Greetings!
Generally, it is assumed most immigrants are lured to America for its skyscrapers, fancy malls, and the seduction of getting rich quickly. Maybe for some. But for most immigrants, displaced forcibly or coming by choice, it is American democracy with its promise of free speech, independent judiciary, and free media, religious freedom, and protection of minorities, that’s the draw. In short, America’s cherished values continue to attract millions to cross hostile borders, mountains and merciless seas, and wait in visa lines to get here. Most of us who make the difficult journey, or in some cases have the luxury of making the choice to leave everything familiar behind to arrive in a foreign land, do so out of a sacred desire and a dream of living in a country where, unlike our countries of origin, we have the privilege of changing the elected leaders, good and bad, every two or four or six years. At home, we were stuck with the corrupt dictators, the warlords, and those in power for life. They rule by force, violence, and politics of division, putting one community against another. They punish those, who dare to challenge the status quo and tyranny. Once here however, life interrupts. For one reason or another and faced with language and other barriers, the same immigrants who had dreamt of participation in elections fail to exercise their franchise.
And that’s when community-based immigrant-run organizations such as the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) come in. Trusted by our new neighbors – for we look and sound like them – we are positioned well to educate our community members on the complicated American electoral system and encourage them to cast their ballots on the election day. Starting months before the first ballot is cast, a team of Community Navigators, led by Molly Herman, the manager of IWC’s Citizenship and Civic Engagement Program, has been tabling at different community events and settings, knocking at doors and canvassing to get New Mainers registered to vote, and to remind them of the importance of participation in elections, while mindful of our mission as a nonpartisan nonprofit.
With the mid-term election upon us, we urge our new neighbors who are legally able to do so, to vote on Tuesday, November 8. This election, like every other election, is important and every vote counts. The elections are about making informed decisions on who should represent us, implement policies, and distribute resources that will not only benefit us but will make our communities, the state and the country we love so much safer, better, and stronger. We vote for ourselves, our families and for the sake of the millions left behind and stuck with the nasty dictators. We can be their voice.
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Reza Jalali
Executive Director
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The iEnglish Project is growing to meet rising demand! |
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Basic English Classes Offered
Our basic level in-person class was off to a great start in October. Now the class attendance has held steady between 14-16 students each time. Our new teacher, Patrick Lent, has braved many challenges (from technical to childcare) to keep his students gratefully engaged. And thanks again to the Jewish Community Alliance for offering their space and hospitality to the new immigrant community.
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On-Site EnGen Training FedCap
Built on our pilot hybrid program on the EnGen platform in the summer, we continue to work with FedCap in making EnGen accessible to more FedCap clients beyond the Greater Portland region.
This fall, we are offering another session of Social Integration hybrid class to students of high-beginner to intermediate English level, plus a new intro-level class to help students build language and digital literacy; we have also recruited students from Lewiston and offered them remote assistance in navigating EnGen courses,
we are starting a new cohort in Augusta in November and will experiment conducting a hybrid EnGen class via Zoom.
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Northern Light (NL)
We are running two pilot programs at NL Mercy Hospital this fall. Patrick Lent is leading an EnGen hybrid session for a group of immigrant employees, helping them improve their language skills as well as communication skills in the healthcare field. Patrick Lent and Connie Zhu have also offered one-on-one tutorial sessions for students of high-level English proficiency to help them utilize customized EnGen curricula for targeted professional goals.
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iEnglish Lab
Our lab has been humming! We have new and/or return visitors every day. It is now open five days a week, 10-4 Monday thru Thursday, and 10-2 on Friday. Since June, we have registered and trained about 80 learners with an estimated number of 250+ visits. We are also actively connecting students to classes and training programs at SMCC and Adult Ed, and other local resources for immigrants.
We are looking forward to upgrading our aging equipment and lagging internet connection. GPIWC will need continuous financial and technical support to offer high-quality service for our learners!
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Earlier in October, we organized and hosted a successful business consultation session for the immigrant business community. Coastal Enterprise, Inc. offered their expertise in advising a group of entrepreneurs of various backgrounds on how to start and grow their businesses. We will plan another session this winter.
We plan to offer similar sessions in months to come.
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The zero-interest/Sharia home mortgage loan program being introduced by Androscoggin Bank, in partnership with Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center and Prosperity Maine. The program, the first in Maine, allows Muslim members of the community to get home mortgage loans that are in compliance with their religious practices and requirements.
