Moving from inclusion to belonging: Bridge-building success stories

Muralist spray paints on a wall

Belonging is more than a feeling. Belonging means to be fully part of society at large: each of us has our well-being considered and we’re able to design and benefit from institutions and structures that affect our lives. To achieve belonging, inclusion is a key step in the process. Inclusion is all about action. Individuals,…

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Announcing Rural Welcoming Initiative 2024 participants, peer learning partnerships

Welcoming America is thrilled to announce the 10 participants of the Rural Welcoming Initiative (RWI) for 2024: Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation – Brattleboro, Vermont Catholic Charities of East Tennessee & HOLA Lakeway (partner participants) – Morristown, Tennessee City of Garden City – Garden City, Kansas City of New Ulm – New Ulm, Minnesota City of…

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You Are Kin, You Are Welcome Here: AHLAN Manual & Resettlement Partnerships in Higher Ed

Originally broadcasted on November 7, 2023. In this webinar, you will learn how to partner with colleges and universities to build campus-community ecosystems that support refugee inclusion by using the newly released action guide, Ahlan: A Manual for Establishing Resettlement Campuses Together (2023): https://welcomingamerica.org/resource… Why now? There is a growing movement in the U.S. to…

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How Education Institutions and Community-Based Organizations Use Home Visits to Strengthen Connections with Newcomer and Immigrant Families

Home visits are a valuable tool for both school educators and community-based organizations in their efforts to make lasting and meaningful connections with new immigrant families and individuals. Recorded on October 24, this webinar was hosted in partnership with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL). During the recording, you will gain valuable insights from a…

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Lessons and opportunities to build belonging: A look at our 2022 Fund to Foster Belonging grantees

Painted sign that says "Welcome" in several languages

Connection is the antidote to social division. Communities that intentionally bring people from all walks of life together reap the benefits of being a more welcoming place for all. Intergroup bridging is one way to foster connections among groups from different migration backgrounds. Bridging activities bring people together, and research shows that building bridges between…

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Community Sponsorship: Creating Communities of Welcome

Recorded on April 11, 2023. In partnership with Community Sponsorship Hub, this webinar discussed community sponsorship in the United States. We identified the broad ecosystem, programs, and actors, as well as how the experiences of these programs have supported other emergency response programs, and the difference between community sponsorship and other forms of sponsorship. Speakers:…

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U.S., Australian participants selected for exchange program between rural communities

As part of Welcoming America’s continued work in fostering rural leadership in welcoming and inclusion, we are thrilled to announce the 16 participants selected for the forthcoming Rural Welcoming Communities Exchange program (RWCE): U.S. participants: Celeste Koppe of the West Central Initiative (Fergus Falls, MN) Fatima Said of Project FINE (Winona, MN) David Kramer of…

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Twelve nonprofits, local governments receive funding for projects to foster, deepen belonging in local communities

Fund to Foster Belonging

Welcoming America is pleased to announce the 12 nonprofit and local government recipients of the second round of funding from the Fund to Foster Belonging, which will continue supporting and expanding the work of local leaders and projects that build meaningful connections between immigrants and non-immigrants: Level 1 recipients: Centro Multicultural (Pontiac, MI) City of…

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