The Chinatown Coalition

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CHINATOWN TOMORROW Vision & Goals 2010

Published by admin on September 18, 2009 in Announcements. 0 Comments

The Chinatown Gateway
Coalition invites you to attend
the second public meeting for
CHINATOWN
TOMORROW
Vision & Goals 2010
Wednesday, September 30th
6PM –8:30PM at
Metropolitan community room
38 Oak Street, Boston, MA 02111
Chinatown Tomorrow: Vision & Goals 2010 is a two
year community initiative by the Chinatown Gateway
Coalition to update the Chinatown master plan. The public
meeting will be an opportunity for the community to
provide input and comment on the master planning process.
To learn more about Chinatown Tomorrow:
Vision & Goals 2010, please contact:
Kye Liang
Chinatown Gateway Coalition Coordinator
Tel: (617) 635-5129 ext. 1071
Email: info@chinatowngateway.org
www.chinatowngateway.org/mp2010

華埠牌樓聯盟
誠意邀請閣下出席
第二次社區會議
華埠的未來
2010 年的展望及目標
日期﹕2009 年9 月30 日（星期三）
時間﹕晚上6-8 時半
地點﹕信義大廈會議室
波士頓屋街38 號
華埠的未來﹕2010 年華埠整體計劃的展望及目標是一個
為期兩年的社區倡議更新計劃。公眾會議將是一個機會
讓社區成員提供意見和參與整體規劃的過程。
如想了解更多華埠的未來﹕2010 年的展望及目標，請聯
絡項目協調員梁志生先生。請致電﹕（617）635-5129
轉1071
或電郵至: info@chinatowngateway.org
网址﹕www.chinatowngateway.org/mp2010

Free Adult ESOL Classes

Published by admin on August 26, 2009 in Announcements. 0 Comments

Dear fellow educators,
ACCESS, located at 244 Harrison Ave. in Boston’s Chinatown, received grant funding and is now offering full scholarships for evening ESOL classes (Tues-Thurs. 7pm-9pm) and some partial and full scholarships for morning classes (Mon. – Thurs. 8:30am-10:15am). I have posted the information below. It would be wonderful if you could send any students on your waiting lists to our school. We still have many slots open. Our evening semester begins Sept. 8 and our morning semester begins Sept. 14. Please call us at 617-426-1070 if you have any questions.
Thanks so much for your support.

Warmly,
Susanna Zweig, ESOL Coordinator, ACCESS

American Chinese Christian Educational and Social Services, Inc.

ADULT ESOL CLASSES

Evening Classes – from September 8th to December 23rd
Morning & Mid-Day Classes – from September 14th to December 17th
Please come and register if interested !!!

Some Full & Half Scholarships Available to Students Who Cannot Afford Our Already Discounted Tuition (Less Than Half Our Cost)

Assessment Test: Every Monday & Wednesday 9:30am – 11:30am; Wednesdays (Aug. 19, 26 & Sept. 2; 6-7:30pm)

Morning Classes: Monday through Thursday 8:30am – 10:15am

Mid-Day Classes: Monday through Thursday 11:00am – 12:45pm

Evening Classes: Tuesday through Thursday 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Tuition – Discount + New Studnet Regis. + Application = Total Fees

$218 - $22 + $5 + $5 = $206
Pay full-semester 8/15-28 and enjoy 10% off.
Pay full-semester 8/29-10/1 and enjoy 5% off.
Half semester (9/14-10/29) $109 - $ 0 + $5 + $5 = $119
$30Book fees, around $30, to be paid when semester starts.

Tel: 617-426-1070
244 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111 www.chinatownaccess.org

Oak Street Fair on September 26, 2009

Published by admin on August 14, 2009 in Announcements. 0 Comments

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) will host the 24^th annual Oak Street Fair on Sept 26. Every year, over 50 organizations and businesses participate at the fair, attracting thousands of people from the community. We are still accepting sponsorship and table reservation.

Oak Street Fair

Sept 26, 2009. 11 am to 3 pm

Oak Street and Josiah Quincy Shoool playground

Sponsorhip ranges from $500 to $5000. Table rate: $50 – $100.

Reach out to the community, share your resources and information, a fun day for children and families.

For sponsorship and table reservation, please contact Joann Yung atjoann.yung@bcnc.net, 617-635-5129 x1055 or visit www.bcnc.net.

Position Available at Boston YES

Published by admin on August 13, 2009 in Announcements. 0 Comments

GED Instructor

Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service, a nonprofit, Boston based youth organization, is seeking to hire one full-time instructor for its GED/Career Exploration program beginning September 2009. Instructor will teach all GED subjects to a class of 10 students (ages 16-21), and prepare them for the GED exam.

