Working with The Immigrant Welcome Center ( IWC ) has proved me that together we can make the world a better place!
The IWC team gives support, provides resources, empowers immigrants and makes them feel heard, loved and accompanied through the journey of adapting to a new culture and a new country.
What a joy to have a job that brings hope and light to people!
The center is really concerned about immigrants' situation at the Indianapolis area and organizes great events such as citizenship workshops, as well as provide connections to resources (food banks, employee agencies and more) to help them adapt.
Immigrant Welcome Center provides numerous services to immigrants in Indianapolis, including an incredible program called Pathway to Literacy. Pathway to Literacy is an English learning program for students who have low literacy skills in their native language. The teachers truly care about their students.
I Masange Biregeya Natural Helper with Immigrant Welcome Center. I am the witness for this non-profit community organization dedicated to empowering immigrants in Indianapolis by connecting them to the people, places, and resources they need in order to thrive. They offer a range of services such as legal assistance, language classes, job training, and more.
It’s been my distinct pleasure to work as a volunteer, teaching English, with one of the most exciting and innovative Adult English Language Learner (ELL) programs in the Indianapolis area. The Pathway to Literacy Pilot Program (the Program), led and collaboratively developed by the Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC), is anchored by the following four Program pillars: 1) respect; 2) relevant learning; 3) oral language; and 4) comprehension.
Consisting of separate 10-week pilot classes, and at times, 1:1 tutoring sessions with interested students, the Program aims to prepare our newcomer immigrant friends to successfully integrate into their respective Indianapolis communities. With a focus on pragmatic, real-world application of the English language, students learn to navigate daily life, work and citizenship aspirations, all while existing within a dissimilar culture.
Notwithstanding the research- and evidence-based roots of the program, both from methodological and pedagogical perspectives, the goal of continuous process improvement (via student feedback) provides both teachers and students repeated opportunities to consistently succeed at what we all do, i.e., teaching and learning!
Each of the items outlined above are, indeed, important to me, but the most striking aspect of the Program, in my opinion, is the capacity of the Program’s dedicated staff and volunteers to consistently afford each of our newcomer friends with a simple, human identity—I’ve seen, personally, during Zoom classes and breakout rooms, young mothers preparing lunch in the kitchen, while shuttling to and from the stove, and to and from children’s rooms, etc., simply to take part in the Program—There is much human dignity in this type of multitasking, with the aspiration of learning, something which I’m very proud to recognize by my participation as a volunteer in the Program.
The Immigrant Welcome Center provides many valuable and practical services. I am a volunteer with the Pathway to Literacy project, which teaches entry level English to adults with fewer than 6 years of education in their home country. This is the most fulfilling and meaningful volunteer experience I have ever had. The learners are so motivated to learn English and so appreciative for the help. It is thrilling to see them gain the skills and confidence to perform daily tasks, such as making appointments, calling their children's schools, and applying for jobs. It is inspiring to be part of this effort!
I have watched the Immigrant Welcome Center from its earliest days and have been so impressed to see how it has served our city! Its focus has both expanded in how it serves, but at the same time, become more focused than ever on serving in ways that really make a difference! The ability to convene important discussions and connect other service providers in addressing the needs of our immigrants strengthens what we all do no matter where we work in this sector. The Natural Helper Program is a unique approach and one of the ways that immigrants themselves are engaged in the solutions.
I first became acquainted with Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) in 2006, when I was an Indiana legislator. I was leading the charge in the Statehouse against draconian anti-immigrant legislation. IWC was an important ally, providing me with valuable information about the immigrant community in Indiana, and the relevant federal law that governs immigration status.
In 2007, I was asked to serve on the IWC advisory board. I continued to cooperate with IWC, including in 2011 when I help them form the Indiana Compact, to once again battle anti-immigrant legislation.
In 2021, I was asked to become a member of IWC's Board of Directors.
I have since become Chair of their Development and Marketing Committee, Co-Chair of the major annual fundraising event, and a member of their Finance Committee.
I consider IWC to be the Greatest Force for Good in Central Indiana.
IWC has positively impacted the lives of thousands of Immigrants since 2005.
They are a model for other immigrant-serving groups nationwide.
The organization is very well led by the CEO. It is the right organization at the right time to support the immigrant community.
I've interacted with the Immigrant Welcome Center for several years and even more in the recent past, including during the pandemic. The staff has been extremely responsive, cares deeply about the mission and has had increasing impact in the community. I only wish more cities had the Immigrant Welcome Center and it's truly welcoming spirit to help all!
The Immigrant Welcome Center works on parallel tracks to ensure that foreign-born newcomers are able to integrate into their new community in ways that allow them to build self-sufficient and successful lives. First, the IWC works to provide immigrants with the needed connections to local government and civic organizations that help them with school enrollment, housing, food security, employment and English language learning, among other needs. These connections are the necessary initial steps to a more fulsome integration into the immigrants' adoptive community. The integration process typically takes many years and sometimes more than one generation to complete. IWC offers support to immigrants throughout their integration journey.
The second track that IWC pursues is to make Central Indiana a more welcoming place for newcomers by engaging with long-established residents and providing them with opportunities for learning about and interacting with their new immigrant neighbors. Newcomers cannot welcome themselves and thus the Immigrant Welcome Center seeks the support and participation of native-born Hoosiers in its work.
The IWC seeks to tap into the unrealized potential of immigrants to benefit not just themselves but also to promote the economic, social, cultural and civic advantages that immigrants bring to our community. A prime example is the IWC's Pathway to Literacy program. A significant number of immigrants with little-to-no formal education in the countries of their birth are unable to take advantage of the traditional English Language Learning courses that are offered here. Because these individuals lack literacy skills in their native language, they have a much greater difficulty in mastering English, despite all the motivation and desire to learn. IWC has developed a curriculum that is tailored to the needs of these new language learners and has begun delivering classes to students with notable success. Successful completion of the Pathways to Literacy program will enable these students to advance their English language learning via traditional classes. Mastery of English is the number one predictor of success in immigrant integration, since it opens doors to further educational and occupational opportunities.
I helped more than 50 people in my community thank you to IWC . The haitian community is very grateful to this great organization