LYNN — Volunteers made their way to City Hall Monday morning to kick off the Learn More, Earn More campaign, free community resources that assist English-language learners in their efforts to get jobs or advance their careers.
“Today, we’re helping people learn about English for advancement and English for advancement classes that are running here today,” said Jerry Rubin, president and CEO of Jewish Vocational Services, a Boston nonprofit that helps people find employment and build careers.
“The easiest way to describe it is learn more, earn more, because that’s what it’s all about. Improve your English, get a job, get a better job. And that’s what we’re all about today because we want to make sure that the word is out there.”
One featured resource, the English for Advancement (EFA) program, a partnership among the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND), Lynn Economic Opportunity (LEO) and JVS, plans to serve 100 adult learners in Lynn this year, according to information from LEO.
Volunteers were tasked with going door to door and sharing information at community businesses to tell residents about the available resources.
Rubin said it was particularly moving to him that on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, following “some of the not-so-pleasant remarks that came out of Washington, D.C. on Friday,” referring to President Donald Trump reportedly using a vulgar term while questioning why the U.S. wanted more immigrants from countries such as Haiti and African nations, that volunteers were dedicating their energy to creating welcoming, warm opportunities for the immigrant community in Lynn and throughout New England.
“This is the kind of city Lynn is,” Rubin said. “This is the kind of state Massachusetts is, and these are the kind of people that we are.”
Birgitta Damon, CEO of LEO, said 20 percent of Lynn’s residents are living at or below the poverty line and 28 percent of those are children. In addition, she said 47 percent of the population speaks a language other than English.
Damon said the way to get people out of poverty is for them to get good jobs with sustainable wages, which is what the program does. For many people, she said the key is learning English.
Guerline Pierre Plaisir, an EFA student, said she is originally from Haiti and has lived in Lynn for two years. She said the EFA program helped her to improve her English — before she participated, she didn’t speak the language well.
“This program is very important to me and it’s very important for the community,” Plaisir said. “JVS (EFA) helps everyone to have a better job … I’m so happy to study in JVS EFA.”
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said he has spoken with a lot of people in Lynn who were looking for the opportunity to get the skills that would help them get a job. He said these are free classes offered in Lynn, which is an important message to get out.
The mayor said employers are struggling to find quality employees, and in a very diverse community of 92,000 people, the city can benefit from people learning those English skills, which can create jobs and grow its economy.
“There are a lot of people that are very talented in this community that need the English skills to take that talent and make it a reality,” McGee said. “We’re looking to really impact as many people in this community to create the skills to make a difference for them.”
