Partnering with Immigrant Communities: Action Through Literacy

Language and Literacy

by Gerald Campano, María Paula Ghiso, Bethany J. Welch

In a period of increasing economic and social uncertainty, how do immigrant communities come together to advocate for educational access and their rights? This book is based on a 5-year university partnership with members from Indonesian, Vietnamese, Latino, Filipino, African American, and Irish American communities. Sharing rich examples, the authors examine how these diverse groups use language and literacy practices to advocate for greater opportunities. This unique partnership demonstrates how to draw on the knowledge and interests of a multilingual community to inform literacy teaching and learning, both in and out of school. It also provides guidelines for reimagining university/community collaborations and the practice of ethical partnering. Partnering with Immigrant Communities focuses

Genres: Education

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2016

Reviews

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book relates some of the studies in a participatory action research (PAR) project centered on St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church and the accompanying Aquinas Center in South Philadelphia (PA). A team of faculty and students from the University of Pennsylvania partnered with a multicultural parish (St. Thomas) and a community center ( Aquinas Center) to conduct a series of PAR projects. While being an excellent example of PAR, this story is also a great example of popular education in action working for social change.