Claudia Asselborn: Leadership Opportunities in the ESL City Government Academy

SMAS 2018-2019 Student Council gave an outstanding presentation at the CCAE 2019 Bay Section Conference. The title of their presentation was "Expanding Leadership Opportunities for Students."  Here is Claudia Asselborn's presentation about the ESL City Government Academy.

2019 CCAE: Expanding Leadership Opportunities for Students at San Mateo Adult School

Leadership through the ESL City Government Academy

Hello everyone! My name is Claudia Asselborn. I am a student at San Mateo Adult School and Secretary of the Morning Student Council.

Claudia Asselborn
Alt text:  Smiling woman
with long, blonde hair

Today I will introduce you to the “ESL City Government Academy”, a program that was designed to help students feel empowered and comfortable to access City services and feel prepared to engage further with the City.

The “ESL City Government Academy” is a program offered by San Mateo Adult School for ESL students that provides access to learn more about the City of San Mateo. The program is not a tourist tour for San Mateo, it is a carefully organized plan with an educational intent.

The program is a partnership between the San Mateo Adult School and the City of San Mateo. In the “ESL City Government Academy” students:'

• Continue to learn English as a second language, but do it connected to and immersed in the community where they study and/or live.
• They increase their vocabulary.
• Learn about rules and laws.
• Become familiar with the staff that works for the city.
• Get information about volunteering.
• Learn how to apply for jobs.
• And gain access to places in the government sector, that if not for this program, might never be discovered.

Alt Text:  Photos of ESL City Government Academy in action

I have been part of this program and would like to share our experience with you:

• First, we Learned about the City Hall of San Mateo. The City staff welcomed us with kindness and joy. We even had the opportunity to meet and talk with Mayor Rick Bonilla who is a big supporter of this program.
• Next, we were given a presentation by the City Attorney which was very educational because he explained how to create a law step by step.
• At the Main Library of San Mateo, we discovered many new things including the "Automatic Library Sorting System" they use.
• We then went to the wastewater treatment plant which helped us to understand how our water is treated and what happens to it after that.
• We also had the opportunity to meet the police SWAT team. This was an extraordinary experience because we were able to find out how the team operates and the importance of their work.
• We also discovered many other services that City Hall provides, for example, if someone wants to start a business or fix your house, it is a good idea to go to the City Hall and get information on how to do it and avoid future problems.
• Last, we learned how important it is for the City of San Mateo to provide a high-quality environment for their community. Proof of this is the respect and care of the trees and parks.

Another thing that made the ESL City Government Academy program a unique and enriching experience was when we had the opportunity to participate in the visioning workshop for the City’s new general plan. We were able to talk about our own vision and participate in developing a plan about future policies affecting housing, transportation, open space, sustainability and other issues that are central to our community.

In summary, the ESL City Government Academy program expands student awareness of local government and City services while providing opportunities for civic engagement, leadership, and volunteering, and also for immigrants to integrate into the community.

____________________

Claudia Asselborn

Secretary

Morning Student Council