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MCS in the News
Over 75 Parents Graduate from the Fall 2009 Parents As Partners Graduation
Parents from Wards 1, 7, and 8 graduated from the Parents As Partners training conducted in over 12 schools and early child care centers. The Parents As Partners (PAP) program is an initiative of DC Parent Information Resource Center for the DC area a program of the Multicultural Community Service. The innovative PAP program trains parents how to engage in the creation of a path to academic success. To view article in its original Spanish language click here.
MCS is referenced in "Elements of Excellence: Lessons from the 2009 Quality Schools Initiative"
In this publication, schools in the DC are recognized for effective practice in school leadership, parent and family engagement and instruction. MCS is referenced in page 29 of this publication for conducting the "Parents As Partners" (PAP) training at Capital City Public Charter School. Click here to view this publication.
MCS Celebrates Graduates of Its 2009 Community Interpreter Training Program in Washington Hispanic, Tiempo Latino, and El Pregonero
Washington Hispanic, Tiempo Latino, and El Pregonero newspapers covered the graduation celebration of 22 students who graduate from the 2009 Community Interpreter Training Program on September 17, 2009, organized by Multicultural Community Service (MCS) and the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (OLA).
(Click on the above links to read the articles.)
PIRC Parent Empowerment Specialist featured in AJE Update (2009)
Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc. featured DC-PIRC Parent Empowerment Specialist Karen Wills-Henry in a March/April 2009 "AJE Update" that focused on how she became involved in parent outreach through her son's disability. In the course of rigorous self-education, Ms. Wills-Henry figured out how to "make it work" and ensure her son's success in school - he now plans to attend college in the fall of 2009. "If we keep it positive, everyone around us will keep it positive," Ms. Wills-Henry said, describing how encouragement among students, parents, and schools can go a long way.
To view the article, click here.
MCS Community Interpreter Training Featured in El Tiempo Latino (2009)
On May
29, the newspaper El Tiempo
Latino featured an article on the Community
Interpreter Training program at MCS. The
article, “Para romper las barreras
For the
past seven years, MCS, partnered with the DC
Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, has provided
the training to address the need for language
access in
The training benefits both participants and the community. DC area residents who speak multiple languages are given the opportunity to develop their language skills and to use this development to enhance opportunities within their careers. At the same time, interpreters serve community interests by assisting their own neighbors, able to really understand their community and its needs.
A highly intensive course, the 70-hour Community Interpreter Training program prepares participants for the demands of work as an interpreter. In the article, one student remarks that she never thought the class would be so intensive, a testament to the comprehensiveness of the course.
To view the article, click here.
DC-PIRC's Partents as Partners Seminar Series featured in the Washington Post (2008)
On January 10, the Washington Post's "District Extra" section highlighted DC-PIRC's Parents as Partners (PAP) Seminar Series. PAP allows parents to better connect with schools, principals, and teachers with the ultimate goal of succeeding in the college admissions process. Parents who have completed the seminars have applauded its results. "I didn't even know what skills I needed. It's like a parental support group with lessons for people with teenagers," one parent said. Another parent, who felt distanced from schools because of her limited English proficiency was able to connect to educators through interpretation. "Now I feel comfortable toaking about progress and desire for my children to go to new heights," she said.
To view the article, click here.
MCS Community Interpreter Graduation Ceremony featured in Washington Hispanic (2008)
The event was hosted by MSC and the Language Services Program Director, Rosa Carrillo. It opened with remarks from Congressman Sylvester Reyes (D-TX). Congressman Reyes congratulated the interpreters and priased them and MCS for continued efforts toward improving understanding across the may diverse cultures and languages of the Washington, DC area and elsewhere in the US. His speech was highlightedby his own autobiographical account of growing up as one of eleven children in a Spanish-speaking household on a farm in El Paso, Texas. He discussed how he overcame difficulties in affirming his identity as a bilingual person living in the US. He went on ot highlight that the vast majority of the country accepts intitiatives like the Community Interpreter Training and languages access rights work that cater to non-English proficient communities. He called the audience to action in challenging the minority of the US that would prefer the country to be monolingual with English as the official language. Congressmen Reyes emphasized the vitality of teaching foreign languages throughout primary and secondary education. He mentioned how important it is to incorporate US nationals in foreign language training in all government agencies and departments for the purpose of national security and international relations.
To view the article, click here.
DC-PIRC's Parents as Partners Seminar Series featured in CFNCR Brief (2006)
The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region featured MCS in a 2006 issue brief entitled "Parent Leadership." The brief detailed seven area organizations that worked in the interest of expanding parent involvement in their children's educations and addressed the task of narrowing the achievement gap for African American and Latino children via strenghtened parent engagement. Focusing on DC-PIRC's "Parents as Partners" Seminar Series, the article recognized MCS' success in mobilizing parents to become more active in their children's academics. As one parent noted, "Since participating in this program, my child is not as rebellious as she used to be and now she does her homework."
To view the article, click
here.
MCS Community Interpreter Training Featured in the Washington Post (2005)
On September 15, the Post highlighted photos from the Community Interpeter Training program's graduation ceremony, held at Habana Village in Adams Morgan.
To view the article, click here.
MCS Community Interpreter Featured in World Bank Newsletter (2005)
In a Q&A-style article, the World Bank highlighted Silvia Perez's volunteerism as a community interpreter, having freshly completed MCS' Community Interpreter Training. Perez described her role as an interpreter for the community as one in which she helped "people with a limited knowledge of English to do . . . the everyday things that most English speakers easily accomplish but which can pose major obstacles for others in the community."
To view the article, click here.