CE-BELL
Civic Engagement for Beginning English Language Learners (CE-BELL) is a modified version of our Civics and Citizenship after-school program, which is explicitly designed for this steadily growing population of low-level (I-II) ESOL students.
The vision for CE-BELL is to create an environment that inspires our immigrant youth to dream bigger and explore the endless opportunities this country offers them. This program is run entirely in Spanish. Through this approach, students leave each session with a greater sense of confidence in themselves knowing that their strengths and cultural diversity are valued. Successful immigrant guest speakers are invited and they will share their stories with our youth to instill motivation and encouragement into their lives. CE-BELL includes a modest English language component and all the activities are designed to be of the most use and relevance to the community’s newest arrivals.
CE-BELL provides the perfect opportunity for students to develop self-worth, as well as help them set personal goals, improve attendance, and ensure diploma completion.
Program Updates
Our spring semester of programs has been up and running since late February! So far we have had a wide variety of guest speakers visit our programs to talk to youth about different career paths and community resources. In March, the John F. Kennedy High School CE-BELL program welcomed the Latinx Association of Nurses at University of Maryland (LANUM). They shared their experiences on the nursing program and what led them to choose that career path. Many of the nursing students that presented were immigrants from the same countries as our youth including, El Salvador and Bolivia. One student expressed how glad he was to see someone who came from his country, have a successful career. In addition, youth were excited to learn how to use stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs to take someone’s blood pressure!
Nursing students from UMD teaching Kennedy High School youth how to take someone’s blood pressure
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“Aprendía que no importa de dónde seamos siempre podemos hacer nuestros sueños reales.”
— Maria, El Salvador