Blog
Overcoming entrepreneurial obstacles during the pandemic
Posted: May 12, 2021
Nadia Montoya learned about Canal Alliance’s Construyendo Mi Negocio (“Building My Business”) class from friends. “It was the perfect place to receive support to start my own business,” Nadia remarked. She is now one year into the development of Nadia’s Dessert, a bakery offering organic, wheat-free, and vegan products with minimal sugar.
Now, she plans to open her own bakery with the knowledge she acquired through Canal Alliance.
Stories from the Front Lines: one year later
Posted: May 12, 2021
Regina Vindel, Workforce Supervisor supports students in construction, business, and tax classes as they apply for classes, carry out their learning, graduate, apply for jobs, and enter new workforce positions. She spoke to us about her experiences and conversations while communicating with clients during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis during the past year.
UP! Alumni spotlight – Melanny Lemus
Posted: April 7, 2021
Melanny said that UP! offered different activities and workshops for students to learn life lessons, which boosted her self-esteem and confidence. Melanny graduated from Sonoma State University in 2019 as a double major with a BA in Spanish and a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Management.
Biden Administration immigration updates
Posted: April 7, 2021
The Biden administration has passed an influx of recent immigration law changes, with many proposals currently under review. We want to highlights laws and bills that could be impactful to the Marin County immigrant community.
Spring 2021 Strategic Update
Posted: April 1, 2021
The impact that Canal Alliance makes in our community would not be possible without the support of many generous individuals, funders and partners. With this communication, we are launching a new effort to share strategic updates with our key stakeholders about our efforts to help Latino immigrants and their families break the generational cycle of poverty:
Public Charge Information & Updates
Posted: March 19, 2021
Public Charge Information and Updates- March 2021
Citizenship Test Independent Study Resources
Posted: March 8, 2021
Prepare for your naturalization interview and the English and civics tests using these online resources.
Thank you to Lupita for supporting the Canal Community for 22 years
Posted: March 4, 2021
This month, Lupita Magaña, Canal Alliance’s Senior Mentoring Case Manager, celebrates her 22nd anniversary of working to support Latino immigrants to break the generational cycle of poverty. She is currently the longest serving employee with the agency and works within the Social Services department. Lupita is proud to connect community members with resources that they don’t know exist, much less know they can apply for.
Expanding digital literacy while learning English
Posted: March 4, 2021
Since shelter in place was first issued in Marin last March, Canal Alliance’s Education team has been working diligently to address the digital divide for students in our youth and adult education programs. In August, as part of our organization-wide commitment to offering all programs remotely during the pandemic, Canal Alliance launched an online pilot of our adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
A friendship forged in construction class
Posted: February 4, 2021
Starting over in a new country is tough, especially without the support and camaraderie of friendship. Besides being in a wholly different place with unfamiliar food, customs, and culture, it can feel lonely without someone to share these new experiences with. Read the story of two friends who deepened their friendship through participating in our Workforce Development Program’s construction certification course.
