South-East Asia Center

Two Online Webinars Promote Racial Understanding

Posted onMay 23, 2021May 24, 2021

As part of a statewide Healing Illinois project, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) together with Chicago Community Trust have enabled South-East Asia Center (SEAC) to share ideas and Read More …

Article I – Celebrating Diversity or Celebrating Commonalities – Healing Illinois

Posted onMay 22, 2021May 24, 2021

Most of us have grown up hearing, teaching, and learning to celebrate diversity. This now fashionable conventional wisdom grew out of the rebellious 60’s and early 70’s. We rebels, myself Read More …

Article II Zero-sum or Positive-sum: Group vs. Self-pride

Posted onMay 21, 2021May 24, 2021

We humans have divided ourselves into groups throughout history and around the world. Good start – we could better raise families, hunt, protect from animals, divide responsibilities, specialize, do big Read More …

Article III Beyond Tourist Approach to Deeper Understanding

Posted onMay 19, 2021May 24, 2021

Ethnic fests may be fun, appetizing, and entertaining. But sharing ethnic foods, music, dance, and costumes breaks few cross-cultural barriers. It creates few jobs, improves few schools, and evaporates few Read More …

Article IV Multi-cultural or Cross-cultural Perspectives

Posted onMay 18, 2021May 24, 2021

A first suggestion is to switch our terminology from multicultural to cross-cultural. The new adjective must go with an action. This action, I call “bridge-building.” Putting two ethnic groups together, Read More …

Article V Small-Picture Dangers, Big-Picture Benefits

Posted onMay 17, 2021May 24, 2021

When we take a big picture rather than focusing on one race, ethnicity, continent, or period of history, we find that deeper down we have common histories. Expanding our everyday Read More …

Article VI How Religious and Hero Holidays Can Bring Us Together

Posted onMay 16, 2021May 24, 2021

Holiday celebration can be unifying or inadvertently divisive. We all celebrate holidays for the same reasons. We celebrate spring, harvest, or heroes, for example. On the other hand, celebrating ethnic Read More …

Article VII STEM and Cross-cultural Insensitivity. Alternatives

Posted onMay 16, 2021May 25, 2021

Educators possess prodigious pedagogical tools to teach pure and applied sciences. However, despite our ostensibly best efforts, schools are graduating a mixed bag of good and bad apples. We graduate Read More …

Article VIII Do Schools Promote Cross-cultural Insensitivity? Alternatives?

Posted onMay 13, 2021May 25, 2021

Despite our best efforts, including those of us in the progressive 60’s to 70’s, hippies, teachers, preachers, police, and human rights advocate protesters have obviously still a long way to Read More …

Bridge After School and Summer Program

Posted onFebruary 11, 2021February 23, 2021Leave a comment

On school days students are we picked up students after school at McCutcheon, St. Thomas and Goudy schools at parent’s request. The priority on after-school days is to assist children with homework. All teachers hold at least Read More …

Online Learning

Posted onSeptember 15, 2020February 11, 2021Leave a comment

The South-East Asia Center / Bridge International School has provided on-site and on-line classes without break since the first stages of the COVID pandemic. On-line videos were offered to all Read More …

Golden Diners Return

Posted onAugust 14, 2020January 6, 2021

After a COVID related break the Golden Diners Program is back, now offering carry-out meals. Seniors come every weekday and line up outside wearing masks and practicing safe social distancing. Read More …

Preschool Graduation 2020

Posted onAugust 11, 2020

The South-East Asia Center Bridge International School 2020 preschool graduation celebration.

Using the Local Library During COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted onJuly 16, 2020July 18, 2020

South-East Asia Center ESL volunteer Michael and our ESL program director Jeanine partnered with the Branch Manager of the Chicago Bezazian Public Library in Uptown to explain safety precautions in Read More …

Food Donation from Asian American Law Enforcement

Posted onJuly 15, 2020

Police officers from Chicago’s Asian American Law Enforcement Association (AALEA.org) led by their president Henry Lai, delivered a sizable donation of food to be distributed by South-East Asia center to Read More …

Using rhythm instruments to explore the sounds of music

Posted onJune 22, 2020June 22, 2020

Each classroom at Bridge International School has an assortment of high quality rhythm instruments for students to use to explore various musical sounds. At home you can use boxes, pots, Read More …

Breaking Down Big Words and Current Events | 3rd 4th and 5th Grade

Posted onJune 15, 2020

In this lesson Ms. Fei helps children better understand important terms like “systemic racism,” “police brutality” and “injustice” that are very much part of current events and which they might be hearing in the Read More …

Fruit 3 Languages | Trilingual Lesson

Posted onJune 11, 2020June 11, 2020

Ms. Min (Chinese and English Language) and Ms. Thanh (Vietnamese Language) introduce fruit in three languages, English, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. Listening to multiple languages prepares young children for language learning Read More …