Other duties include: assess student level using the TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education); work with students to develop goals; coordinate job-readiness and career exploration activities, help students develop post program plans, and submit student progress reports as required.

Ideal candidate: B.A. in education or related field, strong organizational and communication skills. Previous teaching experience preferred. Fluency in Chinese or Vietnamese a plus, but not required.

Resume to:

Boston Asian YES

199 Harrison Avenue

Boston, MA 02111

Attention: Jane Leung

email: jleung[at]bostonasianyes.org

Meeting Notes: Thursday, July 9, 2009

Published by admin on July 16, 2009 in Meeting Notes. 0 Comments

TCC Meeting Notes: Thursday, July 9, 2009
9:30 AM, meeting at BCNC, 4th floor conference room.

Attendees: Enoch Liao, Sue Kim, Richard Goldberg, Shirley Mark, Dennis Lui, Matt Swaidan, Julian Bushman-Copp, Chutze Chan, Barbara Rubel, Bill Moy, Anne Tse, Chinwen Lee, Kye Liang

I. Refreshments, Welcome, & Introductions

II. Chinatown MasterPlan 2010, update by Kye Liang–
- Nominated, elected 13 member oversight committee
- Hired consultant for MP process – Tainter Associated from Newburyport
- Divided MP Project into 2 phases
Phase I – “Chinatown Tomorrow” – created shared vision for community
Phase II – Implementation – scenario building
- First Community Meeting on July 22, 2009 6-8pm at the Metropolitan Community Room (38 Oak Street, Boston, MA 02111)
- For more information, go to http://www.chinatowngateway.org/mp2010.htm

III. Chinatown Storefront Library Project, presentation by Marrikka Trotter, Friends of Chinatown Library. Presentation by Julian Bushman-Copp and Matthew Swaidan.
-Collections donated by various sources. Available for browsing. Won’t have lending services due to the limited resources.
- Latest Update:
Space – Looking at 3 potential spaces. Hope to finalize by the end of July. Seeking approximately 1500 square feet of donated space.
Materials – Shawmut has donated a significant portion of the materials
- Timeline: Fabricate – July
Install – August
Open – September (fall)
- For more information, go to http://www.storefrontlibrary.org

IV. Development Updates – Boston Redevelopment Authority, Sue Kim

V. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch
A. Preview next meeting: if we get Bill Linehan to come, we’ll have an August meeting, otherwise we’ll take our usual break in August.
B. Safety Committee (via Barbara Rubel)
C. Chinatown Educational Parkway Chart – see latest draft and give feedback, if any to Richard Goldberf at Richard@aaca-boston.org.
D. Chinese Gambler’s Self-Help Meeting, On the 1st Monday of the month from 1-2pm at St. James Church (125 Harrison Ave., Boston). Sponsored by Massachusetts Counsel on Compulsive Gambling. For more information contact Chien-Chi Huang at (857) 383-3563.

Next Meeting: Either Thursday, August 13, 2009 @ BCNC 4th floor Conference Room
OR Thursday, September 10, 2009, depending on availability.

Meeting Notes: Thursday, June 11, 2009

Published by admin on June 24, 2009 in Meeting Notes. 0 Comments

Click here to download June Minutes (pdf)

TCC Meeting Notes: Thursday, June 11, 2009
9:30 AM, meeting at BCNC, 4th floor conference room.

Attendees: Amy Koo, Barbara Rubel, Carolina Garcia, Chin-Wen Lee, Chutze Chou, Dennis Lui, Elaine Ng, Kerry McGowan, Kun Chang, Lian Yu, Lisette Le, Micky Lee, Nancy Wilson, Nilushka Nethisinghe, Rachel Szyman, Richard Goldberg, Samuel Tsoi, Sherry Dong, Shirley Mark, Suzanne Hinton

Agenda Items

I. Refreshments, Welcome, Introductions

II. Issues Facing Chinatown Youth: Follow-Up. A-WAY, presented by Elaine Ng and Lisette Le

- A-WAY meets at 11AM after TCC meetings for youth worker leadership / professional development. A-WAY is a method to create a nexus of youth workers and related organizations.

III. Chinatown Storefront Library Project, presentation by Marrikka Trotter, member of the Friends of Chinatown Library

- The proposed storefront library project is contemplated as a three-month installation, ideally to be sited in several storefront settings around Chinatown. Friends of the Chinatown Library members have been or will be in contact and discussion with local property owners with potential space for the storefront library.

