Peaks Island Star : January 2025, Vol. 45, Issue 1

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island\u27s service agencies and other community news.https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/peaks_pisn_2025/1000/thumbnail.jp

Peaks Island Star : February 2025, Vol. 45, Issue 2

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island\u27s service agencies and other community news.https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/peaks_pisn_2025/1001/thumbnail.jp

An Interview with Amy Smith of Healthy Homeworks

Interview with Amy Smith, founder of Healthy Homeworks, a Lewiston-based nonprofit that works to make homeownership of older housing stock in Lewiston attainable for new Mainers. Smith explains how the organization got started and how it evolved into its current iteration. She explains how the financing works, and the partnership with MaineHousing, as well as the important role that education plays in ensuring that immigrants are ready to take on the responsibilities of owning an older building

Afrotaste Hosts Nigeria Night

Brief account of an event, Nigeria Night, that was heldon April 13 at Afrotaste, a Lewiston-based restaurant, bar, and community gathering place. The chef for the night was Patience Success Juwah, who explains that they wanted to have food from all the Nigerian tribes and offer a way for Maine\u27s 300 or so Nigerian-born residents to get together. The article also includes an explanation of Nigerian Pidgin, which is spoken by 60 million people

Lado Ladoka: In Memoriam

A profile of Lado Ladoka, a beloved member of Maine\u27s South Sudanese community, who died in a tragic accident in December 2023. Ladoka came to the United States in 1995, one of the first waves of African refugees to arrive in Portland. Several friends reflect on his intelligence and commitment to the community

Enthusiastic Participants of the In Her Presence Swimming Program

Maine has ample resources for swimming, yet many New Mainers lack access to Maine\u27s waters because of cultural, financial, and language barriers. There are links between drowning deaths and swimming skills, and these often track along ethnic and racial lines, with Black children in the U.S. experiencing higher rates of drowning than white children. Beyond safety, swimming also provides many health benefits. The article surveys several programs that have sprung up around the state to reach out to New Mainers, especially women, with culturally appropriate swimming instruction programs. The Lewiston YWCA, for example, offers a single-gendered swimming program with female-only instructors and lifeguards for members of the area\u27s immigrant community. In Her Presence recently acquired culturally appropriate swimwear and offered pool time for 16 of its senior members. Includes sidebars with comments from several of the participants

Maine Immigrant Greens Collaborative

Brief introduction to a new collaborative project known as the Maine Immigrant Greens Collaborative. The initiative will make produce available to food pantries in southern Maine. It will also work with partner organizations to demonstrate that Maie-grown underutilized crops can be substituted for ingredients that community members cooked in their home countries but which may not be readily available here. There are also plans for cooking classes and to serve traditional African meals in area schools

Human Trafficking in Maine

Sex and labor trafficking crimes are on the rise in Maine. While many organizations in the state are working to support trafficking victims, the article highlights the work of Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services (ATS). Prisca Niyonzima is a case manager at ATS. She stresses that ATS works hard to build trust with survivors, and she explains how they provide training to community organizations, so that they can refer people in trouble to ATS. Hailey Virusso, Preble Street\u27s Director of Anti-Trafficking and Teen Outreach Services, briefly discusses the invisibility of labor trafficking. Sidebars include key definitions, a list of other organizations involved in anti-trafficking work, and questions to ask someone you suspect of being trafficked

Peaks Island Star : August 2024, Vol. 44, Issue 8

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island\u27s service agencies and other community news.https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/peaks_pisn_2024/1007/thumbnail.jp

Peaks Island Star : July 2024, Vol. 44, Issue 7

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island\u27s service agencies and other community news.https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/peaks_pisn_2024/1006/thumbnail.jp