We’re All In: How communities united during Welcoming Week 2024
Now in its twelfth year, with more than 2,006 events and initiatives that took place in 8 countries, Welcoming Week is a message and a movement for communities that are making immigrant inclusion a reality.
From September 13-22, communities generated awareness and energy around the need for belonging, while encouraging sustained, year-round welcoming efforts. Rallying around this year’s campaign theme, “We’re All In,” this international movement called on individuals and groups to demonstrate how they are building communities where everyone belongs and has a place to call home.
Through traditional and social media, the message of Welcoming Week reached over 823 million people in Australia, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, the United States, and beyond. Thousands of people engaged on social media with stories of welcome, experiences at Welcoming Week events, and commitments to foster belonging for all.
We are thrilled to see how far we’ve come since the first Welcoming Week launched in 2012 with just 50 events in 18 U.S. states. Thank you for making this Welcoming Week a success!
If you hosted or attended a Welcoming Week event or were a partner in 2024, we would love to hear from you. Please take our survey (available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German) to help us improve and grow our movement!
Explore some highlights of Welcoming Week 2024 below.
A note from our executive director
Welcoming Week is about the power of welcoming as a narrative antidote.
This year, we saw that power in action in the response to the targeting of Haitian immigrants and residents of Springfield, Ohio.
Ohio leaders met the moment.
From NPR’s coverage of Dayton, Ohio’s leadership as a welcoming city, to an open letter from the mayor of Toledo, to Grammy winner and Springfield-native John Legend taking to social media to call upon us to ‘love one another’ — to everyday people doing just that.
And welcomers everywhere are meeting this historic moment, too.
Across the globe, media coverage focused on Welcoming Week events as a call to come together, reject dehumanization and division, and join the year-round work of strengthening our shared belonging.
Welcoming Week — now, more than ever — is a platform for expressing a shared, globally connected vision of a society where we can live as neighbors.
Thank you to our partners, sponsors, event hosts, and the thousands of people who participated in Welcoming Week — your leadership is an inspiration.
— Rachel Perić
Event highlights
Over 2,006 events hosted by our members, partners, and welcomers from all walks of life took place during Welcoming Week 2024. Events were held in-person and virtually across 49 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and 8 countries. Common event types included festivals, community discussions, picnics and barbeques, family storytimes, naturalization ceremonies, proclamation readings, art exhibitions, and more.
Welcoming America kicked off Welcoming Week with an event in Detroit, Michigan — the host of the 2025 Welcoming Interactive. The celebration, co-hosted with Global Detroit and the City of Detroit, featured captivating musical performances, a delicious feast of international foods, and an insightful panel discussion on welcoming and bridge-building in Michigan.
We also partnered with Bob McKinnon (Moving Up), author of America’s Dreaming, to offer wagons featuring children’s books about identity and belonging to twenty Welcoming Network members across the United States. Check out some examples of the books in action!
We hope to see you on Wednesday for our #WelcomingWeek2024 event in partnership with @STLpubLibrary!
We’ll celebrate newcomers with a special storytime, songs, book raffles and more!@WelcomingUSA & @movingupusahttps://t.co/jV8FEY3s0b pic.twitter.com/qGJIpp3wtU
— MO-ORA (@MORefugeeOffice) September 23, 2024
This year, during a tree dedication ceremony to honor the city’s partner nonprofits, Salt Lake City, Utah proudly announced its status as the first 3-star Certified Welcoming city in Utah.
Lastly, communities in the U.S. and Australia celebrated Citizenship Day on September 17. To commemorate the day, we shared a video made in partnership with One Percent for America to highlight how our organizations combine several forms of support to create a more inclusive, accessible citizenship journey for people navigating the process in the U.S.
Welcoming around the globe
We were excited to see Welcoming Week events in two new countries this year: France (hosted by our Welcoming International Alliance partner ANVITA) and Poland.
The Government of Canada displayed excellent leadership, calling on regions and communities to make belonging a reality. Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said:
"By celebrating our strengths and differences, we create a community where everyone feels included and valued. With the exception of Indigenous Peoples, all of us trace our stories back to immigration. Whether your family has been here for generations or you have recently arrived, we can all benefit from a welcoming community.”
Mexico participated in Welcoming Week for its second year. Sin Fronteras IAP grew the ranks of local Welcoming Week collaborators across Mexico, resulting in 40 events across Mexico City, Tijuana, and Querétaro.
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In New Zealand, several communities hosted a pōwhiri — a Māori welcoming ceremony — to bridge a strong connection between newcomers and Aotearoa’s Indigenous peoples.
