From the Readers

Thank you from the White House

On behalf of the White House and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), thank you for attending our May 13th event, Lasting Legacies: A White House Celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage and History.

Whether you joined us in-person or tuned in online, we deeply appreciate your help in commemorating 25 years since the establishment of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and we hope you left energized to continue the work ahead. We are truly grateful to everyone who made this event possible – including our speakers, performers, government partners, and community leaders.

We appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating with you at future events. Please continue to stay connected with the White House Initiative: Sincerely, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders

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Tranforming Uganda’s Education System

Dear Editor, As a result of COVID-19, schools for Uganda’s 15 million children were closed for 22 months–the longest school closure of any country. Prior to COVID-19, Uganda had one of the lowest percentages of learning outcomes- only 6% of Primary students could read a simple paragraph.

Building Tomorrow, a nonprofit working to transform Uganda’s education system has developed and implemented a highly effective intervention that relies on a corps of “Community Educational Volunteers” (CEVs), resident members of their communities who donate their time to support education. The roughly 11,000 CEVs that Building Tomorrow has recruited and trained provide highly-targeted instruction and help mobilize household caregivers to enroll their children in school. The CEVs rely on low-tech SMS text message prompts and weekly 20-minute phone calls designed to help and motivate students.

The results are staggering. A randomized controlled trial found that less than three hours of tutoring by CEVs delivered the equivalent of over one year of high-quality schooling to more than 300,000 Ugandan school children. In addition to findings demonstrating that Building Tomorrow was more effective than most interventions, the program is extremely cost effective. This intervention is significantly more impactful than other standard learning aids traditionally deployed by governments at a fraction of the cost.

The Building Tomorrow intervention has the potential to reshape the way in which learning gaps are addressed in low-income countries. I would be happy to provide additional information or arrange interviews with co-Founder Georuge Srour and other members of the Building Tomorrow team. Judy Klym thewakemanagency.com

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U.S. employees Are Craving More Upskilling Opportunities from Employers

Hi Veronica, The workplace is a fast-changing world where new skills, including AI competency, are becoming a necessity, and continuous learning is on the rise for employees. But are employees being trained properly, and do managers/supervisors understand junior team members’ skill development needs? TalentLMS, a learning management system for corporate training, in collaboration with Workable, an HR suite for hiring and employee management, released a research report today on the State of Upskilling and Reskilling. The survey includes: • The number of employees who desire to update their skills in today’s workforce

• The primary motivator for employees pursuing upskilling and reskilling

• The impact of upskilling and reskilling programs on job security

• Why companies have seen a decline in upskilling and reskilling programs

Would you be interested in covering these findings? Happy to connect you with a TalentLMS executive to learn more or provide expert commentary via email. Let me know! Kristina Piersanti __________

Thanks From Nancy Dizon Castro

Thanks for the feature of Raffy (Dr. Rafael Castro, USTMAM President) in your prestigious Filipino newspaper in the Chicagoland area. Of course, to Ryan Tejero’s write-up, too, in his Club Presidents column. Nany Dizon Castro

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Thanks From Susan & Tony Silvano

Hello Tita Vee! Wow! This Via Times May 2024 issue would travel around the world! Tony & I appreciate all the generous gestures to make the Anniversary & Birthday layout more informative and enjoyable. The inclusion of my Sidebar comments at the bottom page was a Surprise! And the “Please donate blood!”as a final statement is a Life Saver! This printed gift is a Keeper! Salamat Tita Vero Leighton! Fondly from Susan & Tony Silvano