A young Bosnian boy has to do a research paper for school on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is telling his family he doesn't know much about this topic when his grandmother chimes in, "Martin Luther King Jr. was the greatest civil rights leader." She explains that King fought for African American equality in the 1960's. The family is surprised that their grandmother, who doesn't speak much English and has only lived in America for a couple years, knows this information. She says that she learned it in Sijelo, a weekly class she attends with ten to fifteen other Bosnian students. The purpose of the class? To teach older Bosnians basic American history and English so they can pass their test and become American citizens. There's another purpose, too. To be a place where people can exchange important information about benefits, meet new friends, share what they've learned and visit interesting places together, like the Botanical gardens or vegetable farms outside the city.

It is understandable that older Bosnians want to meet new friends and do activities which allow them to get out and fully participate in life. But why does an older Bosnian need to become an American citizen? Well there are benefits to becoming a citizen, like getting an American passport, traveling freely, being able to petition for family members to come to America and being able to vote. But why does an older Bosnian really need to become an American citizen? This is why: Bosnian refugees who came to America after August 1996 and rely Supplemental Security Income(SSt) to pay their bills, will lose their SSI after seven years if they do not become an American citizen.

Becoming an American citizen is not easy. Everyone must be able to answer questions about themselves, answer questions about America, read and write- all in English. Leaning English and American history is not an easy task for many older Bosnians, especially those who are illiterate in their own language. Ifs not impossible, however, with the right kind of instruction.

How ab°ut a class taught in English and Bosnian? HOW about a classroom furnished with traditional Bosnian furniture to make people feel comfortable with the learning environment? Students could sit on traditional Bosnian benches instead of behind desks, drink Bosnian coffee from coffee tables, have time in class to talk with each other and do fun activities. This was the vision for a unique citizenship class brain stormed by Bosnian and American staff at World Relief Chicagoin 1997. The class would be called "Sijelo", which means "meeting together" in Bosnian. In the early spring of 1998, World Relief Chicago's Executive Director, Wayne Anson, the program supervisor and a Bosnian teacher went door to door around Chicago, visiting all the Bosnians they could, telling them about their idea for Sijelo.

Eleven students enrolled in April of 1998 and the first Sijelo started. In April of 2000, World Relief Chicago has three Sijela, with over 50 people enrolled.

A woman in her 60's, illiterate in her own language, started attending Sijelo and learned "name", "address", "city", "state", "country" and "county". The teacher taught her a trick for remembering the name. of her county, "Cook". The teacher said, "Point to your hip, because "kuk" is "hip" in Bosnian.". "The woman were home and asked her son in Bosnian, "Do you know what city we live in?" He said yes. "Do you know what state we live in?" He knew this, too. "How about what county we live in?" He didn't know what a county was, so she explained that a county was the region containing many cities or towns within a state. "What county do we live in?" He asked. "Cook", she said, and pointed to her hip.

This woman's story is exciting. Many of the students thought they were too old to learn English when they began attending Sijelo, but have learned more than they expected. Fatima Borjanovic, the citizenship instructor, teaches a little about America's history and government every week. She uses pictures, stories, and games to make the material more interesting. Students break for twenty minutes to have coffee and socialize, then Mersada Erovic teaches a lesson on basic English, primarily the questions the students will be asked about their N-400 application for citizenship. Fatima and Mersada also plan special activities for the students once a month. Field trips to the Botanical gardens, a vegetable farm in Indiana, Lincoln Park zoo and the lake are all yearly activities. Sometimes special guests visit Sijelo, such as the well known Bosnian puppeteer, Franceska Spahic who performed for Sijelo in February. A group of Japanese students will visit Sijelo in April and teach origami.

Sijelo focuses on providing basic citizenship education and a social outlet for older refugees. Sijelo isn't the best class for everyone, so World Relief offers two other programs for older Bosnian refugees. Those whO don't want to commute to World Relief for Sijelo, can be in a home class. Home classes are taught by a Bosnian citizenship instructor once a week for two hours in a student's apartment. Each class has five to six students, most live in the same building complex or neighborhood. Home classes are like small Sijela but students get special attention from their teacher and have class in the comfort and convenience of their own home. For example, one home classstudent didn't feel well during class so she went into the her bedroom to lie down. The teacher continued to quiz her students on American government in the main room. She asked one student, "Who are the two Illinois state Senators?" he responded slowly, "Richard... Durbin.. and..." He couldn't think of the second Senator. Suddenly the class heard a shout from the bedroom, "Peter Fitzgerald"

Students who speak more English when they enter the program or want a class with a faster pace can attend a citizenship class which is a the next level up from Sijelo. Like Sijelo and the home classes, the class is taught by a Bosnian citizenship instructor, meets two hours once a week and teaches English, American history and government. This class is more challenging than Sijelo but not intimidating for the students. Learning enough English to pass their interview for American citizenship is the goal, but many students have seen the benefits of knowing more English in other areas of their lives. One student tells the story of getting On buses not realizing her fare cards were out of money. When bus drivers asked her to add more money, she didn't understand them. They usually allowed her to ride the bus, but not without reprimanding her first. After taking the higher leVel class for a couple months, she learned numbers and enough English to understand what the bus drivers had been saying to her. She says, "Now I know what they mean when they ask me to add twenty-five cents!"

It has been a great joy for me to observe Sijelo and the other citizenship classes, ifl visit, I am greeted with kisses, sometimes gifts and always simple questions in English. In Sijelo and home classes, students move around so ! can sit with them on the benches or their sofa, serve me h.fre.up.of. Bosnian coffee and feed me all the baklava and cake I can possibly eat. In the higlher level citizenship classes, I m always amazed at how driven older refugees are to learn as much as they can in one two-hour session. I like observing all those things- the fellowship, the traditions, the activities, and the students' desire to improve their lives through learning. There's one thing I like the most. This is when i see that learning English and American citizenship is enjoyable for the students, not boring and most important, not impossible.