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Winnebago Area Literacy Council outlines services, funding and barriers for Oshkosh newcomers
Summary
The Winnebago Area Literacy Council told the Oshkosh Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee it serves mostly immigrants and refugees through English classes, job-readiness programs and partnerships, and that transportation, awareness and funding are major barriers.
The Winnebago Area Literacy Council told the Oshkosh City Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee on Aug. 25 that the nonprofit provides English-language instruction, one-to-one tutoring and job-readiness services to primarily immigrant and refugee adults and is seeking more community support to address transportation, child care and funding shortfalls.
The presentation, delivered by the council’s executive director, summarized the organization’s programs, partners and impact and urged the committee and city to consider infrastructure and outreach changes to better include newcomers in city services.
The council’s executive director said the organization has been “actively serving in Oshkosh since 1989,” and that last year it served roughly “150 learners each week” across three sites: a downtown learning center, classes at Amcor Oshkosh North and a women-and-children program at St. Andrew’s Church. The director said the organization’s operating budget this year is “about $503,000,” and that teachers (seven paid instructors) account for the largest share of expenses.
In a briefing to the committee, the executive director said 100% of the council’s current learners are immigrants and refugees and identified the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Mexico and South Sudan as the largest countries of origin among learners. The council reported enrolling “over 100 new learners” last year and said it now offers workplace English classes that are paid by employers at one partner site.
Committee members and staff asked about volunteer needs, translations and outreach. Crystal Miller, human resources assistant for the City of Oshkosh, recommended the council’s monthly “immigration learning circles” and called them “super enlightening.” Carl Guillo, the council’s city liaison to the DEI committee and a city council member, said he attends to ensure “the voices and concerns of all the people in our community are taken into account.”
The presentation listed several barriers that limit learner participation: a lack of local awareness about Oshkosh’s role in refugee resettlement, limited transportation options tied to bus schedules, child-care constraints for women learners, and the difficulty of finding paid translators and interpreters. The executive director said the council is developing financial- and digital-literacy classes and plans to work with the Community First Credit Union on a financial-literacy program.
On logistics the director said the council recently moved its downtown classes to the U.S. Bank building and noted a partnership with Amcor Oshkosh North that provides two on-site English classes paid for by the employer. The council also runs a “road to work” job-readiness program funded by the Oshkosh Area United Way; the director reported that program helped “50 to 60 people get a job” and that they track retention at 90 and 180 days.
Committee members suggested ways the city could help, including sharing council posts on the DEI committee’s Facebook page, providing more language access for essential city materials and considering transit-route or schedule changes where many newcomers live. The executive director asked the committee to consider “educational opportunities” for residents about what it means for Oshkosh to be a refugee-resettlement city and to explore “infrastructure implementation” such as extended bus hours or additional routes.
The presentation ended with an invitation to the public to join the council’s newsletter and a plug for upcoming events, including a “Know Your Rights” screen-making workshop and an immigration-learning-circle presentation scheduled for Sept. 1. The council’s website was given as www.winlet.org, and the executive director asked interested residents to sign up for the newsletter to learn volunteer and support opportunities.
Votes at a glance: The committee approved the minutes from the July 28 meeting on a roll-call vote during the same meeting, recorded as five votes in favor and one opposed (member Andy Toman voted no).
