CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

SPRING 2016

Preschool teacher, Kim Kokett, visits Sierra Leone to share trauma-informed curriculum

MN Hands & Voices Targets DisparitiesLifetrack program hires culturally-specific Parent Guides

Putting Hope Within Reach

Lifetrack preschool teacher, Kim Kokett, recently embarked on a volunteer effort to build a preschool in a rural part of Sierra Leone, Africa. Kim spent ten days training the local preschool teachers on early childhood education, child development and a trauma-informed approach.

“That’s why I was really interested in getting involved—the intent was, it’s not just a preschool, it’s trauma-informed.” says Kim.

Many people in Sierra Leone were left with trauma after the decade-long civil war ended in 2002. The war displaced thousands, spread violence and was known for the coercion of children into the war as child soldiers. Mental healthcare in Sierra Leone is virtually nonexistent, which has left many without resources to heal. “The trauma that you experience—that stays with you,” says Kim. The preschool was designed to incorporate the whole family and be a force that uplifts the whole community.

Kim was surprised by the how well the methods she uses in Lifetrack’s Families Together Therapeutic Preschool translates to a preschool in Sierra Leone. The idea behind the activities is the same. For sensory activities, for example, kids are using natural clay instead of play dough.

WHAT’S INSIDE See why U.S. Bank is an important Lifetrack partner in the Donor Spotlight. PAGE 3

Learn about Lifetrack’s commitment to eliminate disparities in this issue’s Message from the President. PAGE 2

Hear about one man’s journey from a refugee camp in Thailand to the U.S. PAGE 3

Where you are, we have been there too—this philosophy is essential to Minnesota Hands & Voices’ (MNHV) work. It’s a community of families who all share the experience of having children who are deaf or hard of hearing. MNHV Parent Guides are also parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing—they visit families in their homes to offer them support, tell their own families’ stories and help parents through the countless medical and educational choices that emerge once your child’s been identified with hearing loss.

The purpose is to offer support from someone who can relate—someone who knows the struggle personally.

But as Minnesota becomes more and more diverse, it is a bold statement to suggest that the MNHV staff can effectively initiate this mission across cultures, languages and backgrounds. How can you say you’ve been in all families’ shoes, when those families have emigrated from multiple parts of the world? Speak several different languages at home? Have a variety of cultural traditions and experiences?

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Planting the Wondering

“You could really see how sensory activities helped them, how movement helped them, how being in the presence of an adult who is really listening to them...that does matter,” says Kim. “You could see the children respond to those things.”

The idea of activities like dancing with the kids in school was new to the local teachers. “There is a teaching tradition where children just sit and are talked to,” says Kim, “so the idea of being more interactive with children was a shift.” Kim encouraged the teachers to ask open-ended questions, but several of the teachers were concerned. They asked, What if the child doesn’t know the answer?Kim told them that’s ok: “That is how you help them start to wonder about the world around them. The idea is to plant the seed of wondering.” It’s a seed intended to help kids think critically, and help them look for an answer in creative ways.

The preschool is being built now, and is

expected to hold 125 students. The building will be placed on a permaculture farm that will help kids root themselves in their natural environment and provide the students with breakfast, lunch and a snack every day.

Kim will continue to support the preschool by helping to develop the curriculum and hopefully visit again in the future. “The potential of the project is so great,” says Kim. “There’s not another project like this in Sierra Leone… the hope is that this is just the beginning.”

Words to Know : Trauma-InformedA trauma-informed approach is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognized intervention that integrates the response to trauma into a program’s practices.

A time for action and inclusive opportunityAs Minnesota’s winter season invokes reflection and solitude, our coming spring harkens action and inclusion.

2015 left us with much to reflect on. Minnesota’s families, while increasingly diverse, are navigating very common challenges with entrenched disparities in income, employment, education and health. These disparities fall hardest on individuals of color, new Americans and families trapped in generational poverty.

This On Track shares stories of bold action and the power of inclusion in changing the lives of children and families. Each of the individuals and resources you’ll read about are essential to Lifetrack’s enduring commitments:

Ending disparities in education by getting every at-risk child off to the best possible start through quality early childhood services, targeted home visiting and parenting education in the community and in the workplace.

Ending disparities in income and employment through substantive employment services and work-life navigation support for at-risk, highly discouraged or displaced job seekers, positioning every job seeker for opportunities to advance within industries willing to invest in their success.

Message from the President

In 2013, MNHV began a serious initiative to address this issue, by hiring Parent Guides from a range of cultural backgrounds. The goal was to address the widening disparities that put children from these backgrounds more at risk. With new funding, MNHV was able to hire new Parent Guides to help support families from the Northeast African, Southeast Asian and Spanish-speaking communities.

One Parent Guide, Judy Cavazos-Beal, says the biggest challenge is the complex layers of obstacles that families might have: “Some families may have financial

and housing problems, some families are separated physically in two different countries, some have neglected health and mental health needs… some don’t know how to navigate what for many comes easier here, like knowing how to use public transportation, applying for programs, or who to talk to if you have concerns with your child’s education.”

Another Parent Guide, Saida Sheik-Mohamed, says she sees the need for a guide who is from the same community:

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Donor Spotlight

Lifetrack Welcomes New Board Members!

