Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders (SHINE) - Is seeking volunteers to tutor immigrants of Honolulu communities - to help them learn English and pass their citizenship exams . . . thus maintaining their quality-of-life. For more information, contact the volunteer coordinator, Candice Sakuda, at (808) 735 - 4895 or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Agency Description:

In the mid-1990s, the United States tightened its immigration policies and implemented Federal Welfare Reform. This legislation increased the strain on immigrant communities throughout the country. As a direct result, Hawaii saw cutbacks in social services and welfare provisions for its non-U.S. citizens. The Chinese Community Action Coalition (CCAC), a non-profit grassroots organization, responded. In 1996, the CCAC developed the Honolulu Chinese Citizenship Tutorial Program (HCCTP) - to help immigrants pass the naturalization examination for U.S. citizenship.

The HCCTP’s successes have involved student-tutors from UH-Manoa, Chaminade, KCC, HCC, HPU, and Michigan State. Inspired by the HCCTP, similar service-learning opportunities have evolved at other sites, such as the Filipino Community Center. Each local program needs student-tutors each semester.

The HCCTP’s successes have involved student-tutors from UH-Manoa, Chaminade, KCC, HCC, HPU, and Michigan State. Inspired by the HCCTP, similar service-learning opportunities have evolved at other sites, such as the Filipino Community Center. Each local program needs student-tutors each semester.

You can get involved through S.H.I.N.E. – “Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders.” This national service-learning initiative supports the Hawaii tutorials by engaging college students in English language tutoring and intensive review of the INS exam’s civics material.

Goals of the Project:

1. To tutor immigrants of Honolulu communities - to help them learn English and pass their citizenship exams . . . thus maintaining their quality-of-life.
2. To promote inter-ethnic agency, community, and university collaboration.
3. To raise the consciousness of college students concerning government policies toward immigrants and the “immigrant experience”.
4. To promote and facilitate the empowerment of immigrants in Hawai’i.

Course Requirements Associated with S.H.I.N.E:

1. Attend all training sessions. See your campus coordinator if you have any time conflicts.
2. Complete the program’s paperwork and your school’s Service-Learning registration (registration, waiver and contract).
3. Secure a regular shift appointment & site. Commit to that shift by tutoring for two hours each week, for the duration of the 10-week program
4. Keep journals of training and tutoring sessions - Include summary of events, thoughts/reflections about what happened, and links to course material. Meet with instructor to discuss the S.H.I.N.E. service-learning experience.
5. Complete program evaluation.
   *Requirements for courses are ultimately defined by their respective instructors.

1. SHIFTS
   Each tutor is required to complete a minimum of 20 tutorial hours and 5.5 training/reflection hours by the end of the program’s 10-week period. At the orientation, you will choose one tutorial shift that you will commit to for the duration of the program (Feb. 2 – April 18, 2009). Tutorial shifts are listed in the table below.
   
   

   Area	Day	Location	Shift(s)
   Chinatown	Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs.	Kukui Tower 35 N. Kukui St.	4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
   	Saturday	Sui Wah School 135 N. Kukui St., 2nd Floor	9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
   Waipahu (for ES333 only)	TBA	Filipino Community Center	TBA

   ***At the Orientation, please come ready with your first & second choice for a tutorial shift and $3 for a field book. Sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis and we do not guarantee you will get your first choice.
   
   
2. MAKE-UPS
   Any time missed (absences, tardies, holidays, etc.), must be made-up. Make-up work is scheduled by making arrangements with a tutor coordinator to attend another shift. Tutorial sessions will not be held on the following days:
   
   February 16: Holiday: Presidents’ Day - NEED to do a Make-up
   March 21-27: Spring Break – NO make-ups needed
   
   Each shift is 2 hours long, and punctuality is important. Prior to the beginning of their shift, tutors must inform their shift coordinator if they will be absent/late. Tutors are expected to focus on two areas: understanding and passing the INS exam, and conversational English.

Training Sessions

These sessions are mandatory. The first is an orientation, registration, and shift scheduling session. Second, on-site training features immigration and naturalization information, exercises on aging and cultural sensitivity, web tools, and tips for developing yourself as a tutor. Lastly, our mid-semester Reflection Workshop provides a forum for any problems and observations that may have arisen during the first few weeks of tutoring and allows students to “own” the program by developing it together. It also provides help for writing your reflection papers and focuses on sharing and learning from the adult students.

Training dates, times, and locations are listed in the table below along with what you should expect to bring along with you.

How Do I Sign Up?

In order to become a tutor for Project SHINE, you must follow your school's Service-Learning registration instructions. Please find the links needed below.

For Chaminade students: Go online, to the Service-Learning section of Chaminade’s website: www.chaminade.edu/service_learning/. Click on “instructions.” Follow instructions to register. At the end of your online form, you’ll be prompted to print out the “Community Connection Agreement &…Waiver.” Complete this form, together with your Project S.H.I.N.E. Coordinator, and turn it in to H118 (Candice).

For KCC students: Please go to http://www.kcc.hawaii.edu/object/servicelearning.html

For UHM students: Please follow instructions at http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csssl/pages/forms.html

EVERYONE: Be sure to come to your school’s SHINE Orientation as shown above. Any scheduling conflicts with Orientation should be resolved BEFORE that date; please contact us.