Building One Community (B1C) Prepares Students for A Successful Year

Summer afternoons filled Building One Community’s (B1C) Shippan Ave center with curious students looking for fun and learning. As the Center for Immigrant Opportunity, B1C holds the summer program for children of immigrants who may not otherwise have the ability to attend traditional summer camps and get ahead in their schooling. Walking in a single file line to Cummings Park just across the street, the 40 eager students engaged in creative reading and math activities with partners and dedicated high school volunteers.

Teaming up in soccer games inspired by the active Copa America, dancing in Zumba classes and visiting neighbors at Grassroots Tennis for spirited play, the group had a blast making the most of the summer heat. The students also tried out new techniques for self-care with the Community Mindfulness Project through hands-on activities with singing bowls and deep breathing exercises.

What truly made the program was the group of dedicated high school volunteers. A group so large, the volunteer to student ratio was 3:1, qualifying as high-touch learning. Taking on more leadership roles, these volunteers presented lessons and facilitated breakout groups, and even occasionally led the lesson in full.

“Our youth volunteers are champions of our mission, playing an integral part in these students’ development both socially and intellectually,” said Executive Director Elena Perez. “They make the students feel welcome and empower them to build confidence in the classroom.”

High School Senior Maria Flores led her own creative writing activity in which students created characters and established settings, leading up to a climax and ending in resolution. The kids had a lot of fun with it, many of them incorporating themes from the popular anime and trading card game, Pokémon.

The students' families were even able to join in the fun with routine parent workshops. Average attendance for family workshops was 97 percent!

Beyond the success in participation, the pre- and post-testing results in reading and math were a testament of the program’s efficacy. Thanks to a strong partnership with Springboard, students exhibited nine and a half months of reading growth in essential literacy skills in just five weeks. Most notably, the fourth and fifth graders showed what B1C’s Academic Enrichment Manager, Bernadette Sotomayor, or as the kids know her, ‘Ms. Bernie,’ called “astronomical improvement.”

The cherry on top to the finale of the program, perhaps an even bigger hit than the pizza party on the last day, was the annual Bank of America Backpack drive, hosted at B1C. Despite the sideways rainfall, 100 backpacks were given out to students in grades K through five. Brand new clothing sets were also doled out for fresh new outfits for the first day of school.

The students were sad for the summer fun to end but won’t have to wait too long to get back with their friends and Ms. Bernie at B1C’s afterschool program starting September 16th.

To learn more about B1C and its programs and services, please visit the website www.b1c.org.

Building One Community (also known as “B1C”) is a nonprofit organization established in 2011 that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families. Since its inception, the organization has served nearly 17,000 immigrants from 124 different countries. B1C provides free services that educate, employ, empower, and engage immigrants and the broader community.

Programs offered include English Language Learning (ELL) programs, family and individual support services, immigration legal services, and workforce development programs. Community volunteers, donors, and partnerships are an essential component of the growth of Building One Community.