Media Contact: Paul M. Baker Director, College Relations P: 815-753-8434 C: 773-318-3073 E: pbaker@niu.

edu FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Department of Literacy Education Leads Mentoring Program Creando Caminos reaches out to Latino Students In an effort to reach out to Latino middle school students in DeKalb County, the Literacy Clinic at NIU has teamed up with the NIU Latino Resource Center (LRC), the NIU Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Language and Literacy (CISLL), and DeKalb school district 428 to create a bilingual student-mentoring program. Creando Caminos, loosely translated in Spanish as creating opportunities, is an after-school program for middle school Latino students at Huntley Middle School who need academic guidance. We created the program because we felt that it would serve multiple needs, said Laurie ElishPiper, director of NIUs Literacy Clinic and CISLL co-director. Priority number one: provide support for middle school students. Many students need the extra support, but they may not be able to access it at home in English. Graduate assistants and volunteers from the Literacy Clinic and LRC staff the program. Evan King is a Creando Caminos mentor and former teacher. He has a masters in literacy education and is now pursuing his Juris Doctor at NIU College of Law. He said students who arent performing at the level they need to be academically, could often benefit from further development of social skills. Thats why we spent a lot of effort getting these kids to feel socially comfortable with each other and us. As they become more comfortable, he said, its easier to instill scholarly skills. The Creando Camino students dont know each other, said King. Now they are all together in the same room, and at that age, none of them want to socialize with each other. It compels

them to build relationships with each other, or at least be comfortable with each other. Once we can earn their respect and trust, were hoping that we can teach them more scholarly skills. The programs mentors support students by assisting with homework, tutoring, and teaching study skills. The collaboration is designed to provide positive role models while helping the students to see themselves as scholars. For Creando Caminos Assistant Coordinator, Eduardo Alvarez, the connection has a deeper meaning. I was an ESL student growing up, too said Alvarez. I want to show these students that everything is possible if you set your mind to it. I want to make sure that they see what going to school can do for them. These students often times don't receive this type of attention and support, said Emily Prieto, LRC director and CISLL strand chair. I am confident it will help inspire them to strive for academic success. The LRC wants to see more Latino students successfully access higher levels of education, she added. One way these students will overcome their academic struggles is by providing them with the academic assistance they need. This will benefit the community because it will increase the number of educated community leaders. For more info on the program, contact the Literacy Clinic 815-753-1416 or literacyclinic@niu.edu or the Latino Resource Center at lrc@niu.edu or 815-753-1986.

###