by Organized just six years ago by a group of Latino parents concerned about the education their children were receiving, Burien-based Para Los Niños today operates three programs in seven Highline schools.
And in January, Para Los Niños – “For the Children” – will begin yet another program “to add arts and culture in an education environment,” says executive director Sharonne Navas.
Funding for the new program comes from a $1,500 Latino Led Arts and Media Grant, which was presented to the group at last month’s Latino Community Fund Summit and Awards Ceremony at Bellevue Community College.
Para Los Niños received the grant “for their work to enhance art projects through Aprendamos Juntos (“Let’s Learn Together”), which integrates child and parent learning to boost academic success, build children’s emotional development, and support parenting.”
Aprendos Juntos is one of the three programs already conducted in the schools by Para Los Niños.
The new arts program will focus on Latino art and culture so students from 24 different countries don’t lose their cultural heritage. Participating students will work on perfecting their bilingual skills, Navas says.
“We encourage (Latino students) to be bilingual and bi-cultural,” Navas added. “Studies show that bilingual students do better academically, with life skills, and in standard testing if they don’t avoid their primary language while learning a secondary language.”
Activities in the art program will include dance, ceramics, and literature that takes stories from Latino cultural history and transfers them to painted art.
“We’ll try for about 100 kids and build from this, including more children as they get more funding for this program,” she adds.
One of the ideas behind this program is that it’s easier “to bring the similarities of both cultures to non-Latino kids if Latino kids do this and make it for others to see and experience.”
Para Los Niños’ other programs already underway are Descubrlendo Nuestra Cultura – “Discovering Our Culture” – and the New Immigrant Literacy Program.
Two programs are in grades K-6 and the third is for high school students. And student participation is growing.
“Last year we had about 1,200 students in the primary program in elementary schools,” Navas notes. “This year we have about 1,600.”
There is also an ESL (English as a Second Language) component for the parents of these children. As many as 98 percent of them speak only Spanish.
“The parents have a harder time learning to be bi-cultural and we teach biculturalism to them too.”
Navas says Para Los Niños, a local community based organization, started in 2003 “when a group of Latino parents got together about concerns they had about the education system and their children.” The organization incorporated in 2006.
Their objective is “fostering academic success for every Latino student through parent and community involvement.” And it’s working.
Today, she says, children participating in programs through Para Los Niños “are excelling in their classrooms.”
| Nov ’09 |
| 16 |
| 5:30 pm |
Burien’s Para Los Niños was named a 2009 Community Matters Campaign winner by the Seattle CityClub, and will receive their award at the 2nd Annual People’s Choice Awards on Monday, Nov. 16th.
The ceremony will take place at the Bertha Knight Landes Room at Seattle City Hall, located at 600 Fifth Avenue, downtown Seattle.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Seattle CityClub’s 2nd Annual People’s Choice Awards, featuring Burien’s Para Los Niños
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 16th. Registration: 5:30 p.m. / Program: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room at Seattle City Hall, located at 600 Fifth Avenue, downtown Seattle.
INFO: Hosted by Eric Liu of The Guiding Lights Network, featuring Norman B. Rice, President and CEO, The Seattle Foundation; Special Welcome by the Honorable Sally Clark.
More info on this event, including how to register, available at the CityClub website.
According to their website, “CityClub informs, connects and engages citizens to evaluate complex issues, make sound judgments and contribute to solutions that address issues vital to our region.”
From their press release:
Eric Liu will host the close of CityClub’s Community Matters Campaign as we unveil the winners of our People’s Choice Awards! Hear from Eric about his work and from Norman B. Rice, President and CEO of The Seattle Foundation and their great work to further educational and economic opportunities for everyone in our community.
CityClub’s 2009 Community Matters Campaign (CMC) focused on education and economic opportunity – two issues of particular urgency in our community today. In partnership with The Seattle Foundation, we hosted public dialogues grounded in the findings of the Foundation’s newly released Healthy Community Report (www.seattlefoundation.org). Over the course of CMC, we convened hundreds of participants – both online and face-to-face – to discuss what we can and need to do individually and communally to overcome barriers and achieve positive results. We invited participants to vote for their top-priority community investment to make educational and economic opportunities available for everyone in King County. They responded 2-1 in favor of the following two strategies outlined in the Healthy Community Report:
Involve families and communities in student achievement and aspirations
The CMC Steering Committee – made up of representatives from CityClub, Communities Count, Executive Service Corps, The Seattle Foundation, Seattle Works, The United Way of King County, and the YMCA of Greater Seattle – chose 6 winners based on these two strategies.
