KI Receives "I'll Be There" Award from DC Jobs with Justice

Posted in Day Laborer Exchange Events

On Thursday, June 21, the Kalmanovitz Initiative was honored receive an “I’ll Be There” award from DC Jobs with Justice. The  award is in recognition of the KI Day Laborer Exchange program. We are proud to offer this exchange in partnership with DC Jobs with Justice, and we look forward to continuing it in the coming years.

Now in its third year, the Day Laborer Exchange Program connects students trained by the Kalmanovitz Initiative to day laborer hiring sites, or “corners” where day laborers congregate in hopes of finding work. Using a curriculum developed by DC Jobs with Justice, students teach “survival English”: the words and phrases that workers need to promote their job skills and to protect themselves against wage theft. Over a period of ten weeks, working in partnership with local day laborer organizers, students learn from and exchange experiences with day laborers while exploring structural issues affecting the day laborer community.

In addition to weekly trips to the corner, students engage in reflection sessions throughout the semester. The experience is an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the complex issues that day laborers face while at the corner. The program is coordinated by undergraduate student leaders in collaboration with Kalmanovitz Initiative staff.

Check out the September 20th, 2011 feature article highlighting the DLE program, “Student, Laborers Share Experiences”  from the Georgetown student newspaper, The Hoya.