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Citizenship and Civic Engagement Initiative |
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Since the last quarter the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center’s (IWC) Citizenship and Civic Engagement (CCE) team has been busy with community engagement as we continue to increase the reach and scope of our efforts. We have hired two new staff members to join our team – Gabrielle Roxon as our new Community Navigator Intern and Mackie Libsack as one of our new Community Navigators – which brings our team of community navigators to four (and counting). Our CCE team has been engaging qualified New Mainers by providing voter registration assistance and information through weekly Voter Registrations Drives, door-to-door canvassing, community outreach and more in neighborhoods such as Riverton, Munjoy Hill, Sagamore Village, and Kennedy Park. As we have worked hard to rebuild our CCE program, our community navigators have knocked on over 385 doors and engaged over 325 New Mainers.
During this quarter the CCE team has not only hosted our own events, including but not limited to, our Weekly Voter Registration Drives, Soccer Saturday, a Voter Registration Drive in Monument Square for National Voter Registration, Day of Democracy, and New Mainers on the Stage; but also provided support and outreach at community events such as the Tender Tables Food and Art Festival, the Festival of Nations, the Latino Food Festival, a Vaccine Clinic in Sagamore Village, door-to-door canvassing with the LWVME, the Westbrook Community Festival, the Westbrook Resource Fair, a Citizenship Celebration at the Portland Public Library and more. Finally, during our community outreach efforts, our team engaged community members on the benefits of a healthy diet through nutrition education and providing free healthy snacks and fresh produce at our community events. We look forward to continuing to grow and create meaningful connections with our community members and partners in the coming months.
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Healthy Food and Nutrition Education Initiative |
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Through support of and sponsorship from Good Shepherd Food Bank IWC was able to distribute healthy snacks, nutrition education and fresh produce at all of our community events. Please check out our website and social media for information on “Cooking Matters!” and “10 Tips” courses offered around Portland by IWC and our partner, Maine SNAP-Ed in early January. |
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Are you looking for a space to work? Check out the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center at 24 Preble Street in downtown Portland! We offer memberships with floating desk usage and designated desk rentals at reasonable rates.
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The Co-Working Hub at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center is busy again after the pandemic related downturn. Recently, we welcomed the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine to our co-working space. 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 overhead for the GPIWC. |
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We would like to welcome three new board members. Their addition to the GPIWC Board of Directors is a testimony to our mission as a leading immigrant-run and immigrant-led organization, taking on lowering and removing barriers New Mainers face in integrating and building new lives in Maine. We are grateful for their willingness to volunteer their time with us. |
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Suely Simpson
Suely was born and raised in the coastal city of Luanda, Angola. She first came to the US to attend Florida State University where she double majored in Management and Human Resources. She started her career as an HR professional in the Angolan National oil company and returned with her family to the US. She now lives in South Portland with lovely daughter Alice and her husband Mark. Suely enjoys helping and making a meaningful impact on others.
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Dr. Ike Ndu
Dr. Ike Ndu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the University of Southern Maine and a full Faculty member at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Maine. Ike is a licensed chartered accountant, certified public accountant, and certified fraud examiner.
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Elvice Adji
Elvice Adji is originally from Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), in West Africa. He has been in Maine for the past 11 years. Elvice has attended the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine, holding a B.S in Computer Information Systems and a M.S. in Statistics. Elvice is a senior consultant at Federal Advisory Partners. He's the current President of the Ivorian Community of Maine (ICOME).
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GPIWC is expanding! Join us in welcoming our new staff members! |
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LIZETTE GREAVES, ESL TEACHER
Lizette is a retired foreign language teacher and is currently leading a hybrid ESL 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 Afghan refugees in the GPIWC language lab, customizing their digital courses to suit their language proficiency levels and career goals. Lizette 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.
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MIRANDA BEGGIN, ESL TEACHER
Miranda is an English teacher with the (GPIWC). She first taught English while working and volunteering at the Jerash refugee camp in Jordan. Miranda is a strong advocate for refugee and immigrant rights globally. She is happy to support the work of the GPIWC, an organization that supports refugees and immigrants to build lives and find community here in Maine. Outside of GPIWC, Miranda also works at a healthcare technology company and enjoys writing and hiking in her free time.
