Fifth Avenue Committee Celebrates Adult Education Student Achievements

Fifth Avenue Committee would like to congratulate all our Adult Education students for all their achievements and success throughout the school year.?

In the last year, FAC has expanded our program to meet the growing needs of New York’s immigrant community. In Kensington, we co-designed a class with local residents from the Bangladeshi community to provide English language and digital literacy instruction, as well as opportunities for civic engagement.?

Throughout this school year, our Kensington class has worked to not only further their education but to serve and uplift their community’s voices. Each year, the New York City Council leads a Participatory Budgeting Process, where local residents vote to decide how to spend a portion of the city’s budget. Students in our Kensington class led outreach efforts to encourage their neighbors to vote in this year’s participatory budgeting by tabling at community events, outside schools, libraries, and collecting ballots and delivering them to the Council Member's office. Their work led to over 1,000 votes from their community, with a record-breaking 800 recorded in Bangla. Their outreach has helped empower their community members to make their voices heard and earned them City Council citations from Council Member Shahana Hanif.?

In addition to receiving citations for their accomplishments, our Kensington students have shown tremendous growth throughout the school year. They’ve become confident in speaking and engaging in daily conversation, demonstrating their abilities through interactions with their children's teachers, and have improved their digital literacy skills. Many gained first-time employment after creating resumes, with their new digital skills.?

“I’m so proud of the way these women have built the community they needed and in which they thrive". - Catherine McRae, Deputy Director of FAC Adult Education.?

To learn more about FAC’s Adult Education program, visit https://fifthave.org/adult-education/??