The digital book Tarikna is an amazing journey for readers and for its 14 youth authors from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. Tarikna was produced through a combined English literacy and digital media program by the YTech Program at the Metrocenter YMCA of Seattle with the Seattle Public Library and Horn of Africa Services. For the 14 exceptional participants, the first parts of their journeys are the stories they share in Tarikna of leaving their home […] 
The digital book Tarikna is an amazing journey for readers and for its 14 youth authors from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. Tarikna was produced through a combined English literacy and digital media program by the YTech Program at the Metrocenter YMCA of Seattle with the Seattle Public Library and Horn of Africa Services. For the 14 exceptional participants, the first parts of their journeys are the stories they share in Tarikna of leaving their home countries to come to the U.S. The second journey was the process of improving their English reading and writing skills and digital media production skills through the program. The stories have been published through the PugetSoundOff.org youth civic engagement web site that the City of Seattle supports.
Every Tuesday and Thursday for three months the East African youth immigrants and refugees met at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch for reading and writing exercises, followed by a technology component in the YTech computer lab.
During the English literacy program the youth:
1) drafted a college admissions essay, 2) read “The Translator” by Daoud Hari, created a resume, 3) attended a resume critique event with professionals from Boeing, Microsoft, and Slalom Consulting, 4) wrote a short essay about their experiences in immigrating from Africa to the United States, and lastly 5) created a Digital Book containing their stories which can now be viewed online at
www.pugetsoundoff.org/tarikna.
The program wasn’t all hard work. In addition to completing the rigorous requirements of the English literacy program, the youth also practiced photography skills, toured the Seattle Art Museum and met with attorneys in the board room at Ryan, Swanson, and Cleveland’s law office in Downtown Seattle to learn about potential legal careers.
Thanks to Aaron Curtis for his work on this program. You can read more about the YTech’s programs here.
Puget Sound Off is supported in part by the City of Seattle Community Technology Program with funding from Comcast.