Metro

September 4, 2020 0

COVID-19 makes obtaining job training even more challenging

By Carey Lin Earlier this year, unemployment rates skyrocketed to 14.7% in April, the highest ever recorded since 1948, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, MassHire Career Centers and services have been limited due to mandatory social distancing measures. While not open to the public, MassHire can still be reached over the phone or online. Nonprofits such as the Asian American Civic Association (AACA) also have services available in career advising, job training, and placement. While many services […]

September 4, 2020 0

Seeking Help is a Sign of Great Strength

by guest

Author: A Chinese Individual from Worcester, MA I struggled with my mental health since I was in elementary school. Growing up, I was quiet and did not participate in many extracurricular activities. Most days I was alone but not lonely until my mom intervened by questioning why I had such a limited social life. This was the start of my anxiety that peaked in high school when one day a social worker came to the classroom and called my name. […]

August 21, 2020 0

“I thought I was in control, but I wasn’t.”

by guest

33 year-old Chinese woman from Worcester lives with intermittent psychosis and schizophrenia I thought I was in control, but I wasn’t. The gripping schizophrenia and the intermittent psychosis were front and center in my experiences with everyday life. They were consuming the way I experienced reality, and they were calling the shots. I thought my life was going along perfectly fine in my early 20’s when I realized that I had mental illness. In the years after graduating from college, it […]

August 21, 2020 0

Chinatown Master Plan 2020 covers a broad spectrum of future development and community needs

by Lydia Lowe

The Chinatown Master Plan Committee released Master Plan 2020 with two recent launch events, involving more than a hundred participants from the community, local officials, and other interested stakeholders. Chinatown Master Plan 2020 is a 91-page report, with English and Chinese language versions, that includes data snapshots, updated community development priorities, and identification of four “opportunity areas” where development could support community health and stability. Drafted out of a year-and-a-half planning process involving residents, small business owners, community organizations, and […]

August 21, 2020 0

Learning English online during a pandemic poses challenges for students and programs

by AdenM

The coronavirus is reshaping every level of education as online learning has largely replaced traditional classrooms from daycare to universities. With back-to-school quickly coming, students, parents, and school employees are debating what a return will look like with physical distancing and safety guidelines. Many are also questioning the sustainability, equity, and effectiveness of online learning. Prior to the pandemic, online classes were generally a valid and viable alternative to in-person offerings. However, their sudden necessity and ubiquity demand that everyone […]

August 21, 2020 0

End of semester essay: Writing your life story one page at a time

by Christopher John Stephens

One of the more difficult assignments in my English classes comes near the end of each semester. Sometimes I call it a “transformative” essay, other times “reflective,” and other times a standard “autobiography.” In three pages, students write the simple story of their lives. Who were they yesterday? Who are they now? Who do they plan to be tomorrow? In my ESOL classes, the assignment takes a different variation. What was their relationship with written and spoken English as a […]

August 21, 2020 0

Amid pressure to reopen, Quincy and Malden school administrators balance government and community guidance

by Christina Tuttle

While school administrators heed government and public health reopening guidelines, they have some flexibility in deciding between in-person, hybrid, or remote learning. Fall school instruction plans vary by district. Boston Public Schools have yet to announce reopening plans, postponing the first day of school to Sept. 21. Malden Public Schools plan a fully-remote start on Sept. 16. The Quincy Public Schools district will allow administrators at each school to decide instruction plans. These district-based decisions come as the state government […]

August 21, 2020 0

Quincy Asian Resource Inc. hosts 33rd annual August Moon Festival – but this time it was virtual

by Mandy Sun

The August Moon Festival is a global tradition in Asian communities for families to reunite and celebrate with the ones they love. What better time to celebrate such an event with your family than during quarantine. Quincy Asian Resources Inc. (QARI) hosted its 33rd annual August Moon Festival on Aug. 15 through Facebook live and QATV. This is the first time in the past decades that this event was moved to a virtual setting. Despite the hardships during Covid-19, the […]

August 21, 2020 0

Encore up to the challenge of operating casino during a pandemic

by Ken Smith

How does a casino operate during a pandemic given that the very existence of the business depends on the interaction of gamblers and staff? Whether craps, baccarat, blackjack or poker, there’s an inherent need for personal engagement at the table. So when the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett reopened on July 12, the challenge to meet the six-foot social distancing requirement, shielding players from each other at the table, as well as other Covid-19 safety measures, was a daunting […]

August 12, 2020 0

AACA gears up for expansion of job training in Metro-North

by ehsieh

During times of relative prosperity, such as when the unemployment rate was at a recent historic low of 3.5 percent, it is easy for some to ignore the plight of those that are homeless, unemployed, or even underemployed and stuck in a dead end job. Dismissing these individuals by telling them to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and get a job fails to acknowledge the dirty truth. Existing workforce development systems do not play in the favor of […]

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