Many places chose to celebrate Welcoming Week 2024 using the theme “We’re All In”. In Australia, the theme #WhatBringsUsTogether unified the campaign and events hosted across the country. Welcoming Australia spotlighted Welcoming Cities members across the nation, including regional and rural localities.
In addition to our global toolkit, three Welcoming International Alliance partners provided online resources for participating communities in their countries:
In the news
Welcoming Week made the news across the U.S. and world. Check out some local highlights:
Midwest U.S.
- National Welcoming Week celebrates immigrants and refugees, The Minnesota Daily, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Toledo Library connects cultures with Welcome Week, WTOL11, Toledo, Ohio
- Welcoming Week returns with Centro, city activities, Columbus Telegram, Columbus, Nebraska
Northeast U.S.
- My Immigrant Story: Local Refugees Share their Experiences at Eastside Family YMCA for Welcoming Week, Erie News Now, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Welcoming Week To Celebrate Inclusivity, Diversity In Princeton, Patch, Princeton, New Jersey
- YMCA opens its doors during 'Welcoming Week', The Monmouth Journal, Red Bank, New Jersey
South U.S.
- National Welcoming Week helps new immigrants find sense of community, CBS News Miami, Miami, Florida
- Northwest Arkansas celebrates Welcoming Week all through September, 5 News Online, Springdale, Arkansas
- City of Dallas Kicks Off Welcoming Week 2024: "We're All In", Metro News, Dallas, Texas
West U.S.
- Gunnison is 'all in', Gunnison Times, Gunnison, Colorado
- Mitchell Celebrates Welcoming Week 2024, Mitchell Now, Mitchell, South Dakota
- Portland immigrants and refugees honored with ‘Welcoming Week’ amid rise in bias crimes, KOIN, Portland, Oregon
- Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries unveils new center to help refugees, Fresnoland, Fresno, California
Australia
- Council to Celebrate Diversity and Unity with Welcoming Week BBQ, The National Tribune, Ararat, Victoria
- Welcoming Australia to Host Groundbreaking Bloodlines to Country event for Welcoming Week 2024, Medianet, South Brisbane, Queensland
Canada
- More than 60 new Canadians sworn in at citizenship ceremony in Ottawa to kick off 'Welcoming Week', CTV News, Ottawa, Ontario
- Red Deer's Welcoming Week features community conversations on immigration, Red Deer Advocate, Red Deer, Alberta
New Zealand
- Celebrating Masterton’s growing cultural diversity, The Post, Masterton, North Island
- Timaru Rolls Out The Welcome Mat For Welcoming Week 2024, SCOOP, Timaru, South Island
Welcoming Week Proclamations
During Welcoming Week, at least 50 communities issued welcoming proclamations, resolutions, or messages to declare their welcoming values. Here’s a sample:
If we missed any, please email us at [email protected] with a link and we will add it to the list.
Social media highlights
It's #WelcomingWeek2024! To celebrate, we’re highlighting our diverse team & our mission through @NYSNewAmericans to support immigrant communities—helping them achieve their dreams.⁰
This year’s theme,“We’re All In,” perfectly reflects our dedication to empowering all NYers! pic.twitter.com/eXgUH4k27s— NYS Department of State (@NYSDOS) September 17, 2024
Notes of gratitude
We extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsor, One Percent for America, for their support of Welcoming Week.
Welcoming Week 2024 would not have been possible without our 21 partners — thank you for your continued support!
Here are some of the ways our partners activated their networks during Welcoming Week:
- Y-USA created a national map of Y branches that hosted Welcoming Week activities. Over 1,100 YMCA locations in the U.S. participated!
- The Global Forum on Migration and Development Civil Society Mechanism and Working Group on Public Narratives shared newsletters leading up to Welcoming Week to encourage civil society representatives, national governments, and local governments to host events in their communities around the world.
- Refugee Congress hosted a webinar where panelists shared reflections and provided advice to everyday Americans on how to be “all in” on welcoming newcomers.
Continue welcoming year-round
Welcoming Week is an annual event. Sign up for our email list to receive updates about Welcoming Week 2025, which is set for September 12-21.
Take our survey to help us improve next year.
If you’re based in the United States, join the Welcoming Network to continue building and deepening welcoming work in your community.
Beyond Welcoming Week, local governments and nonprofits are working year-round to support immigrant and refugee communities around the world. Make your gift today to ensure they have the tools they need to welcome newcomers.