Our Actual Grant Proposal!

Ella Cornwell and Taylor Stimmler

January 18, 2019

The Polytechnic School Advancement Office

1030 E California Blvd

Pasadena, California 91106

Dear Judge Panel,

We are members of the 2019 Global Scholars program and are excited to present our grant proposal to bring light to a program we feel so passionately about.

Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS) is a nonprofit organization that works to integrate immigrants and refugees into our community through resettlement aid, job opportunities, and legal aid.

IRIS recently obtained a new building to expand their services, providing an ideal space for ESL/Civics classes that prepare recent immigrants for the U.S. citizenship test.  We are requesting an amount of $7580, which would furnish the building and support a year of ESL/Civics classes. Furnishing the building would set up IRIS for long-term success, as well as jumpstart other projects through the expansion. Through our relationship with the organization, we will also be able to open a pipeline for future volunteers from Poly.

Immigration and refugees are an important topic today, and we want the Poly community to be able to help in any way they can. As the official, governmental attitude toward immigrants has drastically changed, many of us feel hopeless. A union and expansion of IRIS would bring a  direct path where students can learn from others’ experiences and bring actual change.

We appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Ella Cornwell and Taylor Stimmler

Project Title: Assisting the Pathway to Citizenship: ESL/Civics Classes and Their Venue

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Proposal Summary:

We request a total of $7580 to provide  English as a Second Language (ESL) and Civics classes for a year in partnership with the Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS). These funds will cover the cost of furnishing a bungalow owned by IRIS, which will become the site of classes and much more, and the execution of a year’s worth of ESL/Civics classes with the intention of students taking the citizenship test.

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Organization Description and History:

Background

IRIS is a nonprofit organization that started in 2005 that offers refugee resettlement aid, resettlement assistance, and immigration legal aid. The mission of IRIS is to welcome and provide tangible tools and connections to help new arrivals achieve self-sufficiency in the United States. IRIS aims to enhance the quality of life of all of their clients, to develop partnerships with others to help our clients, and to advocate for refugee and immigrant rights at the local, state and national levels. IRIS has been a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and operated in conjunction with Episcopal Migration Ministries. However, they work with people of all faith, race, sex, and religious background, despite their religious affiliation. In addition to its affiliation with the Episcopal Diocese, IRIS receives funding from a variety of organizations, including the federal government, the California Department of Social Services, the County of Los Angeles, the New Americans Campaign, and the Simon Ellis Foundation. IRIS is designed to provide holistic services, so a client who may come for one service can quite conveniently take advantage of the many other programs.

Refugee Settlement Program

Since it was first established in 2005, IRIS' Refugee Settlement Program has helped nearly 10,000 refugees persecuted on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group find hope, hospitality, and a safe haven in the Los Angeles.  IRIS partners with the U.S. Department of State in order to provide protection, relief, and long-term solutions for refugees and conflict victims who seek sanctuary from persecution. Each year IRIS resettles hundreds of refugees who are fleeing war, persecution, violence, or genocide. Resettlement is difficult. IRIS provides a range of programs that empower newly-arrived refugees with support necessary for successfully starting new lives in Southern California. IRIS provides newly arrived refugees with services and items they’ll need during their initial months in the United States including housing assistance, transportation, cultural and community orientation classes, social services, and community support, connections to English classes, job training, health care, school enrollment, and legal services including family reunification, employment authorization, permanent residency and United States citizenship. All services are provided in a compassionate, non-threatening environment with the goal of helping refugees become self-sufficient thriving new members of our community.

Refugee Employment Program

IRIS also knows how critical it is for refugees to find their first job in the United States, so they created a refugee employment program. As a Los Angeles County contracted Refugee Employment Program (REP) provider, IRIS provides employment and training services for eligible refugees and asylees up to five years from date of entry in the U.S. or from the date asylum is granted. The REP program provides outreach, case management and placement services to refugees. The program also assists refugees in adjusting and adapting to the American workplace, learn English, and ultimately achieve self-sufficiency to end their dependence on public assistance.