Katie Sevcik Senior Vice PresidentHead of Shareowner Services’ Operations at Wells Fargo

Mahedi A. JiwaniIndependent CFO Consultant

Jimmy LuxbacherSenior Director/General Manager The Hertz Corporation

Jack DuffyTeam LeaderArthur J. Callagher & Co.

Lifetrack participant finds work, reunites with family after 3 years of separation

“I know that parents feel more comfortable communicating their concerns and problems about their children’s condition because I give them the opportunity to share their feelings, fears, and wishes in their language.”

Saida recently worked with a family who moved to the U.S. a few years ago. Their daughter communicates primarily with American Sign Language (ASL), which the parents hadn’t had the opportunity to learn. With Saida’s help, the mother and father signed up for ASL classes through the Muslim Deaf Community and are on their way to being able to better communicate with their 12-year-old daughter.

Less than two years ago, Paul was living in a Karenni refugee camp close to the border of Thailand and Burma.

Paul lived in the refugee camp for more than 10 years, working as a high school teacher, but the last years in the camp were a brutal waiting game—he needed his paperwork to go through so he could join his wife and children in the United States, who immigrated three years earlier.

When he finally arrived, one of his first priorities was to find a job to help support his family. Paul was referred to Lifetrack and met with Employment Specialist, Jimmy Polarbaw, who quickly helped Paul develop a job search plan, create a resume and apply for jobs.

DONATE TODAYwww.Lifetrack-MN.org/donate

Only a month after his first meeting at Lifetrack, Paul got called in for an interview and was hired at Prime Design as an assembly worker. Jimmy had helped other employees secure jobs there, so he called up someone who could help give Paul rides to work.

“It’s a great position, because if you work hard, after three months, you can go for a higher position,” says Jimmy Polarbaw.

Paul is a dedicated employee and after the initial three months, he earned a pay raise and the opportunity work overtime to save more money for his family.

Refugee Camp in Thailand

A Long Wait, then Hope

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“The responses have been very positive,” says Candace Lindow-Davies, Manager of Minnesota Hands & Voices. The increase of new attendees was a signal that the new outreach to these communities was working. “When we first brought on the guides, we saw an increase in the number of new families who attended [the MNHV-hosted community] events. The picnic numbers were just jumping,” says Candace.

The work of building inclusivity and eliminating disparities is a complex process, but it is work that the MNHV staff take seriously. “Why should some kids have a disadvantage?” asks Candace Lindow-Davies. “Having a culturally-specific parent guide doesn’t fix all of it, but certainly chisels away at the problem.”

U.S. Bank lives its vision that all people deserve the opportunity to dream, believe and achieve. As an important partner to the Lifetrack mission, U.S. Bank offers more than just financial support – U.S. Bank team members are trusted advisors and front-line volunteers who provide the building blocks that make a difference for Lifetrack families.

In 2015, Lifetrack was honored to receive U.S. Bank Foundation funding to support Lifetrack employment programs, volunteer engagement through our annual Diaper Drive and Adopt-A-Family campaigns. In addition, U.S. Bank served as the Presenting Partner of the Faces of Hope Breakfast and the 2015 Work/Life Flexibility Expo. U.S. Bank’s investment of time, resources and passion truly puts Hope within Reach for Lifetrack families.

Main Office709 University Avenue W.St. Paul, MN 55104Phone: 651-227-8471Lifetrack-MN.org

Innovative Packaging SolutionsProviding high-quality, contractpackaging services to business.ChooseIPS.org

LifeBalance SolutionsWork/life and wellness optionsfor employers.LifeBalance-Solutions.org

Minnesota Hands & VoicesParent-to-Parent support tofamilies with children who aredeaf and hard of hearing.MNHandsandVoices.org

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@LifetrackMN

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Lifetrack709 University Avenue WestSt. Paul, MN 55104

Main Office709 University Avenue W.St. Paul, MN 55104Phone: 651-227-8471Lifetrack-MN.org

Innovative Packaging SolutionsProviding high-quality, contractpackaging services to business.ChooseIPS.org

LifeBalance SolutionsWork/life and wellness optionsfor employers.LifeBalance-Solutions.org

Minnesota Hands & VoicesParent-to-Parent support tofamilies with children who aredeaf and hard of hearing.MNHandsandVoices.org

/LifetrackMN

@LifetrackMN

/company/lifetrack-resouces

/lifetrackmn

Visit us online!www.Lifetrack-MN.org

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Only $3!Get your child ready for kindergarten with one activity a day!

Order now at www.kindergartencalendar.org!

Legacy Luncheon!May 12, 2016

SAVE THE DATEfor the

LifeBalance Solutions:Offering tools to drive a more

inclusive workplace.Successful organizations value diversity, promote inclusiveness and appreciate the benefits diversity brings to strengthening the work environment.

Let LifeBalance Solutions be your partner to plan and schedule Diversity and Inclusion training for your employees.

Offering customized seminars and webinars for your company. Learn more at www.LifeBalance-Solutions.org.

Diaper DriveFamilies who struggle to pay rent and grocery bills have limited resources for diapers and baby wipes. Donate to our diaper drive and help keep babies healthy and happy!

Learn more about how you can help atwww.lifetrack-mn.org/inkind or call 651.265.2330.

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