Thanks to Welcoming America affiliate, Welcoming Rhode Island, the City of East Providence, Rhode Island has become the latest city to declare itself “welcoming.”
In a vote passed unanimously on January 3rd by the East Providence City Council, local elected leaders adopted a welcoming resolution, which states that the city is “committed to continue building a neighborly and welcoming atmosphere in our community where all are welcome, accepted and appreciated.” To view the full resolution and watch a video clip of the event, visit Welcoming Rhode Island’s recently-launched blog.
East Providence joins with communities in Alabama, Idaho, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Oregon, who have passed resolutions that declare their communities welcoming or “immigrant friendly.”
The White House Office of Public Engagement blogged about Welcoming America earlier this week, and shared how our work is at the forefront of helping America’s communities to be globally competitive and welcoming places for all people to live and work.
America is at a crossroads. From Alabama to Arizona, shuttered storefronts and barren fields tell the story of communities gripped by anxiety and fear. But fortunately there is another path.
Over the last year, Welcoming America and its affiliates have proactively reached out to thousands of individuals around the country to share a simple message: immigrants make us stronger.
Last week, Welcoming affiliate Uniting NC unveiled a new billboard campaign, including the image above. The launch of the billboards received broad media coverage, including yesterday’s story by the Huffington Post.
The billboards will help thousands across North Carolina benefit from their powerful, positive message. It’s but one example of the exciting and proactive work that Welcoming America is supporting around the country.
As the year ends, we welcome you to join us in celebrating just a few of the exiting achievements that Welcoming America, our affiliates, and our supporters made possible over the last year. If you are inspired, please DONATE to Welcoming America today. Your donation will directly support the work of our affiliates across the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcoming America affiliate, Uniting NC, yesterday unveiled a statewide billboard campaign that sends the message, “immigrants make us stronger.” At a press conference convened by Uniting NC, leaders from the faith community shared their support and encouraged others to embrace the contributions made by immigrants to strengthening the community.
The billboards, which were supported by Welcoming America and funded largely through a grassroots campaign led by Uniting NC, will be shown first in Raleigh, followed by other locations throughout the state. For press coverage of the event and to follow the billboards, visit Uniting NC’s Facebook page.
Uniting NC is one of 19 Welcoming America affiliates around the country that is using positive messaging campaigns to highlight the shared values and contributions of immigrants in local communities. Using Welcoming America’s 3-pronged approach, affiliates also engage with local leaders and bring long-time and new residents together to learn about each other’s values and cultures. More examples of messaging campaigns are available on the Welcoming America website, along with a toolkit for affiliates or other groups interested in strategic communications.
But we hope you’ll still get a sense for why hope and possibility were the words we heard over and over again from our 19 stateaffiliates and individuals from around the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Building a Nation of Neighbors equips individuals and organizations with story-based tools to better understand and use the Welcoming model. The module, which was developed by Active Voice in association with BeCause Foundation, was adapted from the documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, produced and directed by Kim A. Snyder.
Share your thoughts: Win points and prizes for viewing the segments and sharing your thoughts on Friends of Welcoming (look for Shelbyville Multimedia actions).
WATCH THE VIDEOS
Chapter 1, How Welcoming Works (4 min) - An introduction to the Welcoming model and how it relates to the community of Shelbyville.
Chapter 2, Local Leaders: The Foundation of Welcoming Work (2 min) - An overview of how the Welcoming model approaches local leadership development.
Chapter 3, Starting the Welcoming Conversation (4 min) – Context on Welcoming America’s work bringing immigrants and long-time residents into direct, facilitated contact.
Chapter 4, Welcoming Messages: Changing the Perception of Immigrants (5 min) - Background on the Welcoming approach of reversing negative images of immigrants by using strategic communications.
Chapter 5, From Neighbors to Friends: Overcoming Common Misunderstandings (5 min) - An overview of how to bring together community members to address misunderstandings and stereotypes.
As the Welcoming model continues to garner successes around the country, many are clamoring for tools to make their schools, local institutions, churches, communities and states more welcoming. “Building a Nation of Neighbors” is a short DVD that hones in on select scenes from Welcome to Shelbyville that exemplifies the Welcoming America model, while providing additional context on how it can work for a range of communities and audiences. From a seasoned “welcoming ambassador” to a concerned resident who wants to get the conversation started at her church, this module provides tips and guidance on how to build more welcoming communities.
“Building a Nation of Neighbors” is part of Shelbyville Multimedia, a project of Active Voice – in association with BeCause Foundation – designed to promote community building and harmony between native-born Americans, immigrants and refugees nationwide. It was developed in partnership with Welcoming America, with generous support from Unbound Philanthropy.