Immigration Legal Services

IRIS is a Department of Justice Office of Legal Access Program recognized office with DOJ accredited staff and an on-staff immigration attorney. IRIS provides its clients with professional services and assistance navigating today’s complex immigration system. IRIS is a member of the National New Americans Campaign, a groundbreaking national network of legal-service providers, faith-based organizations, businesses, foundations and community leaders that is paving a better road to citizenship.

Food Pantry Program

IRIS also has a strong food pantry program. Since founding, IRIS has offered a food pantry to its clients and the community. IRIS’ food pantry is offered on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.  

English and Civics Classes

Learning the English language is one of the most difficult and important challenges facing newly arrived refugees and immigrants. IRIS offers English and Civics classes to help with successful integration to American life. The skills immigrants learn in the English and Civics Classes can be used for the other workshops IRIS holds, such as filing citizenship. Today, IRIS' ESL classes are twice a week, during the day. The current group of students are older immigrants and refugees who use the classes for the socialization and English practice. In the past, IRIS has offered ESL/Civics that are geared toward taken the citizenship test, but they were unable to continue the formal lessons due to lack of funding for the program. IRIS has a variety of sources for funding, but with the current government, federal funding for programs like ESL/Civics has been reduced.

Immigrant Social Services

The main IRIS office is located in Atwater Village, but they are currently in the process of opening a new location in Echo Park. This new bungalow, which is a few houses away from the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles headquarters, will be the home of Immigrant Social Services (ISS), a subgroup of IRIS. IRIS itself is currently more focused on assisting with the legal aspect of immigration, so ISS aims to supplement that through its social services. In the next few months, ISS will launch a mental health consultation and referral program as well as a clothing bank. Funding has already been secured through grants for both of these programs. The intention of the bungalow is to provide holistic services, and we hope that the combinations of the two above programs with our ESL/Civics classes will provide the best assistance to clients of ISS. We have mainly been working with Meghan Taylor, executive director, and Jumney Wang, volunteer coordinator, at IRIS. In addition, we have been in communication with Lia Williams and Rev. Canon Frank Alton of the Episcopal Diocese, who are together overseeing the launch of ISS.

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Background:

Topic Inspiration

Immigration is one of the most topical issues in the world today. Both in Europe, with the migrant crisis, and in North America, people have been displaced and many developed countries have had to decide upon their stance toward immigrants and refugees. However, the stance the United States has taken does not reflect how many of us truly feel. The government’s actions towards immigrants and refugees leave us feeling hopeless that without major policy change, we will not be able to truly welcome people coming into our country. This frustration, coupled with a fundamental disagreement with the impression of disregard for others’ lives our current government gives the world, has led us to look for local solutions to assist immigrants and refugees. This project began with the principle that if we want what America means to the rest of the world to change, we have to take it upon ourselves.

Partnership

In our initial research of IRIS' programs, we were drawn to ESL/Civics classes. We were excited to provide an opportunity for immigrants and refugees to learn skills that will make living in America more comfortable and accessible. In further conversation, we learned that IRIS currently can only provide very unstructured ESL classes, and their main clients of those classes are elderly refugees. They were at one time able to provide a more structured class with the intent of students taking a citizenship test, but due to a lack of funding, they were unable to continue. Most of the clients for this ESL/Civics class will be those preparing for the citizenship test. Citizenship is immensely important. Not only does citizenship increase pride in our country, but it provides immediate and lasting wage benefits. It creates stability for families who would otherwise constantly have to worry about deportation, especially with the current government. As U.S. Representatives Cartwright (D- PA 17th) and Cardenas (D- CA 29th) say, “America was founded on the idea that we are a great nation that welcomes immigrants to our shores. We must reflect those foundations by continuing to move forward toward greater equality and opportunity for those living in the cities and towns that lie from sea to shining sea. Citizenship is the most precious gift we can give to those hardworking immigrants who contribute to our great nation.”

Along with IRIS' citizenship workshops, the ESL/Civics will work together well with upcoming ISS projects. In the same bungalow where the classes will be held, ISS will provide services like mental health services supplies like clothing. However, the bungalow is currently unfinished. By furnishing the bungalow, we will not only create a space where ESL/Civics classes can take place, but we will facilitate these other projects.

