Grantee Partner Spotlight:
RICEMA
Refugees & Immigrants Cultural Empowerment Massachusetts
“If you were to have all the money in the world, what would you be doing?” Boa Newgate asked his colleague Holly Ashton one evening after a long day of work at restaurant jobs, followed by serving as co-executive directors for RICEMA.
“This,” Holly replied. “The same thing I’m doing now.”
Holly, Boa, and two other friends, Hai Nguyen and Aisha Yusuf, all shared a dream of creating a community center in Worcester with free access to cultural arts, expression, and education — a safe place where immigrants would feel empowered to showcase their talents and create a stronger cultural environment for the next generation.
No one who has experienced the organization’s 10 arts and education programs, magnificent annual festivals, or global outreach efforts can believe that RICEMA began less than two years ago, in March 2023.
“All of us had been involved in the nonprofit sector, so we just started asking around in our network to find a space we could use,” explains Holly. By January 2024, they had achieved 501(c)(3) status, and a month later, they had their first grant ever, from The Lenny Zakim Fund, which helped them relocate from a garage to a better space for their cultural center.
“It’s a very small space, but we make it work for all the different groups and teams,” Boa says. “Lion Dancing on Wednesdays and Sundays, Rice Angel dance team on Thursdays, Boxing on Fridays . . .”
Holly and Boa joke about the “before and after” pictures of how quickly their programs ramped up. “We had about 12 people in the first ESL class we offered,” Holly recounts. “Now we average 200 a month and sometimes have upwards of 500 students per month. Each class is two hours, and occasionally people have had to stand that whole time because we ran out of chairs. Word spread quickly through friends and family and through our partner, the Worcester Public Library, where classes are held.”
Although English classes were already available in Worcester, RICEMA’s drop-in style (no enrollment required) and creative approach are part of what makes the classes so popular.
“It’s different from traditional ESL teaching,” says Holly, who had taught ESL for five years prior. “We incorporate the participants’ native languages (nine so far) to help them understand more quickly. I compare English concepts to things in their languages. And we practice real-life scenarios like riding on the bus, ordering at a restaurant, or shopping for groceries, with students in the roles of both customer and clerk or server. One student thanked me for the job he got at Walmart because the class had taught him how to help customers in English.”
Another ESL student who had never been able to learn to read or write in his native country became literate enough in English after three months of classes to pass his U.S. citizenship test. At least 40 students have become citizens with help from RICEMA’s Citizenship/ Naturalization program.
Sometimes the programs bring families together in ways no one expects. Eleven-year-old Tenzin was instantly captivated by traditional lion dancing and the movements each person inside the lion costume contributes to make it come alive. “Tenzin has autism and his family reported that he had more improvements in confidence and sociability after joining our Lion Dance team than he had with services his school provided,” explains Holly. “Now his family drives two hours roundtrip twice a week to work with the Lion Dance team. They can’t believe his progress.”
All of RICEMA’s dance troupes, from fan dancing to break dancing, get to perform for the public at their Lunar New Year Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and other events. “We put Worcester on the map every time we host an event,” Boa says. “People come from Connecticut, New York — all over — to participate in cultural traditions they may not have a way to preserve in their own neighborhoods. They miss their traditions and are so happy to get dressed up and share their food, music, and arts.”
“There’s something really special, too,” Holly adds, “about having a center where people can share their heritage with others from different backgrounds. Felix, for example, is the volunteer who leads our Rice Angels dance team, and he had no cultural connection to any of the dances to start with. He simply saw the need for a dance program and pitched the idea to us. He put so much effort into studying the music and choreography. He’s transformed our dance program and transformed himself into an exemplary leader in the process.”
Felix is also a member of the Eternals Lion Dance team, which is often the first program youth join at RICEMA. “We tend to see a big increase in teamwork and leadership skills within a few months of new members joining the team,” Holly comments. “Students gain confidence, too, by performing at high-profile events like Worcester Railers games and for Mayor Michelle Wu at Têt in Boston. Over the last year alone, the Lion Dance team has performed for over 40,000 audience members at 35 events.”
“What I’m most proud of,” Boa adds, “is that all of these programs are led by volunteers from the community. This entire thing has been molded, supported, and continually expanded by committed volunteers.”
Boa and Holly are themselves volunteers. “We juggle multiple jobs and we’re building this organization up until we can all do something we love full-time,” Boa says. “LZF was the first foundation to believe in us and get that momentum started, and we’re so grateful.”
Current needs at RICEMA include funding/donations and volunteers, especially those who can help with training in accounting and Quickbooks. If you’d like to get involved, please use the RICEMA contact page or write to Holly Ashton at hollya@ricema.org.