Our winner selection demonstrates the ecology of community engagement needed to make a difference. The 2010 People’s Choice Awardees represent a spectrum of organization format, scale and focus. One is a recently emerged organic and quickly changing organization formed by and for youth. Another unites youth and parents. Others bring diverse community sectors together to foster change and opportunity. Still others work on the systemic level through policy development and advocacy. It’s together – across these various modes of organization and action – that change can be created and sustained in our community.
We invite you to join us in celebrating the diverse and dynamic organizations that make up the 2009 People’s Choice Award winners on the evening of November 16 from 6-8pm at City Hall in Seattle. For more information visit www.seattlecityclub.org.
2009 People’s Choice Award Winners:
MAD (Making A Difference) – MAD is a newly emergent youth led non-violence group whose mission is to advocate for victims of violence.
Puget Sound Off (PSO) –Eighteen area teens came together in the Summer of 2007 to design the Puget Sound Off website after gathering input from 180 peers, including the Mayor’s Youth Council. PSO’s mission is to provide youth with a forum for discussion, artistic expression, and action as a way to empower and encourage youth to have a strong voice. The project aims be a catalyst for increasing youth involvement and engagement within the community while encouraging expression of one’s beliefs, respect for others, and commitment to public service.
Para Los Niños – Para Los Niños is a grassroots community organization founded by members of the community it serves—the growing immigrant, Spanish-speaking population in South King County. Para Los Niños builds a healthy community with a focus on Latino immigrants. It supports holistic, family-based educational opportunities and builds lasting community networks.
4C Coalition – 4C is an acronym for Clergy, Community, and Children/Youth Coalition. In partnership with King County Superior Court, 4C provides mentors to young persons involved in the juvenile justice system. The 4C Coalition is not a program to solve a problem, but a process to provide possibilities: mentors to youth, church and community resources to families, and a united voice to the community and government agencies to educate and effectively address youth issues.
SOAR – A community coalition dedicated to building partnerships that support the healthy development and success of children, youth and families in King County. SOAR connects, convenes and catalyzes communities around common goals and strategies and strives to create alignment between systems, sectors, organizations, providers and practice.
League of Education Voters – The League works to improve Washington’s public schools through a grassroots statewide network of advocates. Its mission is to make Washington’s preschools, public schools, and colleges the best in the nation. Its goals are:
- Every child reads by the third grade, with more attention to early learning and the role of parents.
- Every child is taught by an excellent teacher. Like all professionals, teachers deserve ongoing mentoring and training.
- Every child graduates from high school ready for college, work, and life. Standards for high school graduation must align with college entrance requirements.
- All students master the math and science they need to succeed in our technology-driven economy.
More investment in our children’s education, but also more accountability to ensure all children succeed.
More info on Para Los Niños is available at their website.
Sunday, Nov. 1st was a Day of the Dead for more than one way in Burien – it was also the last big event to be held at the Interim Art Space, which hosted “Night of 1,000 Pumpkins” as well as a Dia de las Muertes celebration.
Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture both audio and photos of the day, which he’s combined into the following “SoundSlideshow”:
Click to Play Michael Brunk’s SoundSlideshow
Just when you thought that the fun with the skeletons and candy were done, today (Sunday, Nov. 1st) is the official start of Dia de las Muertes, an Hispanic celebration also known as “Day of the Dead.”
We here at The B-Town Blog love this celebration so much that we’ll be at Burien’s only known commemoration starting at 3:30pm, at the Interim Art Space on SW 151st just north of the new Town Square – it’s “Night of 1,000 Pumpkins”!
Sadly, this will be the final event held at B/ IAS before the dismantling begins and the space returns to an empty lot Dec. 31st – all the more reason to come up and celebrate one last time.
In case you’re not familiar with Dia de las Muertes, here’s some info from Wikipedia:
The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls’ Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints’ Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls’ Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Original Artwork by Danielle Burton. Click image to see large version.
The fun begins today at 3:30pm and goes until dark:
- Bring a carved Pumpkin (or more) with a candle to fill the site with 1,000 lit pumpkins (you can also carve one there)
- Bring something for the community Dia de las Muertes altar (photos of the departed, trinkets, symbols of their lives, etc.)
