The Latest News From IWC

Greetings!

February, the year’s shortest month, includes the observance and celebration of Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. Black History Month reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who were kidnapped and brought to this land in chains and the civil rights giants that battled racism, exclusion, and violence. We stand on their shoulders.

For us at IWC, February begins and ends with serving our new neighbors, be it teaching them English, distributing free and healthy food to families in need, cooking healthy dishes with our clients while educating them on the benefits of healthy diets, listening with intent and finding solutions to the problem they face, supporting the new business owners in starting and expanding businesses, or lowering and removing barriers they face in becoming Americans. We take pride in welcoming them to Maine, with a warm cup of tea or coffee and a smile. 

From free indoor concerts to weekly interactive cooking workshops to coaching on how to write a first resume, we engage New Mainers, with open arms under a sign that says it all: Immigrant Welcome Center!

We cannot accomplish our tasks and implement IWC’s mission without our team of volunteers and the support of our funders and individual donors. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we say, “We love you Portland,” for making our dream of welcoming those displaced by force and others coming to Maine by choice a sweet reality. 

~ Reza Jalali, Executive Director

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Greetings!

Generally, it is assumed most immigrants are lured to America for its skyscrapers, fancy malls, and the seduction of getting rich quickly. Maybe for some. But for most immigrants, displaced forcibly or coming by choice, it is American democracy with its promise of free speech, independent judiciary, and free media, religious freedom, and protection of minorities, that’s the draw. In short, America’s cherished values continue to attract millions to cross hostile borders, mountains and merciless seas, and wait in visa lines to get here. Most of us who make the difficult journey, or in some cases have the luxury of making the choice to leave everything familiar behind to arrive in a foreign land, do so out of a sacred desire and a dream of living in a country where, unlike our countries of origin, we have the privilege of changing the elected leaders, good and bad, every two or four or six years. At home, we were stuck with the corrupt dictators, the warlords, and those in power for life. They rule by force, violence, and politics of division, putting one community against another. They punish those, who dare to challenge the status quo and tyranny. Once here however, life interrupts. For one reason or another and faced with language and other barriers, the same immigrants who had dreamt of participation in elections fail to exercise their franchise.

And that’s when community-based immigrant-run organizations such as the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) come in. Trusted by our new neighbors – for we look and sound like them – we are positioned well to educate our community members on the complicated American electoral system and encourage them to cast their ballots on the election day. Starting months before the first ballot is cast, a team of Community Navigators, led by Molly Herman, the manager of IWC’s Citizenship and Civic Engagement Program, has been tabling at different community events and settings, knocking at doors and canvassing to get New Mainers registered to vote, and to remind them of the importance of participation in elections, while mindful of our mission as a nonpartisan nonprofit.

With the mid-term election upon us, we urge our new neighbors who are legally able to do so, to vote on Tuesday, November 8. This election, like every other election, is important and every vote counts. The elections are about making informed decisions on who should represent us, implement policies, and distribute resources that will not only benefit us but will make our communities, the state and the country we love so much safer, better, and stronger. We vote for ourselves, our families and for the sake of the millions left behind and stuck with the nasty dictators. We can be their voice.

Reza Jalali

Executive Director

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Greetings!

Contrary to the old cliché that work in the nonprofit world slows down during Maine’s gorgeous yet short summer, we at GPIWC have been extremely busy in addressing the unmet needs of our new neighbors -- those who have called Maine home for a long time or those who have arrived recently. It goes without saying that our efforts could not possibly stop due to the change in seasons! Summer or not, New Mainers are keen to learn English, start businesses, apply for a zero-interest microloan, join the workforce, apply for citizenship, and learn about life in America. They expect us to offer help, guidance, and mentorship and we have made a commitment to them that we will be there to serve. And that is what we have been doing.

For the past few months, we have been introducing new initiatives. These include a Food Security and Healthy Diet Project; New Mainers On Stage, offering a series of outdoor concerts to bring performances by artists of color to immigrant audiences at no cost; and free, in-person English classes at sites that are easy to access for parents with young children interested to improve their language skills. Similarly, we have organized community events, such as Soccer Saturday, where soccer balls, books, and healthy snacks were given away, summer concerts at the Congress Square Plaza, and a World Refugee Day celebration. Our staff has tabled during the Eid celebration at the EXPO, giving away books, toys, and games, and at the Eid al-Adha celebration in Biddeford.

A month ago, GPIWC, in partnership with In Her Presence and South Portland Adult Ed, began offering free in-person English classes at the Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland. This is in close proximity to the hotels where many asylum seekers from DRC, Angola and Haiti live, making it easy for them to walk to the classes. Similarly, a class was held at a coffeeshop near Motel 6, in Portland. Earlier this month, a series of hybrid and in-person classes, free of cost, started at the Jewish Community Alliance. Added to all these English language opportunities, we welcome walk-ins to sign up for iEnglish via the EnGen platform at GPIWC’s language lab.

