| New Book Celebrates the Work of Jane Addams School for Democracy, reception on April 16  Voices of Hope: The Story
of the Jane Addams School for Democracy (Kettering Foundation, 2007,
$19.95), a new book edited by Nan Kari and Humphrey Institute Fellow Nan
Skelton, captures the story of educating new citizens and strengthening
ties among cultural groups in the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ten years after the Jane Addams School
(JAS) opened—a community initiative coordinated by the Center
for Democracy and Citizenship at the Institute—more than 1,500 participants
from around the Twin Cities have become U.S. citizens.
Voices of Hope is an engaging account of the Jane Addams School as told
through the voices of the school's participants. It features 22 essays by 12
writers, including non-native English speakers, and more than 75 photos. The
essays cover topics such as the founding of the school and its role in providing
a space for democratic work, an American groom's story of his traditional Somali
wedding, reflections from a language instructor on how the school influenced
her approach to teaching, and a poignant tale of one refugee's journey from
Laos to America.
Kari and Skelton, who co-founded the school with others in 1996, explain in
Voices of Hope that the Jane Addams School is “not a public school
in the commonly understood sense of the word; nor is it a stand-alone 'bricks-and-mortar'
institution.” Meeting in space shared with Humboldt High School in St.
Paul, participants self-organize in learning circles and work together in learning
pairs, usually mixing English speakers with native Hmong-, Somali-, or Spanish-speaking
people. There is no charge to attend, and there are no formal classes. Individuals
participate as long as they wish.
To celebrate JAS and the stories behind Voices of Hope, the Center
for Democracy and Citizenship will host a reception with readings by contributing
authors from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, April 16, at the Humphrey Institute.
The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Voices
of Hope is available for purchase at www.publicwork.org
and at all major online booksellers. For more information, contact Ellen Tveit
at (612) 625-8330 or tvei0002@umn.edu.
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