Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center: July 2022 Newsletter

Greetings!

Contrary to the old cliché that work in the nonprofit world slows down during Maine’s gorgeous yet short summer, we at GPIWC have been extremely busy in addressing the unmet needs of our new neighbors -- those who have called Maine home for a long time or those who have arrived recently. It goes without saying that our efforts could not possibly stop due to the change in seasons! Summer or not, New Mainers are keen to learn English, start businesses, apply for a zero-interest microloan, join the workforce, apply for citizenship, and learn about life in America. They expect us to offer help, guidance, and mentorship and we have made a commitment to them that we will be there to serve. And that is what we have been doing.

For the past few months, we have been introducing new initiatives. These include a Food Security and Healthy Diet Project; New Mainers On Stage, offering a series of outdoor concerts to bring performances by artists of color to immigrant audiences at no cost; and free, in-person English classes at sites that are easy to access for parents with young children interested to improve their language skills. Similarly, we have organized community events, such as Soccer Saturday, where soccer balls, books, and healthy snacks were given away, summer concerts at the Congress Square Plaza, and a World Refugee Day celebration. Our staff has tabled during the Eid celebration at the EXPO, giving away books, toys, and games, and at the Eid al-Adha celebration in Biddeford.

A month ago, GPIWC, in partnership with In Her Presence and South Portland Adult Ed, began offering free in-person English classes at the Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland. This is in close proximity to the hotels where many asylum seekers from DRC, Angola and Haiti live, making it easy for them to walk to the classes. Similarly, a class was held at a coffeeshop near Motel 6, in Portland. Earlier this month, a series of hybrid and in-person classes, free of cost, started at the Jewish Community Alliance. Added to all these English language opportunities, we welcome walk-ins to sign up for iEnglish via the EnGen platform at GPIWC’s language lab.

And the work continues…

Thank you for your support.

iEnglish Project Update

The iEnglish Project is growing to meet rising demand!

We're busy exploring innovative and effective ways to use EnGen as a tool in our hybrid classes for adults who are working or seeking higher education. At the same time, we are working with partner organizations to add in-person, basic level classes for newcomers. Challenges such as transportation and childcare persist during our recruitment processes.

We are also hosting students again at our in-house iEnglish Lab! We're adding staff to help walk-in visitors learn how to use EnGen to study English on their own for free. We guide them to enroll in courses that match their level and interest.

New Summer Program at FedCap

This new, EnGen-based hybrid pilot program occurs every Tuesday at 11am and 1pm. Students are mostly low to mid Intermediate level and are assigned EnGen courses such as "Social Integration for Immigrants: Daily Interactions and Digital Interactions" that aim to help them speak and use English with "confidence and competence."

Another new in-person class is being planned for FedCap clients with low English skills, possibly August through September.

New Classes at the Jewish Community Alliance

New in-person classes just started at JCA, taught by our new teacher Thressa Willett, targeting Afghan refugees serviced by JCA and community members from DRC, Angola, and Sudan. Currently, sessions take place on Tuesday and Thursday. Sign ups and referrals are welcome!

Business Hub Update

We've just had another immigrant business owner, Sergio, awarded with a zero-interest loan from Kiva. Check out his restaurant, Mi Pueblo Tacos y Tequila, in Biddeford! However, as Kiva has adjusted their funding model, we have temporarily held off facilitating new applications. We will need to put together significant financial resources and community support to help new applicants secure their loans. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, we are continuing to offer immigrant entrepreneurs advice for starting or expanding businesses and introducing them to valuable resources in the Greater Portland area.

