What’s New in Settlement
This past June, 33 people including community members, English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) and Caribbean Connections students, came together for an unforgettable one-day trip to New York City. During the trip, they visited The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the 9/11 Memorial. This trip was the culmination of Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience. For six months, community members embarked on a journey of learning and reflection about the diverse groups that arrived at the United States throughout periods of our history and their stories of acculturation.
Visiting the symbolic and historical sites in New York provided some with an opportunity to connect with their family’s stories. A few visitors retrieved their family members’ arrival records, while others were able to connect their current migration experience with those from 100 years ago.
Here’s what some of the attendees thought about the day:
“Enjoyed the trip. Having immigrant grandparents, it was great to see Ellis Island and imagine them as they came through those doors and what they had to go through.”
“Even as an American, seeing the Statue of Liberty left me awestruck.”
“As an English student, I am very grateful to the people who made this trip possible for me. I am thankful to The Gables for their contribution to the immigrant community and helping us make this new life a little easier, imparting knowledge and guidance regardless of our places of origin.”
“As a settlement student, I want to say thank you for this invitation…It was an epic experience…I don’t usually take a lot of pictures, but in this trip, every corner was worth capturing.”
Thank you to all who helped make it possible for some of our ESL and Caribbean Connections students to attend.