- The Harvard Graduate School of Design has designed and is assembling the storefront library, intended to be portable, in the form of three component pods that contain all the necessary elements for the library. One pod is designed for select books and periodicals, another for children, and a third for computing, such as web access. The pods contain the furniture necessary to function within them, and intended to be readily able to be assembled and disassembled. The Boston Public Library is lending support to the Friends of Chinatown Library in the form of two advisors and the Friends are presently fundraising. The Friends of Chinatown Library are presently carefully collecting materials for the storefront library, since available space for such is at a premium. More information can be found at http://www.storefrontlibrary.org.

IV. Tapping Into College Students for your Organizations, presentation & discussion facilitated by TCC’s Chinatown Intercollegiate Partnership (CIP). How can you tap into the college student population and engage them in your work for mutual benefit?

- Carolina Garcia and Micky Lee of Suffolk University presented the university’s S.O.U.L.S. Center that connects community needs and education of the students. The school offers a community service track with service learning courses; students also have the opportunity to volunteer in one-time volunteer opportunities. There is direct application for example in the media arts, like when students created a documentary on life in East Boston. There will be an Asian studies major / minor available starting in the fall of 2009.

- Suzanne Hinton from Emerson College presented the offerings available for students that pertain to community service, including 30 courses that delve into subjects such as community media and writing for marketing. Soon, Emerson will be posting projects on their website. 300 hours of service is required for AmeriCorps volunteers.

- Kerry McGowan presented for Phillips Brooks House Association of Harvard University. It is a student-run non-profit managed by students. It has 77 programs and comprised of ~1,200 undergrads. There are 7 programs in Chinatown including a 6-week summer program that serves ~70 kids, including teenage counselors, an afterschool program, a teen mentoring program, and adult programs in ESL/Citizenship.

- Shirley Mark presented for Tufts University. She focused on three particular websites that Tufts uses to link with the community. http://activecitizen.tufts.edu/ is the website for the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. http://outreach.tufts.edu/ contains information about how organizations can work with Tufts and has information on projects in each community, including Boston Chinatown. http://tuftstoolkit.pbworks.com/ is a wiki for engaging students in the community. In addition, the TuftsLife.com website can have postings for organizations to put up volunteer opportunities. All medical students are required to perform 50 hours of community service in health services over the course of 4 years. Opportunities may also include engaging faculty or employees in community-based participatory research or other community activities.

V. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch

A.    Chinatown Events Calendar online at Chinatown Main Street’s website.
-    Contact Courtney at (617) 350-6303 to list organizations and/or events. http://www.chinatownmainstreet.org/events.php.
B.    Safety Committee (via Barbara Rubel)
C.    Chinatown Educational Pathway Chart by Richard Goldberg
-    Richard Goldberg presented a preliminary pathway chart that will be refined that consists of different pathways for people to achieve jobs and voting rights. It was created in cooperation with English for New Bostonians. For feedback, contact Richard Goldberg at Richard@aaca-boston.org. Also, on June 19th, 9 AM at the Wolff Auditorium, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, is the annual graduation for the AACA workforce development programs. Governor, Deval Patrick, may be in attendance (updated 6/16/09, the governor will be in attendance according to Richard Goldberg).

- In additional announcements, Barbara Rubel announced that soon, the green space between the Jaharis and Posner buildings will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to dusk. It is still undergoing some finalization in the construction before opening. Request to open the space earlier in the day, 7 a.m. perhaps, to accommodate potential community activities such as Tai Chi.

Next Meeting: Thursday, July 9, 2009 @ BCNC 4th floor Conference Room.

TCC Agenda: June 11, 2009

Published by admin on June 10, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

TCC Agenda
Thursday, June 11, 2009
9:30 AM, meeting at BCNC, 4th floor conference room

I. Refreshments, Welcome, & Introductions

II. Issues Facing Chinatown Youth: Follow-Up. Elaine Ng, A-WAY.

III. Chinatown Storefront Library Project, presentation by Marrikka Trotter, member of the Friends of Chinatown Library

IV. Tapping Into College Students for your Organizations, presentation & discussion facilitated by TCC’s Chinatown Intercollegiate Partnership (CIP). How can you tap into the college student population and engage them in your work for mutual benefit?

V. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch
A. Chinatown Events Calendar online at Chinatown Main Street’s website. Contact Courtney at (617) 350-6303 to list organizations and/or events. http://www.chinatownmainstreet.org/events.php.
B. Safety Committee (via Barbara Rubel)

Next Meeting: Thursday, July 9, 2009 @ BCNC 4th floor Conference Room.