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Project Description:

Stage 1: Furnishing and Preparing the Bungalow

The first step in the project will be to furnish the bungalow and make it a usable space for ESL/Civics, mental health services, and the clothing bank. We have already contributed to the cleaning and painting of this building. First, we will have to purchase and put in place furnishings. A list of items needed, the sources, and prices have been detailed in the budget below. We are planning on having the large items delivered, and an IRIS employee will be able to pick up the smaller ones. We have scheduled one work day in which the main part of the moving will be done, and with the help of Ms. Larios, Poly’s outreach coordinator, we will recruit 6-8 volunteers from the Poly community to volunteer to assist on this day.

In the week following the major move-in day, we have left time so that finishing touches can be made. At this time, we and Ms. Williams will purchase the smaller office supplies, like paper, staples, pens, and pencils. The finishing of the bungalow is going to enable ISS to launch all of its services, and most relevantly to our project, it will provide a prepared space for the ESL/Civics classes. The decisions on placement and the exact supplies purchased will be done by Lia Williams and Rev. Canon Frank Alton of IRIS.

Stage 2: Preparing for Classes

The preparation for the classes themselves will occur concurrently with the furnishing of the bungalow. One of the main sections of our budget is funding a new employee for IRIS that would work as a teacher for this class only, which is 2 days a week, for 2 hours a day, which allows for preparation time. The hiring will be done by Mrs. Taylor and Ms. Wang at IRIS, who have extensive experience in the administration of ESL classes. As the structure of the classes is finalized with the teacher that will have been hired, we hope to construct a plan that can be executed repeatedly for each set of classes.

As soon as we receive the grant, we will begin advertising the classes. We are hoping to enroll about 12 students at a time. Each student will sign-up via IRIS’ website, which is currently undergoing an update. Because the curriculum does not build on itself, we will allow rolling enrollment. The designated cycles we have indicated refer only to the curriculum, but students will be prepared as long as they take classes for a full eight weeks.

The advertisement will take place both online and using traditional word-of-mouth methods. Information about the classes will be posted on IRIS' social media pages, and we will use IRIS' connections with parishes in the area to advertise as well. We will also use flyers, which will be put up in community centers, grocery stores, etc. in the area. With the help of the Poly Spanish department, we created a mock flyer, which can be found here. Finally, we will most likely receive the majority of our clients from other IRIS programs. After clients complete legal paperwork at IRIS citizenship workshops, they will be referred to our classes to prepare for the interview and test they will have in a few months. Additionally, ISS is designed to provide holistic services, so we hope that a person who comes to the bungalow for mental health consultation may become aware of and enroll in our classes, and vice versa.

Volunteers also play a very important role in our classes. Luckily, we will be able to offer volunteer opportunities without a necessary commitment for a certain number of classes, which should make the opportunities easier for students’ participation. The volunteers will either serve as childcare providers or tutors for our students. We have found that many students are very passionate and interested in the issue of immigration, and we are very excited to offer them this opportunity to take action.

Stage 3: Class Execution

The objective of the classes is to prepare the students for the U.S. citizenship test as well as providing them with basic conversational English to use in their daily lives. Throughout the classes, the teacher will be in charge of managing the curriculum, Ms. Williams of ISS will be the overall coordinator, and Taylor and Ella will take on volunteer recruitment from Poly. When we graduate, we hope to pass this project down to next year’s Global Scholars or integrate IRIS' involvement at Poly with the Breaking Boundaries club.

The class will happen twice a week for 90 minutes each and will follow a lesson plan tailored to the citizenship test. IRIS had a grant previously to create a whole curriculum for the formal ESL/Civics classes. It was created in 2011, so the only information that is out of date is information about the president. This existing curriculum is very extensive and is broken into 28 lessons. We have decided it is much more feasible to modify this curriculum and offer our classes in only 16 lessons which are more focused on the 100 civics questions on the citizenship test. Each class will cover two lessons. Although the classes will not follow this planned curriculum exactly, the new teacher will have a plethora of lesson plans, worksheets, and other resources from the detailed curriculum at their disposal. We have created an outline of the lesson plan, which can be found here, to give a sample of how the cycle structure will look.

