As the season changes, so does our work at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. After a hectic summer, we are preparing for a busy fall, filled with promises of serving our new neighbors arriving in Maine in search of safety, dignity, and better economic opportunities.
Early October saw the start of a new group of MaineHealth employees learning English and the inaugural cohort of 25 Fedcap learners, as part of the IWC’s iEnglish Project; the ongoing acceptance of zero-interest loan applications made by immigrant business owners; partnering for the first time with the Small Business Administration, SCORE, and Infinity Federal Credit Union to help immigrants start new businesses as part of our Business Hub; and we stand ready to offer free online English language instructions to the expected Afghan refugees.
The tasks may be enormous but so is our commitment to elevating Maine’s thriving immigrant communities. We know well that we can never serve the immigrant community without the support of our allies, friends, and volunteers. We value your ongoing support and thank you for being a partner in this important and timely work.
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Maine Health Partnership
The ongoing Maine Health IWC partnership is thriving with two English class cohorts preparing Maine Health workers for career mobility. On September 27, Maine Health and the GPIWC kicked off another series of classes supporting the language and professional development of Maine Health employees. This class completes the third cohort of 2021. We congratulate the graduates of our last cohort of learners!
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Inaugural Fedcap Cohort
On October 1, the iEnglish Project began a partnership with Fedcap Maine. Fedcap’s mission is “to make high outcome, life-changing, sustainable differences for individuals and families in Maine to improve their economic well-being through access to education, employment, and community resources.” By working with Fedcap, the IWC will help New Mainers to access high-quality English courses from their phones wherever they are in the state. This is especially helpful for unemployed Mainers wanting to be hired or those who are unable to attend adult education classes.
Free Online English Language Classes
Through our Alain Jean Claude Nahimana Scholarship program and generous grant funding, we are able to offer New Mainers a year long subscription to our digital language learning platform. We have 10 new neighbors in the program and would love to have more learners take advantage of the scholarship. See our website for more information and to sign up!
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Talal, owner of Alhadidi Market in Biddeford, helps us spread the word about our free, digital English courses |
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The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) has partnered with the DreamxAmerica-Kiva Special Initiative to support immigrant business owners through interest-free loans for their business. Our summer intern, Jacques Pellet, conducted in person outreach to immigrant owned businesses introducing them to the initiative and helping them with the initial stages of applying. This fall, an AmeriCorps Member from the Greater Portland Council of Governments’ Resilience Corps, Patrick Robinson, provided application assistance to support local immigrant owned businesses. With outreach and aid from the IWC, many small business owners received interest-free loans. |
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The IWC is forming a partnership with the Indus Fund, another loan program for New Mainers. Along with access to low interest loans, the Indus Fund provides applicants with free mentoring and the opportunity to create banking relationship.
We are always expanding our outreach efforts to connect small business with loans and assistance, so if you know of anyone who is interested, reach out to [email protected].
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Local business owners, Gloriose and Leonard from Glory Store LLC |
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Vote for the IWC for the 2021 Better Neighbor Fund |
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Dear Friends and Supporters,
This fall, Town & Country Credit Union is giving away a total of $25,000 to eight charitable organizations across Southern Maine receiving the most votes on Town & Country’s website.
We are happy to report Immigrant Welcome Center is one of 25 non-profits to advance to the voting phase of Town & Country Federal Credit Union’s 2021 Better Neighbor Fund charitable giving campaign.
Voting began on Friday, October 1st and concludes on Sunday, October 31st. The grant recipients will be selected based on which organization receives the most votes. You can vote once a day, every day during the month of October.
The IWC will use this grant to purchase 30-35 tablets to provide remote access to digital English language instruction for new Afghan immigrants.
Voting is easy! Please go to the link below to vote! Please ask friends and neighbors to vote for us!
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Abby King is a senior at North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine. She is passionate about social justice, advocacy, and human rights. She has been able to pursue these interests through academic courses both at her high school and through Brown and Columbia University, volunteering with Make a Wish Maine and Global Leadership Adventures, and internships with other NGOs, notably SAVE Foundation in South Africa. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Immigrant Welcome Center, where she will focus on social media and website and newsletter design. |
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The IWC Welcomes Emery Nkanka and Patrick Robinson
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Emery Nkanka has joined our team as an iEnglish Project Lab Assistant. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he was a social worker and Child Protection Survivors specialist. He has been certified in social justice by the Intercultural Communication Institute in Portland, Oregon. He also has served as a local consultant in the implementation of child protection policies in the DRC in collaboration with United Nations agencies. He is excited to join the team at the IWC! |
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Patrick Robinson joins us from the Greater Portland Council of Governments' Resilience Corps program, where he served as the Economic Development Fellow, doing research into the economic future of the Greater Portland region. As the Business Hub Counselor, he will expand the number of applicants for the DreamxAmerica-Kiva Special Initiative, an interest-free loan program designed for immigrant small business owners. He will also connect immigrant small business owners to grant and loan opportunities and help budding immigrant entrepreneurs write business plans. He is honored and excited to join the IWC team! |
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We have a new member in the Co-Working Hub, Sakala International. SAKALA International was created to support the inspiring work of the SAKALA community center in Cité Soleil, Haiti. SAKALA International follows SAKALA Haiti’s lead in spreading the peace and joy they have created there in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
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World Affairs Council of Maine |
The IWC welcomes the World Affairs Council of Maine as members in our Co-Working Hub. The World Affairs Council of Maine is a nonprofit and nonpartisan educational organization. Their mission is to connect Maine and the world, by engaging and educating people of all ages to become global citizens.
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Check out these recent articles and events featuring the GPIWC! |
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The Portland Forecaster: Upcoming book views Maine’s immigrants with ‘different lens’
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News Center Maine:
Maine to begin resettling Afghan evacuees soon
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Portland Press Herald:
Afghan evacuees to begin arriving in Maine as soon as this week
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Maine Calling:
Next-generation immigrants share their stories and perspective of growing up in Maine with immigrant backgrounds
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Portland Press Herald:
Maine Voices Live with Reza Jalali and Morgan Rielly
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Portland Press Herald:
Maine Voices: Afghan refugees should get the same welcome America gave me
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Our Executive Director, Reza Jalali, board member Cathy Lee, and
owner of Angels of Love Event Design, Deborah speaking
at a fundraiser in Scarborough.
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Click below if you are interested in supporting our efforts to elevate New Mainers through language acquisition, economic integration and civic engagement. Thank you for your support!
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Governor Janet Mills with our ED, Reza Jalali at the Mainers of the Year event.
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Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, stopped by to visit the IWC to discuss civic engagement. |
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Find us on social media or visit our website: |
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