Kids Connect program introduces refugee youth to Spokane’s wastewater system
News Story by Nina Culver | FāVS News
A group of children from immigrant and refugee families have been visiting various locations connected to Spokane’s wastewater treatment system to help them learn some hidden details about the new city they now call home.
The Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane organization has a Kids Connect program that includes children who are first- and second-generation immigrants or refugees. Though the group often takes field trips to check out different parts of the city, their visits to the wastewater sites are funded by a Washington Department of Ecology grant in partnership with the Spokane River Forum.
Happy Avery, the new executive director of the Spokane River Forum, went along on a recent Kids Connect visit to the city’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) tank at Spokane Falls downtown.
The 2.2-million-gallon tank is one of several that collects stormwater runoff that is then piped to the water reclamation facility at Riverside State Park for treatment. Before the tanks were installed, heavy rain often meant that untreated stormwater dumped directly into the Spokane River.
Engaging in learning about Spokane’s river and aquifier
Avery said the kids were enthusiastic about their tour.
“Kids love getting their hands on things and seeing things,” she said. “They were asking all kinds of great questions. They were really engaged.”
Avery, who started her new job in August, said she went along on the field trip as a way to get to know the group her organization has been partnering with for years. She said the Department of Ecology education grant fits in with the Forum’s mission to engage and educate the community about wastewater, recycling and other environmental topics.
“We’re concerned with the health of the river and the health of the aquifer,” she said. “We really want to get the messages out there. It all fits with the larger puzzle of work we’re doing.”
Connecting young refugees to their new home
September Htoo, the youth program and volunteer coordinator for RICS, said the Kids Connect program has been ongoing for several years and started as a way to help immigrant and refugee children connect with their new home.
“We want them to know this city is theirs,” she said.
They also want to provide kids with a place where they can feel comfortable and work on their English skills if they need to. It’s primarily an after-school program, with kids meeting on the South Hill on Tuesdays after school, a different group at Logan Elementary on Wednesdays and another group at the Northeast Community Center on Thursdays. Each group includes between 12 and 20 children.
“It is a place for them to go and work on social and English skills and arts and crafts,” Htoo said. “If they need help with homework, we are there. We wanted to make sure it’s a safe space and have them connect with other students.”
The children hail from around the world, with participants coming from Afghanistan, Sudan, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Marshall Islands, Nepal and Iraq. Some have been referred to Kids Connect by their school.
“Some kids come to us because their families are enrolled in some of the programs we have,” Htoo said.
The program, which is free for families, tries to host field trips at least once a quarter, Htoo said. They are already planning upcoming trips to the city’s water reclamation facility in partnership with the Spokane River Forum and Camp Sekani in partnership with the Lands Council.
‘It’s really all about community’
While field trips focused on wastewater or recycling might not seem exciting, it provides children with information that they can then go home and teach their parents, Htoo said.
“Coming from a different country, stuff like recycling and garbage is way different,” she said.
Avery said she’s pleased that the Department of Ecology grant was available to help teach the students about how things work in Spokane.
“Ecology has a lot of educational and outreach programs,” she said.
As a former teacher at St. George’s School, Avery said she’s happy to still be a part of educating students as executive director of the Spokane River Forum.
“The common thread is really the education piece,” she said. “It’s really all about community at the end of the day.”