Stage 4: Potential Continuation

The grant money we are requesting will fund the execution of classes for one year, during which IRIS and Poly students can work to secure further funding. We are covering set costs like finishing the bungalow and buying a printer, so operational costs will be much lower in the future. Also, with the hiring of a teacher and an updating of the curriculum, the classes will not draw as much time from current IRIS employees. Even though we are graduating in June, the program has the potential to live on because of the infrastructure we will create with this project. While we hope that IRIS will be able to easily secure funding to continue these classes after one year, we have also thought about possibilities to continue with limited resources. The next round of classes could use a “pay as you’re able” system, which could offset the cost of a teacher. The students we hope to engage in the classes through volunteering could also run supply drives at Poly.

The relationship built between Poly and IRIS will be beneficial for both parties throughout the project, and this relationship can also live on after our graduation. Poly students have time to contribute to IRIS, whether or not it is in the ESL/Civics classes, and we are also lucky enough to have powerful connections through alumni and parents that can make an impact on IRIS and the population they serve. We also hope that through connections with people they might not usually meet, Poly students can gain a greater perspective and learn from others’ experiences.

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Project Timeline/Budget Timeline:

Month	Monthly Objective	Week	Tasks	Notes
February	Bungalow, Advertisement, Hiring of teacher	Week 1	Bungalow preparation, shopping, and Advertisement	Advertisement this week will be focused on spreading the word to nearby parishes & community centers; (cont.) budget needs for furniture; IRIS begins the process of hiring teacher
		Week 2	Bungalow prep and shopping, Advertisement, and launch of online registration	Advertisement on social media and website; budget needs for furniture; continuation of hiring
		Week 3	Bungalow Cleanup February 23 & Advertisement	Poly volunteers used for clean-up day; budget: cleaning & installment costs; teacher hired
		Week 4	Final Touches on Bungalow & Advertisement	Rooms will be completely set-up for classes; budget: classroom supplies; finalize curriculum with new teacher
March	Launch Classes	Week 5	March 5: Lesson 1 March 7: Lesson 2	Paid employment of ESL teacher begins
		Week 6	Lessons 3 & 4
		Week 7	Lessons 5 & 6
		Week 8	Lessons 7 & 8
April	Launch Cycle 2 of Classes	Weeks 9-12	Lessons 1-4, starts April 2nd	Reflect on issues and make improvements as necessary
May	Continue Cycle 2	Weeks 13-16	Lessons 5-8
June -January	Execute Cycles 3-6			(break for Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s)

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Budget:

After consulting with IRIS about their needs, we have composed the following budget as a  best estimate of the furnishings and other supplies that will be needed throughout the project. The sources for these prices can be found here.

