On March 5 and 6, the IRC in Atlanta’s Adult Education programs celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) with an engaging class where students learned about the significance of the day, celebrated important women in their lives, and learned new vocabulary.
In total, 25 students from across our virtual English classes joined the IWD celebration, representing Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Myanmar/Burma, Russia, Somalia, Sudan and Togo.
IWD focuses on celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while also calling out inequality and fighting for justice. Our wonderful NDMV AmeriCorps Adult Education Associate, Katie Hibner, led the special IWD classes. “The students learned new vocabulary such as "leader," "important" and "celebrate," Katie shared. “In breakout rooms, they reviewed vocabulary from previous lessons by describing images of women from around the world. They also discussed important women in their home countries and their own lives.”
English language learners reviewed vocabulary from previous lessons by describing images of women from around the world.
The IRC’s Adult Education team pivoted to virtual English as a Second Language (ESL) programming in March 2020—along with the rest of our staff—and has continued to serve newly-arrived refugees, as well as community members who have been in the U.S. for longer, through free online English classes. Now that these multi-level classes take place virtually, the IRC in Atlanta has welcomed new adult students based in Florida, Puerto Rico and Colombia!
The classes were successful and enjoyed by students, teachers and volunteers alike. “In general, the students seemed to be more familiar with the holiday than our American-born volunteers," Katie shared. "One student shared that she celebrated IWD, along with the men's counterpart, Defender of the Fatherland Day, as a child in Russia!"
The IRC is committed to providing gender equitable programs and services and will continue to celebrate this important day annually alongside the people we serve.
To learn more about the IRC in Atlanta’s Adult Education programming, or to register for our free English classes, please contact Adult Education Program Supervisor, Christopher Carpenter, at Christopher.Carpenter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8912.
To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Manager, Kalie Lasiter, at Kalie.Lasiter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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