The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Community
Leadership and Empowerment
CIRCLE
"Our Voices" Newsletter (Spring, 1997)
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CIRCLE Home Page Builds E l e c t r o n i c Connections
Some local Vietnamese-Americans regularly exchange messages with friends and family in Vietnam in the Vietnamese language, read Vietnamese newspapers, and receive other information about their homelandall through computer! Such electronic connections will be possible for many CIRCLE communities through CIRCLE's new Internet connection.

CIRCLE's homepage (http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu /~amcircle) will allow the Amherst, Boston, and Lowell CIRCLE sites to share information and resources. In the future, we hope that CIRCLE-linked communities all over the state will be able to use "chat groups" and email (meaning "electronic mail") to contact each other on the computer. Chat groups, where people exchange information and "talk" to each other over the computer, are ideal places for leaders, students, and community members to dialog around newcomer issues, or simply get to know each other. Already there is a large network of newcomers connected through the Internet.Another advantage to this new technology is the huge amount of information available through the World Wide Web (WWW), a vast network of organizations linked through the computer. For example, users can link to the INS, to information on immigration law, to ethnic/refugee organizations, and to MORI.

Obviously, not all people will be able to use this new technology; computer equipment and Internet hook-ups are expensive. Some people may simply feel uncomfortable using computers. Others may feel hesitant about participating in "chat groups" when they are unsure of their English skills. Yet Internet connections are slowly becoming more publicly available through public schools, colleges, and libraries. Some libraries even provide Internet training. And with persistence, people will discover sites in their homeland and in their own native language.

Drop in and visit us at:(http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~amcircle)Email: amcircle@educ.umass.edu
· The beginning of each semester was busy and hectic. Staff met weekly to plan and monitor classes for undergraduates, community outreach activities, AmCIRCLE's homepage, and publicity efforts.

· Our staff highlighted CIRCLE's work at several important conferences, including MACIE for internationaleducators, NAAPAE for Asian Pacific American educators, CIES for comparative international educators, and a national conference for extension staff.

· CIRCLE and Umass Extension System collaborated on writing a grant to build understanding and coalitions among youth from different ethnic backgrounds. Davis Foundation has already pledged partial funding for the project; we are seeking the remainder of the money from other sources.

· Amherst CIRCLE works in partnership with Boston and Lowell CIRCLE to promote our work, to share ideas and resources, and to explore funding sources.

· CIRCLE and the Giving SEED program was featured in CHANGE, a national magazine on education. The article was collectively written by Amherst, Boston, and Lowell CIRCLE staff.
"Seeing the students bond and become close friends, and discover their talents and support one another is so rewarding for me." - Michael Goldberg

"It was an ongoing challenge to not be able to speak Russian, but that did not cloud my perceptions of how creative and hard-working the Russian community is. It has been an honor to journey with them during this time." - Rita Raboin

"Even though I have prior community experience, the process of a university doing outreach to the community has been a unique encounter for me." - Yasin Magin

"Community development is a state of mind."- Shekar Regmi

"Once again I have been deeply moved by the energy, spirit, commitment, and creativity of all the SAC students....I have learned valuable lessons in human dignity and compassion from them and have had the opportunity to build new friendships with a dynamic group of individuals... This is what learning is all about!"- Janna Shadduck

"CIRCLE has been an incredible journey for me, personally and professionally. Not enough words and emotions can capture what I learned from and how I feel about the people and communities I worked with over the years." - Sally Habana Hafner
State Staff Visit Amherst
In May, Amherst CIRCLE welcomed Marilyn Lee Tom and Carol Chandler, from the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, accompanied by CIRCLE statewide director, Debbie Tom. Their first time in Amherst, the visit gave them the opportunity to meet project staff and learn about the Western Massachusetts program. But the highlight of their visit was the SAC student presentations about their work with local youth. As one student commented, "It was really nice to see one of the MORI staff (Marilyn) participating in our 'untangling the knot' exercise!"
Community Work Educates CIRCLE Staff
Each Tuesday morning, CIRCLE staff, guided by Rosela Gementiza and CIRCLE director Sally Habana-Hafner, have gathered to reflect on what they have learned from their work with newcomer communities. Sharing issues and obstacles, skills and experiences, CIRCLE staff have processed the community knowledge they have learned, explored questions, and discussed how to move on. According to Rosela, such dialoguing is essential in order "to see other people's realities and to validate your own reality and experiences." After these discussions, CIRCLE staff return to newcomer communities with new understanding, ready to learn new lessons from the practical wisdom of community leaders. Thomas Zschocke commented, "Working with communities, you learn that each group has its own life cycle. You learn to trust the people you're working with, that they have the skills to do what they want."