Three Communities Join the 2020 Welcoming Economies Technical Assistance Pilot!
Just last week, Welcoming America and Global Detroit hosted a kickoff to welcome participants to the 2020 Welcoming Economies Technical Assistance Pilot (WE Pilot). These Welcoming Network members will work closely with the WE Pilot team to advance the economic inclusion of immigrants and contribute to local economic development efforts that impact all residents. The WE Pilot will allow Welcoming America and Global Detroit to build on the last half-decade of technical assistance expertise we have developed about welcoming economies and to pilot a new model of building capacity and impact among local welcoming economy initiatives. This new pilot leverages the peer learning structure, tailored technical assistance, and subject matter expertise that has been so critical to other Welcoming America programs offered through the Welcoming Network, the rust belt Welcoming Economies Global Network, Welcoming Refugees, Welcoming International, and more.
The WE Pilot supports local leaders in advancing policies, programs, partnerships, and practices that include immigrants as part of their local or regional economic strategy. Two of the pilot initiatives are partnerships between a local economic development agency and a local government or local nonprofit. Based on their readiness to spark meaningful change locally, participants were selected for the WE Pilot–with leaders from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Champaign County, Illinois and Louisville, Kentucky. Participants include:
- YMCA at the University of Illinois in partnership with Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
- Welcoming Pittsburgh (City of Pittsburgh) in partnership with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
- Louisville Metro Government’s Office for Globalization
Over the course of the year, the WE Pilot team and other national experts will provide each of the participants with more than 20 hours of direct technical assistance, access to subject area experts, hands-on coaching and, as mentioned, peer learning opportunities, where leaders can learn from each other, share ideas, and provide updates on their progress. Leaders in the WE Pilot will convene at the Welcoming Interactive in Charlotte, NC on June 3 for a working session.
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