The Asian American Vote 2008

Published by admin on June 5, 2009 in Announcements. 0 Comments

Announcement from Lisette Le of Chinese Progressive Association:

The Massachusetts

Asian American Vote 2008

During the 2008 Presidential Elections, over 1,170 Asian American voters in Boston’s Chinatown, Dorchester, Quincy, Malden, and Lowell participated in the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s (AALDEF) multilingual exit poll. The exit poll was the largest nonpartisan survey of its kind in the nation and was conducted in twelve Asian languages and English across 39 cities in 11 states.

The exit poll reveals vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. At this special presentation, comparative information will be given about the Asian American vote in the Presidential election, concerns about key issues, first-time voters, and profiles of the Asian American vote by ethnicity, nativity, party enrollment, age, and English proficiency.

Monday, June 8, 2009

_____________________

12 Noon to 1:30 PM

Bingham McCutchen

One Federal Street

Boston, MA

- OR –

5:30 to 7:00 PM

ONE Lowell

9 Central Street, Suite 203

Lowell, MA

The same presentation will be given at both locations.

Come to the presentation that is most convenient for you.

_____________________

RSVP to 800.966.5946 x217 or jyang@aaldef.org

Meeting Notes: May 14, 2009

Published by admin on May 19, 2009 in Announcements and Meeting Notes. 0 Comments

Click here to download May Minutes (doc)

TCC Meeting Notes: Thursday, May 14, 2009

9:30 AM, meeting at BCNC, 4th floor conference room.

Attendees: Amy Li, Angela Sun, Anna Tse, Chien-Chi Huang, Chin-Wen Lee, David Mashburn, David Vo, Debbie Ho, Elaine Ng, Emily Wu, Enoch Liao, Karen Gately, Kenny Wong, Kerry McGowan, Kun Chang, Kye Liang, Leslie Davol, Linda Wells, Lydia Lowe, Megan Cheung, Norman Ng, Pamela Lee, Richard Chin, Richard Goldberg, Sam Davol, Samuel Tsoi, Sherry Dong, Shirley Mark, Sophia Kim, Weijie Huang

Agenda Items

I. Refreshments, Welcome, Introductions

II. The Chinatown Lottery Agent Outreach Project, presentation by Janice Wong and Yin Lin

- A community-based field study done by Tufts students under the supervision of the Mass. Council on Compulsive Gambling. The goals of the Project include providing outreach and information to Chinatown lottery agents regarding the Council and its services, as well as collecting and compiling preliminary data for future research and outreach efforts.
- Refer to attachment of presentation.

III. Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) by Parents/Professional Advocacy League Chinese Outreach Coordinator Chien-Chi Huang

-    A state-wide initiative to create and provide community-based mental health services for Children and Youth who are on MassHealth. There are 29 community service agencies contracted to hire and train family members of children with mental and behavioral health issues, and to help those family members become mentors for other similarly situated families.
-    Service agencies working directly with Chinese families should be made aware of the Initiative and of its efforts to help inform and recruit family members.
-    See attachments for more information.

IV. Panel Discussion: Issues Facing Chinatown Youth

-    Boston Asian Y.E.S. (David Vo, Kenny Wong)
-    Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (Enoch Liao)
-    Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (Sophia Kim)
-    Castle Square Tenants Organization Youth Education Program (Linda Wells)
-    Phillips Brooks House (Weijie Huang, Amy Li, Angela Sun)
-    Wang YMCA of Chinatown (David Mashburn, Richard Chin)
-    Chinese Progressive Association (Lydia Lowe)

Questions:
1.    Define the population that your organization serves.
2.    What issues, challenges, strengths, and emerging needs do you see?
3.    What is a take-away for TCC, providers who care about the community?

Summary of discussion:
- Common issues: youth violence; health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual); self-esteem; communication; disengagement in school; family; theft; financial concerns

- Take-aways: Give youth options about what they can do vs. telling them what to do; Opportunities for adults to cross generation lines and interact with young people; Teen jobs will be cut from state budget; Raise up youth to develop new leadership within the community.

V. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch

A. Adult Education and Literacy Awareness Week: May 18-22 (Richard Goldberg)
- Exhibit in Tufts Medical Center Atrium

B.    AACA Educational Pathway Chart by Chinatown Community Educational Partnership (Richard Goldberg)
-    See attachment. Would like to present at June TCC meeting.
-    Refer tech-savvy / graphic designers to Richard Goldberg.

C.    Chinatown Storefront Library (Friends of Chinatown Library) – Sam and Leslie Davol
-    http://storefrontlibrary.org
-    Hope to set up temporary Chinatown neighborhood library in vacant storefront.

D. Master Plan 2010 Survey
- See attachment. EDs and Front-line workers should fill out the survey and e-mail responses to lydia@cpaboston.org or to info@chinatowngateway.org.