Change has come to rural Tennessee. Set against the backdrop of a shaky economy, Welcome to Shelbyville takes an intimate look at a southern town as its residents – whites and African Americans, Latinos and Somalis – grapple with their beliefs, their histories and their evolving ways of life. Welcome to Shelbyville is directed and produced by Kim A. Snyder and executive produced by BeCause Foundation, in association with Active Voice. Visit www.welcometoshelbyvillefilm.com
We are excited to announce that Friends of Welcoming will launch on June 15! Register today at www.friendsofwelcoming.org! Friends of Welcoming is Welcoming America’s new online platform that allows individuals, teams, and organizations to earn points for engaging in welcoming activities. Some examples of the many available activities include: interviewing an immigrant about his or her story, writing a welcoming Letter to the Editor, or hosting larger community events designed to bring people together across race, language, and culture.
You may use your points to earn fun prizes (books, dvds, t-shirts, jump drives, and more!) , and even the opportunity to win cash to start a Welcoming initiative or donate to charity! You will also be able to connect with like-minded people across the nation who want to make their communities more welcoming. Friends of Welcoming can help you make a difference in your community in a fun and interactive way. Look out for an announcement soon that Friends of Welcoming has launched!
Our important partner Active Voice recently launched a new character-driven website, www.ShelbyvilleMultimedia.org, that does an amazing job of transporting the viewer into the world of Welcome to Shelbyville. As you may know by now, Welcome to Shelbyville features the efforts of Welcoming Tennessee (a project of TIRRC), the model for all subsequent Welcoming America initiatives, as its local partners in Shelbyville, TN struggle to build a welcoming community. This documentary will be airing nationally on PBS via Independent Lens on May 24 at 10:00pm, so save the date! We strongly encourage you to explore Shelbyville Multimedia, and to participate in the opportunities for action it provides (see below for more details). Welcoming Tennessee and Welcoming America are featured in several parts of the Shelbyville Multimedia site, and our soon-to-be-launched web portal “Friends of Welcoming” – launching in May – is also featured.
We have received many inquiries from individuals and organizations trying to better understand Welcoming America’s connection to the “Welcome to Shelbyville” documentary which aired on PBS nationally on May 24, 2011. Did you know this documentary was viewed by an estimated 1.3 million Americans on May 24th?
The documentary features the efforts of Welcoming Tennessee (a project of TIRRC), the model for all subsequent Welcoming America campaigns, as its local partners in Shelbyville, TN struggle to build a welcoming community. Set against the backdrop of a shaky economy, Welcome to Shelbyville takes an intimate look at a southern town as its residents – whites and African-Americans, Latinos and Somalis – grapple with their beliefs, their histories and their evolving ways of life. Welcome to Shelbyville is directed and produced by Kim A. Snyder and executive produced by BeCause Foundation in association with Active Voice. Welcoming America is working to replicate initiatives such as the one in Shelbyville across the United States.
If you are interested in hosting a screening of Welcome to Shelbyville, and learn more about how to engage with the film, please go to the exciting “Shelbyville Multimedia” website created by Active Voice. To Purchase a Copy of the Film click here to go to the order page on the Because Foundation website. You can also purchase it on itunes.
Also, check out two more related tools:
1.) Friends of Welcoming: an interactive web portal – designed by Welcoming America – for individuals and groups who are interested in taking their interest in welcoming newcomers to the next level.
2.) The Building a Nation of Neighbors Module: This free video module, available online, or on DVD, equips individuals and organizations with story-based tools to better understand and use the Welcoming model that is featured in Welcome to Shelbyville.
Please watch our latest Welcoming America video-short by clicking on the image above. It’s quick, and it’s worth watching!
As this exciting video demonstrates, Welcoming America’s affiliates across the country are positively transforming communities that have experienced rapid immigration growth. Cities and towns that were once overcome by the fear of change are becoming Welcoming to immigrants and refugees. 2010 was our most successful year – by far! With your support Welcoming America can have a much bigger impact in 2011. Just click here to donate.
With your help we can deepen our work where we are, and significantly expand the number of states where we operate. In the process, we can truly transform this country.
The need for our work has never been greater. Sadly, the climate for immigrants is getting much worse in the U.S., and it looks like the situation will deteriorate further in 2011. It doesn’t have to be this way! Please help our country live up to its promise by sharing this video with your friends, and by donating to Welcoming America before the end of 2010. Donations go directly to the work of our affiliates. Simply click here to donate.