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PATRICK LENT, ESL TEACHER
Patrick Lent is an English teacher at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center and a lifelong resident of Maine. He’s a graduate of Central Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine with degrees in English and, while studying in Thailand, became a Cambridge certified English teacher for adult speakers of other languages. His passion for immigrant and refugee interests and rights blossomed from interpersonal relationships with foreign-born coworkers and classmates, and developed into a dedication to advocating for, and building stronger community relations with, all of the new arrivals to the state and country as a whole. Outside of his work for GPIWC you can find Patrick mulling over the appropriate punctuation in a new poem or fermenting hot peppers in pursuit of the creation of the perfect hot sauce.
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MACKIE LIBSACK, COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR
As a Mainer and with a long-term desire to create positive change in the areas of our world that need it the most, Mackie is thrilled to be a member of the Community and Civic Engagement team here at GPIWC. Mackie recently graduated from Loyola University Maryland where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Global Studies. These two fields, coupled with her participation in a year-long full-immersion program in Montpellier, France, reinforced Mackie’s desire to actively participate in the international community. Being bilingual in English and French, Mackie is thrilled to use her language skills here at GPIWC to assist the immigrant and asylum-seeking populations of the Greater Portland area, and she is looking forward to engaging with and learning from the migration process in its many forms. In her free time, you can find Mackie hiking with her dog in the mountains of New England or hiding behind a camera, capturing Maine’s beauty in its many forms.
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GABRIELLE ROXON
Gabrielle Roxon is our current intern, joining us from SMCC. She helps us with our civic engagement program, community events, the iEnglish lab, and hopes to create a bridge between New Mainers who wish to study and SMCC’s free college initiative. Upon her imminent graduation from SMCC, Gabrielle will be transferring to USM to complete her bachelor's and eventually master's degree in Social Work, as she works towards her end goal of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Gabrielle comes from England but has worked and traveled in numerous countries around the world, including Nepal, India, Mexico, Ecuador, and Spain, predominantly as a nature-based Early Childhood educator. Despite now moving towards a clinical counseling career, she is passionate about working with the Immigrant and Refugee population here in Portland as she aspires to combine her cultural curiosity and her love for different languages with her passion for equity and social justice. Gabrielle is delighted to be working at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center!
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JOSIE CUNNINGHAM
Josie Harper Cunningham is an GPIWC intern and current senior at North Yarmouth Academy. Josie helps with our social media pages, event planning, and our monthly newsletter. Josie hopes to learn from this internship and take this knowledge with her when she begins college next year. Josie is planning to pursue social advocacy in college and hopes to continue working with the New Mainers Project. Josie lives in Hallowell, Maine and has volunteered with the New Mainers Project in Augusta growing up. She is very passionate about aiding the Immigrant and Refugee population all across Maine. Josie is very excited to be working with the Greater Portland Immigrant Center!
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Thank you, Lidia!
Lidia Antonio is a graduate from our summer session at JCA and has been coming to our lab diligently since then. Not only does she volunteer to help other learners in the lab, but she also visits the new class at JCA this fall and takes on the role of "class assistant." Thanks to every friend of GPIWC, just like Lidia, who contributes to make the Center a welcoming place to all new Mainers!
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Thank you, Anna and Gabriella!
Ana Candida is a New Mainer from Namibia with hospitality experience who arrived with her family in June. After spending time in our English Lab for a few months Ana has joined our ever growing IWC community as a volunteer splitting her time between the front desk, English lab and our CCE outreach team. We are excited to watch her skill set shine!
Gabriella Candido, Anna's sister, is from Namibia with marketing experiences. Since becoming a member of our IWC community, Gabriella has become a volunteer, sharing her time between the front desk, English lab and helping with our social media strategy. We are excited to watch her talent excel!
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Thank you, Eleana!
Eleana Thompson, fluent in Arabic and Egyptian, has become a conversation partner with Nafisa Ali from Sudan. Nafisa is a lab assistant at NorthernLight Mercy and is interested in exploring American culture while also improving her communication skills.
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We are so grateful to our volunteers for their amazing help with what we do at GPIWC. |
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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 fall and winter to [email protected], 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.
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Hope to hear from you soon, and please spread the word for us! |
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Southern Maine Community College is offering Mainers the chance to take free community college classes!
