Welcoming America is pleased to announce that we have expanded our fundraising efforts to include a mobile giving and employer gift/volunteer match program! Read the rest of this entry »
New Ways to Donate to Welcoming America
Welcoming America is pleased to announce that we have expanded our fundraising efforts to include a mobile giving and employer gift/volunteer… read more
Welcoming Schools
By reaching out to students, educators and parents in school-based settings, Welcoming America is working to change the welcome immigrants receive… read more
Welcoming America Awarded Federal Grant to Support Refugee Resettlement Community Engagement
Welcoming America is the recipient of a federal technical assistance competitive grant award from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).… read more
First-Ever National Welcoming Week Shows the Power of Unity
We share the belief that our communities are strongest when everyone who lives in them feels welcome. Our communities work best when we all… read more
The Welcoming Movement is Spreading
Welcoming America has already developed national reach, and will continue to grow until it has truly rekindled the American dream, coast to coast. Currently,… read more
Is Your Community “Immigrant Friendly?”
The City of Dayton's "Welcome Dayton” plan is focused on making Dayton an “immigrant friendly city.” You can read about the plan in… read more
Welcoming America Shares Experience in Canada
March 13th, 2013
Last week, Welcoming America’s Deputy Director, Rachel Steinhardt traveled to Canada to share the organization’s experience with colleagues in Ottawa and throughout Canada. The event, “Fostering Welcoming Climates,” was hosted by the US Embassy in Ottawa, Jewish Family Services of Ottawa, the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, and numerous other local partners, and was broadcast live to US Embassies across Canada and the globe.
A news story published in the Ottawa Citizen discussed the event and work of Welcoming America, and its resonance in Canada. The session explored the context for welcoming communities in a world increasingly shaped by global migration, in which there are significant economic rewards for communities can attract the talent and ideas and vitality that newcomers bring. In order to reap these rewards, communities must create receptive and welcoming environments, and work to build positive relationships between immigrants and receiving communities. The event also featured a screening of the film Hawo’s Dinner Party: The New Face of Southern Hospitality. To access the presentation, visit: conx.state.gov/canada.
Promoting community dialogue during the national immigration debate
February 8th, 2013
As the nation considers ways to reform immigration policies, it is more important than ever to reach out to those with fears about their changing communities. Today there is not only an opportunity to create the long-term
conditions to support immigrants and their successful integration, but also a chance to secure a positive future for all Americans.
As the immigration debate continues, Welcoming America has tools to help communities and organizations promote listening and constructive dialogue on immigration issues. The Receiving Communities Toolkit and Welcoming America’s Dialogue Guide are resources for groups interested in hosting challenging conversations that build real understanding.
If immigration reform is passed by Congress, the debate over immigration may not subside, and it’s possible that fears may even grow, lending more urgency to reaching out and engaging receiving community members. Welcoming America is currently working to support communities as a whole, as well as representatives at all levels of government to prepare a response to receiving community concerns, and to use the moment as an opportunity to spur even more contact and dialogue between new and longer-term Americans. Through its Welcoming Cities effort Welcoming America is helping municipal governments consider policies and practices that will help them create to create more welcoming, immigrant-friendly environments that maximize opportunities for economic growth and cultural vitality and position communities as globally competitive, 21st century leaders.
Immigration reform and immigrant integration work best when the community as a whole is ready and willing to participate. When everyday Americans are encouraged to learn about and develop positive relationships with their newest neighbors, they become invested in countless ways. Whether in schools and workplaces or the town square, experience and research consistently demonstrate that immigrants integrate most successfully in receptive environments that welcome them and in which they can participate at their fullest potential. There are proven practices for educating, engaging, and sustaining the support of receiving communities, and for leveraging the new resources and vitality these engaged communities can bring at the local level to support long-term integration. Bringing such receiving communities approaches to scale will help create the impact required for successfully promoting a global, 21st century economy. When receiving communities embrace strategies that not only attract but retain newcomer populations because they are recognized assets to the community, a positive policy climate is created that will lead to the strongest economic and social outcomes.