- Walk through the makeshift cemetery
- Dress up in Day of the Dead costumes/makeup (Calaveras, or skeleton costumes are perfect)
- Pay tribute to your departed loved ones and gather with your neighbor over food, drink and dance
- Celebrate your community, your family and friends one final time at this innovative space
- Face Painting
- Flower Making
- Grand Pumpkin Games
- Sand Painting by artist Amaranta Sandys in the lobby of the Burien Library
- Traditional foods and vendors
- Community created Altars
PERFORMERS:
- 4:30 to 6:30: Trio Lucero del Norte on the B/ IAS Site (Roots Music / Regional Mexican / Folk);
Trío Lucero del Norte play traditional/regional Mexican music from the Huasteca. Specialists in son huasteco and huapango, they are currently the only local group who play son huasteco with the complete ensemble: violin, jarana and quinta huapanguera. Son huasteco is the zapateado style of Mexican son from the Huasteca region. It formed the basis for many styles of huapango that became popular throughout Greater Mexico. The Huasteca region encompasses the plains region of six states: Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
In addition to sones huastecos and huapangos, Trío Lucero del Norte interpret sones de costumbre for Day of the Dead and Carnaval, sones and cumbias in Náhuatl and Huastecan regional stylings of polkas, canciones rancheras, boleros and cumbias. The three members: Jose Hernández (violin), Modesto Antonio Hernández (quinta huapanguera) and Kim Carter Muñoz (jarana), met when Kim posted an add in the El Paisano, a Mexican Carnicaría/Grocery in White Center.
Kim traveled to Mexico for several years to study son huasteco and sones de costumbre for her graduate studies in Ethnomusicology. After playing with well-known son huasteco musicians in Mexico, including Los Cantores de Pánuco, Soraima y Sus Huastecos, Trio Chicóntepec, Los Caporales de Pánuco and others, she wanted to form her own trío in Seattle.
- 5:30 to 6:30: Los Flacos At the Burien Library; Join with Los Flacos for a musical celebration of El Día de los Muertos. This Latino music group performs a blend of the traditional sounds of Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Using a variety of instruments, some indigenous to the Americas and others of European and African origin, they create their own renditions of the songs of Latin America. Gather together with friends at the Burien Library to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have died. For More info on Los Flacos.
- 6:30 to 7:30: Pyrosutra on the B/ IAS Site; Pyrosutra is a fire dance collective based out of Seattle, Washington. We combine choreographed bellydance, breakdance and stilt walking with a wide range of professional fire performance techniques and innovative tools.
- 7:30 to 9:30: La Banda Gozona on the B/ IAS Site
Tapetes de Arena or Sand paintings
These “murals” are typically made of sand, sawdust, seeds, flower petals, and pigments. Traditionally, a tapete is made in the home when there is a death in the family. After a period of mourning, the tapete is swept up and entombed with the body of the deceased. Tapetes are also created all over Oaxaca for the Días de los Muertos celebration, and judged along with the ofrendas in the Concursos de Altares de Muertos.
Amaranta Sandys is been collaborating in the making of sandpaintings with Latino artists in Seattle for the last 10 years @ SAM and Tacoma Art Musuem.
We think that if you dig Tim Burton or Danny Elfman, or love Hispanic culture (or even just good ol’ fashioned dead people), you’re sure to enjoy this event (and we can assure you, we’ll be there…).
All pumpkins will be composted through a gift from King County Solid Waste.
by Aquí se habla español.
Translation: “Spanish spoken here.”
And these words could be a message from the City of Burien to the members of its growing Spanish-speaking community.
That’s because Burien recently added a Spanish-language phone line for people who call city hall (the direct # is 206-436-5556).
Here’s an audio sample of it (click the “Play” button below):
[display_podcast]
“If it’s well publicized, I think it will prove to be very useful and be well received by Latino residents,” says Spanish translator Kenneth Barger – the “voice” of the Spanish line.
This line can help bring members of the Latino community into the “mainstream” of the larger local community, Barger says, especially “if it is part of a broader effort, as is the case with the translated documents available in Burien, the [city’s] new radio station with Spanish material, and the bilingual newsletter.
“Of particular importance is the practical information for emergencies, crime prevention, and so forth” that the line offers Spanish-speaking residents, “because a community is only safe when all of its members are safe.
