Stay’N Connected

The Shelter’s Immokalee Outreach Office is working in partnership with ProLiteracy to expand access to Adult Literacy Services. In March 2015, The Shelter launched a new program called  Stay’N Connected. Stay’N Connected is an 8-week pilot program to assist native Spanish-speakers, who often face barriers getting out of an abusive environment because of limited English language skills.

Learning English will help empower adult participants to:

• Get around independently in their community
• Interact with the school system and advocate for their children at school
• Advocate for their needs when interacting with officials.
• Have better employment opportunities.

Background on the Immokalee Community:

• Immokalee is an agricultural community with a large number of farm worker and migrant women
• Sixty-one percent of adults served in Immokalee during 2013-2014 identified Spanish as their primary language
• Participants in Immokalee identify English language, reading, writing, and computer skills as top needs in becoming empowered and having a voice, per The Shelter’s Immokalee Advocates

Literacy Skills for domestic violence survivors are clearly in line with The Shelter’s mission to protect, prevent, and prevail over domestic violence – stronger literacy skills for victims will put them in a better position to prevail over violence. The Immokalee Advocates identified literacy needs and worked  with Todd Evans of ProLiteracy to help create the curriculum.

For more information on Stay’N Connected, call the Immokalee Outreach Office at 239.657.5700 or email Immokalee Program Manager Norma Rodriguez at nrodriguez@naplesshelter.org.