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In August, GPIWC had its annual garden party to raise money for building capacity and providing programs to serve the growing New Mainer community in Maine. This year's party was held at the residence of Roberta March, a member of GPIWC Board of Directors, and her husband, Colin March. We are grateful to those who accepted our invitation to join us in celebrating our work. We thank Roberta and Colin for their generosity and hospitality. We're fortunate to have many generous donors, who share our goal of supporting New Mainers in their integration process. |
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Visit from U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree |
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On November 1, 2022, the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center hosted a luncheon with Congresswoman Pingree and a group of community leaders ahead of the November 8th Midterm Election. The room was electric and filled with passion as Congresswoman Pingree listened to concerns from community leaders. |
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The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center’s 2nd Soccer Saturday was a huge success with over 60 children in attendance who each received a free soccer ball, fresh produce and healthy snacks, and a morning of fun in Kennedy Park. IWC wants to give a special thank you to USL to Portland for supplying the soccer balls, to The Locker Project and The Portland Food Co-op for providing fresh food for distribution, to the Falmouth Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team for their support, and to our co-sponsor Good Shepherd Food Bank. Stay tuned for the next Soccer Saturday this Spring! |
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The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center was proud to host the first ever Day of Democracy Event in partnership with The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine and the Office of the Department of The Secretary of State. This event was a success with over 20 community resources and civic engagement focused organizations and agencies in attendance to provide information and support to New Mainers regarding voter education and awareness; and featured speakers including Reza Jalali, our Executive Director, Shenna Bellows, Secretary of State, and Emily Cook, Director of Communications for the Secretary of State’s Office. IWC wants to give a special thanks to our co-sponsor, Good Shepherd Food Bank and The Locker Project and The Portland Food Co-op for providing fresh food for distribution. Check out our social website for more resource fairs in the future. |
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New Mainers On Stage First Friday Stage Series |
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As part of Creative Portland's First Friday Art Walk, GPIWC sponsored the first installation of "New Mainers on Stage." The concert featured FAKI, Assasi, Hadith Bani-Adam a multicultural musical collaboration. |
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Concerts in partnership with Indigo Arts Alliance and SPACE |
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Nora Mint Seymali Mauritanian music legend and Qwanqwa a Ethiopian band. |
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Leading up to Election Day, the CCE Team hit the streets with weekly Voter Registration Drives and Door-to-Door Canvassing in Riverton, Sagamore Village, Munjoy Hill, Kennedy Park and Westbrook communities. They knocked on over 350 doors and provided help with voter registration and information. |
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On August 10th, 2022, students from an out of state university visited us to learn more about Maine's immigrants.
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It was an honor to host French Consul Général Mustafa Soykurt and Regine Whittlesey with Alliance Française du Maine.
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University of Southern Maine and National Endowment for the Arts hosted an interdisciplinary panel discussion on New Mainers via Zoom. The panel featured Reza Jalali, among others. This panel addressed topics related to immigration in the Maine context.
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for these events!
Visit our website to see more event photos:
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Check out these recent articles related to GPIWC! |
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Maine Justice Foundation Press |
Maine Justice Foundation Awards Grants to Seven Maine Groups Working for Racial Justice and Equity |
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The groups connecting new Mainers with climate activists |
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Maine Public News Connect |
Maine Public News Connect Episode 72 |
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Event looks to bring people new to Maine together through sports |
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"In the words of workers: Gervin Kah" |
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"Somali Americans, Many Who Fled War, Now Seek Elected Office" |
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"New Mainers invited to Day of Democracy voter fair"
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"New Mainers invited to Day of Democracy voter fair"
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A Major Grant from DHHS
Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services awarded GPIWC a grant of $300,000 to develop infrastructure and build institutional capacity. This is the largest grant we have ever received. It will be used to purchase new computer technology, engage an accountant, pursue advanced training for staff and board members, and implement a community health and nutrition program. In recent months, additional funding has been received from the TD Charitable Foundation and Maine Initiatives, among others.
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Stay Tuned for More Info About Upcoming Events From GPIWC |
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Tree Lighting at Monument Square
GPIWC is proud to partner with Portland Downtown to kick off the holiday season!
Where: Monument Square, Portland
When: Friday, November 25th, 4:00-6:00pm
We hope you join us!
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World Cup Watch Party
GPIWC is partnering with USL to Portland for Official US Soccer World Cup Watch Party.
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Your Contribution Matters!
The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center is a vital link connecting New Mainers with the opportunities our community offers. We help them to help themselves – to attain English fluency, prepare for a job interview, attend college, shop for nutritious food, vote, start their own business, apply for a bank loan and become a US citizen. GPIWC helps today’s traumatized newcomers become tomorrow’s dynamic leaders.
Your support allows our programs to continue responding to the needs of our new neighbors, and expand to accommodate all the new arrivals. Your contribution makes a difference in their lives. Please consider a gift to The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center.
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Find us on social media or visit our website: |
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