Citizenship and Civic Engagement Initiative

The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center's Citizenship and Civic Engagement (CCE) Program is gearing up for the election season of the next few months. We have hired two new staff members to join our team -- Molly Herman, as our new Program Manager, and Elizabeth Donato, as Community Navigator -- which brings our team of Community Navigators to four and counting! In addition to continuously growing our team, GPIWC staff tabled at two different community events so far this summer and focused on engaging qualified New Mainers by providing voter registration assistance and information about community resources and GPIWC's programs. The first event was hosted by GPIWC to celebrate World Refugee Day on Monday, June 20th in Congress Square Park. It was attended by nearly 200 community members, including Congress-person Pingree. Fresh food was provided by our community partners: The Locker Project and Dear Dairy Ice Cream. The second event was on Saturday July 9th in Biddeford to celebrate Eid al-Adha. In addition to these two community events, the CCE program has started to increase GPIWC's reach by creating a community outreach schedule where our Community Navigators conduct weekly, informational-tabling-events in the Greater Portland Area. Our first informational tabling event was held in Kennedy Park on Wednesday, July 20th. As we look forward through the end of summer and into the fall and new school year, GPIWC's CCE program aims to continue to increase our reach and scope in Portland's immigrant communities through weekly community outreach, door-to-door canvassing, and hosting and attending community events.

Co-Working Hub

Tired of working at home? Come work with us at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center at 24 Preble Street in downtown Portland! We offer memberships with floating desk usage, designated desk rentals and office subleases at reasonable rates. Contact Mary Starr at 205-517-3406 or mary@welcomeimmigrant.org for more information.

All memberships include the following:

8:00am – 5:00pm access Monday through Friday
Personal elevator passcode
Unlimited meeting room time (Room reservation is required on a first-come, first-serve basis)
Floating desk usage
Internet access and copy machine usage
Feature on our website and newsletter

The Co-Working Hub at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center is busy again after the pandemic related downturn. This summer, we are pleased to welcome the World Affairs Council, Lowell Financial Center, and Maine Technology Institute as desk tenants. We are grateful for the support from all of our tenants and members; rental payments and membership fees go to support our programs and help cover the overhead for the GPIWC.

Our Board of Directors

In June, the GPIWC Board of Directors elected a new leadership team. Congratulations to our new officers!

Quang Nguyen- President

Cathy Lee- Vice President

Amberlynn Esperanza- Secretary

Yusuf Yusuf- Treasurer

We'd also like to recognize and thank two of our former board members, Ninette Irabaruta and Inza Ouattara, for their leadership, hard work, and dedication.

New Staff

GPIWC is expanding! Join us in welcoming our new staff members!

Connie Zhu, iEnglish Project and Business Hub Coordinator

Connie Zhu is currently the coordinator for the iEnglish Program and the Business Hub. Her professional background includes: teaching English writing and Chinese Language and Culture in high schools and universities; translating and interpreting for international agencies as well as local businesses; researching and advocating economic policies that value equity and sustainability; and promoting international and ethnic arts to the Greater Portland community. Grateful for the generosity and kindness she has received over the years, Connie appreciates this opportunity to help more new Mainers build new lives in Maine.

Molly Herman, Citizenship and Civic Engagement Coordinator

As the new Citizenshipship and Civic Engagement (CCE) Program Manager at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, Molly Herman is excited to help GPIWC expand its CCE Program through neighbor-to-neighbor canvassing and community outreach with the aim of increasing civic engagement within Portland's immigrant communities. Prior to starting at the GPIWC, Molly supervised teams of Street Outreach Case Managers and Specialists at Preble Street in Portland, Maine, and at Pathways to Housing DC in Washington, DC, where she graduated from American University with a B.S. in Neuroscience. When she is not connecting with her community, you can catch Molly romping with her two dogs at Willard Beach or checking out Portland's food scene.

Rita Welch, Community Navigator

Rita Welch is a Community Navigator at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. She is originally from Cartagena, Colombia and is a graduate of the University of Cartagena where she obtained a degree in business administration. After living in New York City for several years, Rita moved to Portland, Maine in 2020. She is very passionate about social justice and helping other immigrants like herself. In her free time, Rita enjoys spending time with her family and running. She completed the New York City marathon in 2021.

Mariana Angelo, Community Navigator

Mariana Angelo (she/her) is a co-founder of Black P.O.W.ER and a community organizer born and raised in Portland, Maine. Mariana Angelo began her journey as a student advocate for marginalized communities on the campus of the University of Southern Maine. She not only participates in direct actions organized on campus, but has created student groups for black and brown students. These groups have created the first honor code for the University, a list of demands that has resulted in hiring more black and brown professors, an accountability process for faculty members, and they have inspired a social justice summit.

