We’ve put some funds into producing these postcards to send our representatives—Governor Scwharzenegger, Senator Leland Yee, and Assembly Members Fiona Ma and Jerry Hill—the clear message that Daly City & Northern San Mateo County are getting organized around the budget cuts that continue to cripple our schools…schools that are already under-funded and therefore ill-equipped to truly serve the educational needs of our communities.

Kalayaan School for Equity is working on distributing these to local schools, churches, and neighborhoods, but we could really use your help. If you’re interested in distributing these at your school, church, workplace, family gathering, etc., email us at KalayaanSchoolForEquity@gmail.com or give us a quick phone call at (650) 641-2891 x573. After all, it’s going to take a lot of us to send the message to Sacramento.

If you’ve been stuck behind the Daly City fog, then we almost understand why you’ve never been to Rock The School Bells over at Skyline College. But make it a point this year to come out, because once again it looks like the folks over at our local community college—ASTEP, Hermanos Program, Kababayan Program, and PUENTE—have put together another amazing conference to continue to merge the realms of higher education and hip-hop culture.

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In support of the great work that’s happening California-wide in defense of Public Education, the Kalayaan School for Equity would like to put some focus on what’s happening in our local schools. Below is some quick info to get you up to speed on Daly City, one of San Francisco’s most underrated neighboring cities, and its currently under-funded public schools. Not coincidentally, Daly City’s the place we call “Home”. If you’ve got love for DC, please read on and consider helping us out in the months to come.

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In solidarity with the great momentum happening in Northern San Mateo County schools around the “March 4: Day to Defend Public Education”, the Kalayaan School for Equity is trying to do whatever it can to raise awareness about these seemingly unending budget cuts that directly threaten our public schools, whether it’s K-12, Community Colleges, CSU’s, and the UC’s.

To support our local school district, we’ve put together a 35-50 minute (depending on how deeply you decide to engage students/audience members) Apple Keynote and PowerPoint lesson that we invite all to download, distribute, and most importantly use on March 4th and beyond. We hope you’ll find it to be a valuable tool to raise awareness about how our local schools are funded and the short and long-term effects that further cuts could have on Northern San Mateo County. Included is some eye-opening data about the per pupil spending of our local schools, how that compares to other districts on the Peninsula, and info about California’s Economy that offers some interesting perspective on the issue. Of course, if you’re a Cali resident but aren’t living in Daly City, Pacifica, Colma (snicker), or South SF, some of the specific info might not apply directly, but—we’re really sorry to say—chances are most of it will connect to you and your community.

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Liwanag Kultural Center is offering two $500 “Walk for Dreams” Scholarships to students who are entering or continuing at a 2- or 4-year college/university in Fall 2010.  In the spirit of our “Walk for Dreams” walk-a-thon which helped us raise the scholarship money, we are looking to raise awareness about the issues facing undocumented immigrant students who cannot avail of conventional Financial Aid and many other scholarship opportunities due to their immigration status. So many of these hard-working young people had no say in the decision to immigrate to this country and, often times, are completely unaware that they are in fact undocumented until they begin the college application process. Liwanag Kultural Center believes that, while the Immigration Debate is a complex one, all young people deserve access to a quality education. The minimum eligibility requirements for the scholarship are as follows:

•Must be currently enrolled in high school or college/university.
•High school applicants will complete graduation requirements by the end of Spring 2010.
•Will attend college in the Fall 2010.
•Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better.

Deadline: Thursday, April 15, 2010

Click for more info!

Have you been curious what all the blog hoopla’s about? If you’re wondering what this means for online publishing or how you can take part by creating your own blog, come by KSE’s “Cookin’ Up Blogsilog: An Introduction to Web Blogs” workshop next Thursday, November 12, presented by Ninoy Brown of FOBBdeep, an experienced blogger who has a thing or two to say about this exciting new medium of expression.

Participants will work hands-on to create their own blog, learn about all the skills necessary to creating a successful blog, explore their blogging potential, and discuss ways to maximize online communities to help build their audience as well as help support community-building efforts beyond the Internet.

If you have access to a laptop, please bring it to the workshop. As with all our workshops, space is limited, so please RSVP by emailing LKCledesma@gmail.com or calling (650) 641-2891 x573.

Attention Daly City middle and high school students! Do you need a little extra help with homework? Do you have questions you couldn’t get answered in class? Want help raising your grades? Need a productive space to study or work? You should check out our free weekly Study Hall.

We’re re-opening for the 2009-2010 school year next Tuesday, Sept. 1 and will be open every Tuesday that school’s in session from 3:30pm-6:00pm. Study Hall takes place at the Liwanag Kultural Center at Hillside Park (222 Lausanne Ave. Daly City,‎ CA‎ 94014…a few blocks from TR Pollicita MS and Jefferson HS).

To view a PDF of our Study Hall flyer with more information about how the program works, click here. For even more info, email KalayaanSchoolForEquity@gmail.com or call us at (650) 641-2891 x573

This year, the Kalayaan School for Equity will be piloting the 5A Program, a new afterschool program for 5th and 6th Graders providing arts enrichment and academic support for a small group of local youth.

For details, please download a 5A Brochure. If you’re interested in applying, you can download and print an Enrollment Application by clicking here.

Join us for Part 2 of the Photography Workshop by JC Photography. This time will be focused on applying the basics covered in Part 1 while working with studio lighting equipment.

Once again, bring a notebook and a camera (eg 35mm, Digital, SLR, etc.) if you have access to one. If you can’t bring a camera, KSE there will have some on-hand to work with.

As usual, space is limited so please reserve your spot by emailing LKCvargas@gmail.com or leaving a message at (650) 641-2891 x573. Those who attended Part 1 will be prioritized, but open spots are available to new attendees.

Interested in Photography? Want to know how to get the most from your existing equipment? Register today for the upcoming Photography two-part workshops series by JJ Casas of JC Photography brought to you free by Kalayaan School for Equity as a part of our Kasanayan Community Arts Workshops.

The series will cover the basics of photography, basic camera functions, working with lighting equipment, and more. This is a great opportunity to learn a new skill, brush up on the basics, and get some hands-on instruction from an experienced professional.

Bring a notebook and a camera (eg 35mm, Digital, SLR, etc.) if you have access to one. If you can’t bring a camera, KSE there will have some on-hand to work with.

As usual, space is limited so please reserve your spot by emailing LKCvargas@gmail.com or leaving a message at (650) 641-2891 x573.