Next Meeting: Thursday, June 11, 2009 @ BCNC 4th floor Conference Room.

Attachments:

Meeting Notes: April 9, 2009

Published by admin on April 10, 2009 in Announcements and Meeting Notes. 0 Comments

Click here to download April Minutes (doc)

TCC Meeting Notes: Thursday, April 9, 2009

9:30 AM, meeting at BCNC, 4^th floor conference room.

Attendees: Amy Li, Angela Sun, Barbara Rubel, Beverly Wing, Candice Montalro, Chrasandra Reeves, Chutze Chou, Dennis Lui, Elaine Ng, Enoch Liao, Jessica Goldberg, Joseph Rodriguez, Kelly Diep, Kendra Thomas, Kerry McGowan, Kun Chang, Kye Liang, Lian Yu, Megan Cheung, Pamela Lee, Richard Goldberg, Sherry Dong, Weijie Huang

Agenda Items	Outcomes / Action Items
I. Refreshments, Welcome, Introductions
II. Federal Stimulus Funding (ARRA): Update and How Do We Influence the Priorities and Meeting Community Needs? TCC sub-committee report by Beverly Wing - Sub-committee of TCC met to strategize and identified a range of priorities - Produced written testimony to forum at Boston Public Library - Sub-committee to reconvene on April 17, 2009 (9:00 AM at BCNC) for the next steps to advocacy and mobilizing commitments
III. MBTA Jobs Lottery, Joe Rodriguez, Kendra Thomas - Job lottery for bus operators, train operators, and station workers. - Lottery runs every two years. - The next lottery opens in August 2009, for 8 weeks. - Contact Joseph Rodriguez (617-222-4580, jrodriguez@mbta.com) or Kendra Thomas (617-222-3140, kthomas@mbta.com). - See attachment for more information.
IV. MasterPlan 2010 Update, Kye Liang - Contact Kye Liang for more information on the MasterPlan 2010. (info@chinatowngateway.org)
V. Establishing Agenda Topics for Next Meetings A. Going back to list of topics generated at September 2008 TCC meeting: Jobs (good jobs, trends) Economic Trends Traffic and safety Community development/MP Health svcs for new immigrants Keeping community’s vitality Helping members work with students Space for new programs Educating community on issues/elections Youth and families Sexual health/AIDS prevention Economic well-being Financial literacy Poverty in Chinatown Expanding TCC’s “boundaries” and Focus to connect broader community Spiritual health of the community B. Future TCC meetings will begin to focus on these topics.

VI. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch

A. Safety Committee

- Open meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, 10:00 AM at the DoubleTree Hotel in Chinatown (821 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111)

- Chinatown Neighborhood Council (CNC) has a sub-committee in the Safety Committee

- Barbara Rubel will begin bringing the Safety Committee meeting minutes to TCC.

B. Announcements

1. Community Connections hosted by TCC and The Boston Foundation, April 15, 2009

2. Candidate’s Forum (Third Suffolk State Representative Race)

Tuesday, April 28, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Location: Quincy Elementary School cafeteria, 885 Washington Street, Chinatown

Co-sponsors to date: Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Leather District Neighborhood Council, Chinese Progressive Association

3. Candidate’s Debate (Third Suffolk Representative Race)

Tuesday, April 21, 12:00-1:30pm

Location: AACA, 87 Tyler Street, Boston, Ma 02111

Contact Sunny Schwartz for details. schwartz@aaca-boston.org

4. Friends of Fort Point Channel – various family activities, more details to come.

5. Boston Alliance for Community Health

The Boston Alliance for Community Health will be hosting its Annual Event. The theme is “Wellness and Obesity”.

Wednesday, May 6, 4:00-7:00pm
Location: goulston & storrs (next to Rowes Wharf) 400 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02110

Contact Chrasandra Reeves, Alliance Coordinator. (617) 279 -2240 ext. 516

6. IRS Job Fair

Gee How Oak Tin Association of New England will be hosting a Job Fair given by the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service.

Explore Careers in: Accounting, Finance, Information Technology, Revenue Collection, Criminal Investigation, Customer Service and More

Saturday, May 2, 12:00-3:30pm

Location: Gee How Oak Tin Association, 77 Harrison Avenue, third floor, Chinatown

No age restrictions but a minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required. Bring your resume. No pre-registration is required but please RSVP or send questions:

Contact Paula Chan – 781-789-0713 or Man Hoo Chan – 781-439-7489

Barbara Rubel will bring Safety Committee minutes to TCC.

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ BCNC 4^th floor Conference Room.