Furnishings and Supplies

Item	Description	Source of Price	Cost
Desk	Ikea’s Micke Desk in Black/Brown - This desk will be for the teacher. It can accomodate the desktop computer, and it has storage for the classroom supplies	IKEA	$130 (including delivery)
Computer	Dell Desktop Computer: features touch screen, CD/DVD drive, and an all-in-one design, which means the computer is actually housed inside the monitor like a laptop	Best Buy computers	$650
Printer/Scanner/ Copier	Brother Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer: provides printing, scanning, and copying capabilities in a compact machine	Currently on sale at Staples, down from $149, free next-day delivery available	$99
Basic classroom supplies	Notecards & Post-it notes	Staples: 3 x 5 lined note cards & 3 x 3 Post-it brand colored sticky notes	Notecards: 2 * $6.39/500 pack Post-it’s: $30/1700 stickies $43 total
	Pens, Pencils, & Pencil Sharpener	Staples: Bic ballpoint pens, Staples brand wood #2 pencils, Staples brand (cont.) electric pencil sharpener	Pens: 3 * $7.89/36-pack Pencils: 2 * $9.99/72-pack (cont.) Sharpener: $18.49 $63 total
	Staples, Tape, & Paper Clips	Staples: Staples brand staples, Staples brand tape dispenser, Staples brand invisible tape rolls, Staples brand paper clips	Staples: $6.39/10,000-pack Tape dispenser: $4.59 Tape: $20.99/12 rolls Paper clips: $4.89/1000 clips $37 total
	Stapler	Staples: Staples brand desktop stapler	$8
	Miscellaneous supplies	Staples	$50
Wastebasket	Brighton black steel mesh waste paper basket	Staples	$13
Whiteboard	Quartet whiteboard. 6’W x 4’H. Comes with mounting hardware and marker tray	Staples, on sale from $179	$148 (including handling fee)
Folding Tables and Chairs	Office Star 6 foot long center-folding table & Commercial Stackable Plastic Folding Chairs	Amazon (free shipping on both)	Tables: 2 * $61.42/table Chairs: 2 * $96.29/8-pack $316 total
Bathroom Supplies	Toilet paper, paper towels, & soap	Grocery Store, estimated price	$40
	Trash can	Staples: Brighton black steel mesh waste paper basket	$13
	Miscellaneous cleaning supplies	Grocery Store, estimated price	$40
Lighting	Simple “Alang” floor lamp	Ikea	$40
Installment/Set up costs	Covers any extra delivery charges, assembly supplies, and snacks for volunteers	Estimated cost	$75
Buffer	This serves as a safety net for unforseen price (cont.) changes, replacement items, and unaccounted-for purchases.	Estimated cost (chose this instead of (cont.) 250 so it would make a reasonable total)	$240
Tax	This accounts for tax on purchases (estimate)	Calculated using 10% sales tax	$220
Total:		* all items from Staples and Best Buy are eligible for free delivery	$2420

Class Execution

Item	Description	Source of Price	Cost
Teacher Stipend	The price of the main ESL/Civics teacher. IRIS emphasized the need for consistency in this one person for the students’ benefit, and for that reason, we have chosen to hire a professional instead of a volunteer	IRIS' price after hiring ESL teachers for many years and considering the going rate	$20/hr 4 hrs/week $80/week 8 weeks/cycle $640/cycle 6 cycles/year $3,840 total
Notebooks	Every student will be given a 70 sheet spiral notebook	Staples - 6/pack	$14.50/pack 2 packs/cycle $174 total
Printing and photocopying	To print practice tests and study materials, mainly from the detailed curriculum and https://www.uscis.gov. This money will go towards ink and paper. The ink mentioned here is a package of all three colors which is made specifically for the chosen printer.	$8.79/ream of 500 sheets (Staples) $45/ink cartridges for “up to” 1200 pages	1 ream of paper + 1/2 ink cartridges : 1 cycle $31.29/cycle $188 total
Supply Replacement	We will provide the teacher with this money to spend as needed to replace supplies	This cost is more estimated than others because we do not know exactly (cont.) what they will need to replace	$100/cycle $600 total
Buffer	This serves as a safety net for unforseen price changes, replacement items, and unaccounted-for purchases.	Estimated cost (chose this instead of 250 so it would make a reasonable total)	$238
Tax	This accounts for tax on purchases, excluding teacher salary (estimate)	Calculated using 10% sales tax	$120
Total:		* all items from Staples and Best Buy are eligible for free delivery	$5160

With the combination of these two categories ($2420 + $5160), we are requesting a total of $7580.

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Request for Support:

We are passionate about IRIS and their future projects and feel that Poly will also be just as motivated to help. To highlight a current Poly involvement and passion surrounding the subject, we spoke to Poly juniors Saya Desai and Bianca Murray. “This year Bianca and I [Saya] founded Breaking Boundaries, a club dedicated to promoting discussion on immigration/refugee issues. Soon [January 14th] we are hosting an assembly which will feature a panel of people who offer different viewpoints on the immigration and refugee experience in America. We hope that this year, in particular, students gain empathy and a better understanding of this human plight.”

By granting $7580 to IRIS, you will help us enable the organization to expand and continue a series of classes that will empower refugees in our local community to pursue U.S. citizenship. In a time when the federal government is contributing less to assist immigrants and refugees, IRIS has the potential to alleviate stress for many immigrants by providing a pathway to citizenship, and this grant will serve its needs on two levels. In addition to serving the needs of recent immigrants, this program can be a part of a larger Poly movement to promote empathy, better understanding, and engagement with our immigrant and refugee community.