Learning for Life
JUNE 2 0 1 8 I BOROMAG.COM 51
On May 23, the Center for the Integration
and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA)
launched the "Learning for Life" fundraiser
in support of their popular Elementary After
School Tutoring program.
According to their website, CIANA, located
at 31-09 Newtown Ave., Suite 411, is utilized
by recent immigrant children and their families
with a "focus on newcomers from Middle East,
North Africa, Latin America and South Asia."
CIANA Program and Administration
Manager Kylen Button stated that funding
By JENNA BAGCAL
@JENNA_BAGCAL
for their tutoring program and others like it
has been slashed at federal, state and local
levels. As a result, the organization has turned
to private donors to help fund the program,
which they say is "a vital part of the children’s
success in the New York City school system,
and a part of their assimilation into American
society while staying rooted in their cultural
heritage."
CIANA started in 2012 when its founder
and CEO, Emira Habiby Browne, was
approached by a parent whose child was
failing kindergarten.
“Emira was in total shock. How could a
child be failing kindergarten? One of our
interns at the time volunteered to tutor her
a few times per week and over the course
of time, saw drastic improvements,”
Button said.
Local parents heard about the child's
newfound success and started reaching out
to CIANA asking if their children could also
be tutored. The program caters to children
in grades 1 to 5, who receive one-on-one
homework help twice a week, according to
a promotional video on the organization's
website.
Currently, the program is at capacity, and
serves 20 children from every New York City
borough, and there is a waitlist of children
whose parents want them to receive tutoring.
The nonprofit plans to use the money they
raise to hire a program coordinator, offer more
days for tutoring and accept more children into
the program.
In addition to the Elementary After School
Tutoring program, CIANA runs a variety
of programs to benefit "new Americans,"
including adult ESL classes, classes and
workshops to help immigrants to gain
citizenship and an after-school program for
middle schoolers to participate in recreational
activities.
To learn more about CIANA or to donate to
their fundraiser, visit the organization's website
at cianainc.org.
EDUCATION
An Astoria-based nonprofit
hopes to raise $10,000 by
June 27 to support their
tutoring program in the face
of reduced government
funding.