The Spanish line is available both to people who call the city’s 24/7 information line (206-241-4647, or directly at 206-436-5556) and press “2” at the prompt, and those who call city hall during business hours and request certain information in Spanish.
The line’s five Spanish-language information categories are:
- Business licenses
- Permits
- Reduced cable television rates
- How to file a citizen-action reques
- Community information, which includes:
- Emergency preparedness
- Free Burien shuttle
- English-Spanish conversational group
- Crime prevention Block Watch
- Citizenship/naturalization preparedness
- Pets
Carolyn Towle, a city accountant who also manages its communications systems, said the idea for a Spanish line originated with the city’s Communications Committee.
Last spring, says Towle, she was approached by members of the city’s Communication’s Committee, who suggested that answers in Spanish be provided for commonly asked questions received at the front desk.
At that time, she had to say no. The city’s existing communications technology could not support the system they wanted for it. But upgrades made as part of the move into the new Burien City Hall/Library building last June made it possible.
“I went back after the move and said, ‘OK, we’ve got the technology now and I’d like to move forward with it,’” Towle says. Next, “I want to the gals at the front desk and they put together a two-page list, a script, of the frequently asked questions” they wanted answered in Spanish.
They then talked with Steve Botkin, a public relations consultant for the city, who provided ideas for the Spanish line including incorporating it with Burien’s public radio station (540 AM).
“This line is for information only,” Towle notes. “There is no voice mail for callers to leave messages for city staff.”
Barger adds, “This part of the county has an even greater Latino population than elsewhere in the state, so if anyone is going to offer such a service, it’s great that it’s here. This sort of welcoming gesture makes people feel more a part of the community, which makes the whole community stronger.”
Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna has released this alert, about a telephone scam in which Spanish-speaking callers claim to be from “the insurance agency”:
Callers claim to be from “the insurance agency”
SEATTLE – The Washington Attorney General’s Office is alerting residents about a phone scam in which Spanish-speaking callers claim to be representatives of an insurance company.
Hispanic business owners from Seattle to Yakima and Spokane have reported receiving phone calls from Spanish-speaking callers who claim to be from “the insurance company.” In some cases, the callers also provide the names of actual insurance companies and/or agents.
The callers ask for bank account information they claim is needed to process insurance payments. The callers have left messages if owners aren’t home, along with phone numbers that start with 800, 877 and 752 area codes.
At least two individuals provided bank information to their cons, according to Unico Insurance Agency in Woodinville, which reported the fraud to the Attorney General’s Office. Company owner Carlos Garces said he has received more than 200 calls from customers, primarily restaurant owners, in recent months inquiring about phone calls. In some cases, the cons have mentioned his name. Garces said he is doing what he can to protect his customers and telling them to contact their bank if they provided any information.
The owner of a Spokane grocery store and deli also contacted the Attorney General’s Office after receiving more than 10 calls from individuals who claimed to be associated with various insurance companies. He said the callers, both men and women appeared to be friendly and tried to build up his trust. They claimed they needed to send an investigator to the business. The owner recognized the scam and did not provide any personal information.
As a reminder, never provide your bank account, Social Security number or other personal information to someone who asks for it by phone, e-mail or text message.
If you believe a call might be legitimate, ask for the caller’s name and contact details then end the conversation. Call the business directly using the number on your insurance card, statement or in the phone book.
If you believe you may have provided information in response to a fraudulent phone call, report the information immediately to your bank and place a fraud alert on your credit report.
To read this in Español, click here.
Far as we know, no other local neighborhood blogs in the Seattle area are utilizing this feature, which is now active and available on both this here B-Town Blog and our sister site, the White Center Blog:
AUTOMATIC LANGUAGE TRANSLATION!
To see it in action, just click on either the 
Korean, 
Chinese or 
Spanish flag under the “Translator” heading on the right sidebar under the “Current Weather” area; the page should automatically translate to whichever language you chose (including reverting back to English with the 
American flag.
Give it a try (and please be patient – not every single page has been 100% translated yet):
We hope to add additional languages soon, but for now these three languages should help us reach out to a larger number of non-English speaking residents.
Please email us if you have any problems or suggestions – we’re always trying to improve both the B-Town Blog and White Center Blog, as well as helping to serve this wonderfully diverse community.
