Our local tutorial was born
out of community need. In the mid-1990s, the United States tightened
its immigration policies and implemented Federal Welfare Reform. This
legislation increased the strain on immigrant communities throughout
the country. As a direct result, Hawai'i saw cutbacks in social services
and welfare provisions for its non-U.S. citizens. The Chinese Community
Action Coalition (CCAC), a non-profit grassroots organization, responded.
In 1996, the CCAC developed the Honolulu Chinese Citizenship Tutorial
Program (HCCTP) - to help immigrants pass the naturalization examination
for U.S. citizenship. Immigrants also learn the English skills necessary
to help them function independently (for example, make doctor appointments,
take the bus, etc.) and as contributing members of our local society.
The HCCTP’s successes
in have involved student-tutors from UH-Manoa, Chaminade, and KCC.
With the incorporation of the program into the national Project SHINE
grant, the tutorial program has grown to reach the West O'ahu community
through the Filipino Community Center. All three local programs need
student-tutors each semester.
.jpg)
