North Park University to Launch ESL Program to Assist Local Refugees

This fall, North Park University (NPU) will begin its ESL Teaching Cares program to provide childcare and English classes to refugees who have recently arrived in the Albany Park area.

NPU's Community Outreach & Global Partnerships team within University Ministries developed this program alongside the South-East Asia Center and the City of Chicago's Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

ESL Teaching Cares will provide its services primarily to refugees living in the former U.S. Marine Corps facility on Foster Avenue, which the City of Chicago purchased for $1.5 million last fall to convert into a migrant shelter.

NPU students will serve as childcare providers or English tutors under the leadership of Ben Swihart, coordinator of Community Outreach and Global Partnerships, and NPU student intern Davianna Schuh.

"The ESL Teaching Cares program overall promotes the care and advancement of underserved populations in our community, working alongside organizations that have been doing this work for decades," Schuh said. "Opportunities like this have been proven to increase graduation rates, diversify students' perspectives, and increase professional credentials for North Park students."

NPU previously provided resources to immigrant families by hosting a food and clothing drive last December. More than 60 volunteers-North Parkers and representatives from the North Park Community Association, Alderman Samantha Nugent's office, Aramark, and other community groups-collected and distributed clothing, blankets, and supplies to 225 families.