Mariana is also a part of the South Sudanese community in Portland and has worked with youth to begin dialogues on mental health, substance abuse, and healthy relationships between adolescents and parental figures. She has also begun mentoring individuals in her community to create a stronger collective and build leadership.

Mariana was an organizer/arrestee of the Black Lives Matter Portland 16. This was the largest mass arrest in Maine history. Not only did this spark a statewide conversation on racism and all its forms, but it became the first televised event in the state of Maine addressing the reality of how racism has permeated through our institutions and has modeled and shaped our society.

Elizabeth Donato, Community Navigator

Elizabeth Donato feels privileged to be a Community Navigator at the Immigrant Welcome Center! She has lived in Portland, ME for the majority of her life and has witnessed its kindness and welcoming spirits toward new immigrants. As a Community Navigator, Elizabeth is committed to bringing awareness of the resources available for new immigrants and to the larger immigrant communities.

Thressa Willett, iEnglish Project ESL Teacher

Thressa Willett is an educator, writer, designer, and performer with an academic background in art and education graduate studies. Teaching English to new Mainers brings her tremendous joy and fulfillment. She has taught English locally and overseas in Thailand and Malaysia.

New Intern

Sebastien Martínez

Sebastien Martínez, a junior at Yarmouth High School, has recently joined the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center as an intern. As the son of immigrants from Honduras and Puerto Rico, he is passionate about giving back to the local immigrant community. Utilizing his technology skills, he manages the IWC's social media pages, maintains the website and produces the newsletters. Through his work, Sebastien informs the Greater Portland area about IWC events as well as other important news about the local immigrant community.

Volunteer Spotlight

Lizette Greaves, a retired foreign language teacher, is leading a summer pilot program for new immigrants at FedCap, South Portland. It is a hybrid program that combines self-learning on the EnGen digital platform and group sessions that give students a chance to interact and practice what they have learned online. Lizette has also been helping Afghani refugees in the GPIWC language lab, customizing their digital courses to suit their language proficiency levels and career goals. She is a MA certified ESOL teacher and most recently taught English to immigrants at the International Institute of New England (IINE) in Lowell, MA. Her experience in teaching, respect and care for each individual student, and passion for helping them achieve "confidence and competence" in speaking English and building a new life in America is truly inspiring. From all of us at IWC: Thank you!

Thank you to all our volunteers for your support!

Interested in volunteering with the Immigrant Welcome Center? We'd love to have you! Currently, we are looking for experienced ESL instructors who can teach basic-to-intermediate-level English to small classes of new immigrants. If you are interested and able, please send your resume and availability this summer to connie@welcomeimmigrant.org, and we will follow up with an in-person or virtual interview.

If you're not an ESL instructor but are still looking to help, visit our website to fill out our volunteer form. We'll be in touch as opportunities arise.

Check out our Volunteer Form

Hope to hear from you soon, and please spread the word for us!

Free College at SMCC

Southern Maine Community College is offering Mainers the chance to take free community college classes!

Click Here to Learn More About this Great Opportunity

GPIWC Events

"Welcome Here: Music and Stories of Welcome in Maine"

GPIWC partnered with Palaver Strings in April and May to present "Welcome Here," a series of shows featuring music and storytelling to celebrate immigrant and indigenous communities in Maine.

Spotlight Lecture for Dear Maine

Reza Jalali and Phuc Tran discussed Dear Maine, a book co-authored by Jalali and Morgan Reilly, at Bunker Brewing.

Ramadan Celebration

GPIWC distributed toys, books, and other gifts to Muslim children during the Eid Celebration at the Portland Expo, thanks to the generosity of Good Shepard Food Bank.

Book Launch Party

GPIWC friends and supporters gathered at Portland House of Music to celebrate the launch of Dear Maine by Reza Jalali and Morgan Reilly.

Soccer Saturday

The Immigrant Welcome Center partnered with USL to Portland to host Soccer Saturday in Kennedy Park. The event featured information about GPIWC resources and SMCC's free college program as well as free soccer balls, snacks, toys, and books.

New Mainers On Stage

As part of Creative Portland's First Friday Art Walk, GPIWC sponsored the first installation of "New Mainers on Stage." The concert featured Bondeko, a multicultural musical collaboration.