University Neighborhood Partners (UNP)
University Neighborhood Partners (UNP) is a University of Utah program designed to bring Salt Lake City residents from the west side of the city and University programs and students from the east side of the city together. In the Fall of 2004, UNP opened a new program, the Hartland Apartment Partnership, at Hartland Apartments located near 1700 South and Redwood Road. From the beginning, the Division of Occupational Therapy students have been involved in the program providing life skills training to residents of the apartment complex.
Over 75% of the nearly 800 residents learned English as a second language or do not speak English at a functional level. Residents come from a variety of countries including Somalia, Peru, Sudan, Mexico and the United States. The Somali Bantu residents spent 12 years in refugee camps in Kenya and were unfamiliar with the use of electricity, plumbing and telephones before arriving here.
Most of the Somali Bantu were illiterate in their own language, as they were denied an education in Somalia. UNP - Hartland offers all residents a variety of programs including: English as a Second Language classes, youth sports and leadership programs, homebuyer and financial literacy education, assistance with health care access, and life skills training.
The Division of Occupational Therapy provides its students with opportunities to teach classes and provide one-on-one training in life skills with supervision from division faculty. The areas addressed include home safety, pre-driver and public transportation training, pre-vocational training, assistance with employment placement, and school readiness for preschool children.
For More Information:
Visit the University Neighborhood Partners Website