Illinois

People’s Resource Center

PRC Tell Your Story

Wheaton, Illinois

The Challenge

In the literacy department, we hear many stories of our students’ journeys to America. They are often stories of hardship and hard work, which are ongoing as they attempt to learn English, receive their GED® credential, or gain citizenship. Our challenge came in two parts. We wanted to connect our students to the digital universe while introducing our students to the community in the face of recent negativity toward immigrants and refugees.

The Solution

Since starting the blog, TellYourStoryPRC.org (https://tellyourstoryprc.wordpress.com/), our students have been able to share their stories with a wider audience. With a new post every week, students describe their immigration experience and share it with the world. Since January, we’ve focused on stories of students in our literacy program. In their own words, students from all over the world tell what it’s like to immigrate to the U.S. The stories are sweet, funny, sad, horrifying, always genuine, and, above all, inspiring.

The Outcome                                                                            

Our blog has been viewed over 5,000 times in 40 different countries. Accessing the blog and seeing their words published is a memorable way to learn about navigating the internet. Anecdotally, we’ve heard students share their knowledge with families and friends. The blog counters negative media messages about immigrants by presenting a humanized version of the journey to citizenship. Our stories connect people to the heart of People’s Resource Center with the words and images we’ve created.