and their families. Please consider making a contribution to BSP on November 29th. 

Here's How to Get Involved:

1) Save the Date: November 29th, 2016
2) Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates leading up to #GivingTuesday
3) Join us on November 29th for the day of giving and make a contribution!