Exploring immigrant and grassroots entrepreneurship with GigRoots podcast
Recently, Welcoming America and its members participated in a podcast series with GigRoots. Hosted by Ethan Daly, who by day is the U.S. Regional Director of Partners Worldwide and based in Grand Rapids, MI, the GigRoots podcast is part of an “online marketplace and community bringing together entrepreneurs from all different cultures and backgrounds to sell…
Read MoreWE Pilot Participants Adapt to Meet COVID-19 Economic Inclusion Challenges
This piece was co-written by Steve Tobocman. Launched in February, the Welcoming Economies Technical Assistance Pilot (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 three pilot initiatives are partnerships between a local economic development agency and…
Read MoreExpanding the Personal and Professional Networks of Immigrants through Connector Programs
Download the presentation slides from the 2019 webinar “Connector Programs: Expanding the Personal and Professional Networks of Immigrants” hosted by Welcoming America and the WE Global Network. During this webinar, participants learned how connector programs, from Halifax to St. Louis to Detroit, strengthen the ability of international professionals to participate in regional job markets and…
Read MoreFourteen communities commit to welcome new Americans
Gateways for Growth announces its latest cohort, forming an initiative of 54 communities who aim to integrate immigrants and create opportunities for all New York, NY — Building on the increasing demand from local government, business, and civic leaders who aim to develop concrete strategies to integrate immigrants, foster economic growth, and promote inclusion for…
Read MoreDetroit city-to-city visit big hit
Building a welcoming economy—one that is inclusive of immigrants, their talents, their aspirations, and their contributions—can be a daunting endeavor. The Welcoming Economies (WE) Global Network brings together over 20 cities across the Rust Belt who have initiated local initiatives to do just that. Most of the WE members launched their efforts with the last…
Read MoreHow advocates can advance immigrant workforce issues at the state and local level
This post originally appeared at National Skills Coalition, authored by Amanda Bergson-Shilocock. As Welcoming Week prepares to kick off, with hundreds of events scheduled around the country, National Skills Coalition is releasing a new report that gives state and local advocates fresh ideas for advancing policies to improve immigrant access to workforce and adult education services. At…
Read MoreWelcoming Economies Playbook: Strategies for Building an Inclusive Local Community
Many communities recognize that refugee and other immigrant residents, in addition to being valued neighbors and civic leaders, represent economic growth as new homeowners, taxpayers, business owners, workers, and consumers. At the same time, like many other residents, new Americans can encounter challenges along the way that prevent them from using these talents. The Welcoming…
Read MoreOne Region Initiative: Regional Strategic Welcoming Plan, Phase I
As part of the One Region Initiative, this strategic welcoming plan outlines Phase I of creating an inclusive metro Atlanta region that includes immigrants and refugees. In partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Regional Commission, the plan serves as a roadmap for the initiative’s steering committee and Welcoming America leadership…
Read MoreWelcoming Economy Innovations: PhillyiHub strengthens local economy
The Welcoming Economies Global Network is a program of Welcoming America and Global Detroit. The Welcoming Economies (WE) Global Network is comprised of more than twenty regional economic development initiatives from across the Midwest working to tap into the economic development opportunities created by immigrants. Denise Williams found her courage negotiating with CEOs at the age…
Read MoreCNN: How immigrants can revive America's blighted neighborhoods
As cities like Detroit and Baltimore struggle to find ways to revitalize their abandoned buildings, a new study has found that immigrants might hold the key to bring new life to blighted neighborhoods. However, entities that manage distressed properties — called landbanks — have ignored them. Most Rust Belt cities have more immigrants who could…
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