Laurent R. Broussal

Programming to meet community needs.

Excerpt from an interview with:
LAURENT R. BROUSSAL by CUBA Z. MILLER
April 19, 1995
San Francisco, California

MILLER:
Adult education is called on to do many things for many different groups of people. Can you comment on how you tried to make sure that your program met the needs of your community?

BROUSSAL:
You mentioned one of the strongest aspects of our programs, I think, and probably one of the most valuable. People knew of our programs because we had classes throughout the city. I think I mentioned the mini–courses that were just general interest courses, but there were also requests for training and basic education that meant more to these people than any kind of interest courses because it meant a livelihood to them. It meant that they could progress from nothing into a secondary class, into college, and on up if they had the ability. Also, it made available to them the possibility of going into trade programs, training programs, if they had the basic ed. So wherever basic education was needed, we put a class. We tried to distribute them into areas that we were already in, if they were new classes; and if they weren't new classes, we tried to find areas for classroom space in community–supported service areas. Then we would also put classes into privately–funded or privately–supported kinds of service areas. For example, the recreation for the handicapped, which is out in the western part of the city here, out near Fleischacker Zoo. They had a good building, and they had clientele there, and they were taking care of the clientele's needs, in terms of their handicaps, but they didn't have the instructional staff that was required to move those people out into the community after they left there. Well, if they came to us and asked us for an instructor, we would respond. And if it were within the realm of our expertise and what the state regulated, why, we would go ahead and do it. And we did that not only for the handicapped, but as I pointed out already, for the trade areas as well, and for the general community. If the community came to us, like the Bay View/Hunters Point area, [and] wanted an instructor in some particular subject area that they felt they needed, and they had a space for it or we could find a space for it, we'd provide an instructional program there. And into the jail in San Bruno, we had instructors there. We had instructors in the hospitals. We had hospital instructors. We had instructors … where else? At the Army base at the Presidio. And we had an instructional program for adults on Treasure Island [Naval Base] as well. So wherever there was a need and we could respond, we responded with whatever instruction was needed.

MILLER:
You've also provided instructors for a lot of the more organized community–based organizations.

BROUSSAL:
Yes, we did.

MILLER:
Chinatown Resources.

BROUSSAL:
Yes, Chinatown Resources [Development] Center, the Mission … Mission Hiring [Hall] or something–or–other. I've forgotten exactly what it was. I can't remember the title. But yes, we did, we responded with a … Wherever people would congregate, that wouldn't normally attend school because of whatever reason –– the adults that is –– we would serve with an instructor. Because we felt this was our chance to really do the job that we were supposed to be doing, provided the space and the clientele. Otherwise, these people … And some of them were illiterate. Some needed the basic education and some needed courses in mathematics, for example, and other areas English generally. But the basic ed., really, was where we really were strong, and we went in with these programs where they were needed.