And the work continues…

Thank you for your support.

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Greetings!

"April is the cruelest month..." begins the first line of T.S. Eliot’s poem, "The Waste Land." Many believe the poem’s themes of memory, contrast, and post-war despair offer a chaotic view of the world. One wonders if the poet had the current time in mind when penning the poem. At a personal level, living as an immigrant through cold, long Maine winters, waiting for the warm spring weather can be merciless. April is the month of Genocide Awareness and Prevention. Every April, we remember days of remembrance for the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide and Armenian and those in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and against the Kurds of Iraq. These days, the ongoing violence and atrocities in Ukraine remind us of why remembering past genocides and committing to prevent them in the future is so critical. And we are yet to recognize genocides against the native peoples of North America.

The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide, which is also called Kwibuka, was observed by the local Rwandan community in a well-attended event at the University of Southern Maine. The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center participated in the event, to stand in solidarity with our Rwandan neighbors. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that the genocide in Rwanda was neither an accident, nor unavoidable. “As we remember the bloodshed 28 years ago, we must recognize that we always have a choice: To choose humanity over hatred, compassion over cruelty, courage over complacency,” said Guterres.

A month earlier, we at GPIWC assisted two Ukrainians to seeking protection. Our efforts to bring attention to the plight of the world’s victims of genocides and the innocents displaced by wars, persecution, and climate change continue by publishing a Op-Ed on the war in Ukraine, tabling at the Khmer New Year in Buxton, attending the Rwandan Day of Remembrance, and supporting our Muslim neighbors during the Holy Month of Ramadan by publishing and distributing the Ramadan timetable.

We have been busy at GPIWC; the new food initiative, supported by Good Shepherd Food Bank and other partners, is nearing implementation. Our iEnglish team, in partnership with the nonprofit In Her Presence and South Portland Adult Ed, is providing four new in-person classes for the asylum seekers staying in hotels in Portland and South Portland. Applications for our zero-interest microloan program are being received and processed. Plans to bring free family-friendly and culturally appropriate concerts and performances, New Mainers on Stage, are moving rapidly forward. New staff members have been hired. We are grateful that new members volunteered to join our Board of Directors and bring their expertise to help carry our mission. Foundations and the business community continue to support us financially. Their generosity and that of individual donors make us feel proud of our city and state. April or not, the community continues to shower us with the kind of kindness and generosity that our state is known for. Onward we march, for we believe we are stronger when we work together.

Reza Jalali

Executive Director

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Greetings!

With Black History Month upon us, we do well to remember the sacrifices made by those that came before, fighting invisibility and exclusion but never giving up their dream of inclusion, human dignity, and equity. As newcomers to this country, whether coming to the U.S. by choice or not, we understand displacement in all its aspects; physically, spiritually, and mentally. This February, we celebrate the lives of those giants from before while committing to a great effort to build a more inclusive and beloved nation where we each feel valued, safe, and belonged.

Also, in February, love is celebrated! As New Mainers, every Valentine's Day, we experience the need to love and be loved. For many of us, our love is measured by our personal sense of happiness in our new “home” and for those we love, for after all “home is where love is,” while for some, their love is shared between those left behind and a land that was once home.

In this month’s newsletter, we have exciting news to share as we express our gratitude to our clients, supporters, donors, and allies. We are grateful for your support as our Special Friends, for, as the columnist Ann Landers said, “Love is friendship that has caught fire.”

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Greetings!

Winter, with its short days and snowy nights is upon us. The darkness of its long nights can remind us of the cruelty of our world in its indifference to the plight of treatment of the displaced and uprooted people forced to leave their homelands and arriving in Maine. All the reasons why we are called to show compassion and be kind during the season of celebration and giving. Thus, we’re reminded of the Japanese proverb, "One kind word can warm three winter months."

And the giving and kindness is what we at IWC have been witnesses during the past month: Mainers giving generously to make it possible for us to support and assist those arriving and calling Maine home.

We have offered to teach English at no cost to the non-English speaking Afghan refugees and the asylum seekers staying in shelters and hotels while applying for asylum. We have been supporting immigrant-owned businesses to survive the pandemic, thrive, and expand. We are humble enough to understand it is your support that makes it possible for our efforts to continue. Thank you.

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Greetings!

As the season changes, so does our work at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. After a hectic summer, we are preparing for a busy fall, filled with promises of serving our new neighbors arriving in Maine in search of safety, dignity, and better economic opportunities.

Early October saw the start of a new group of MaineHealth employees learning English and the inaugural cohort of 25 Fedcap learners, as part of the IWC’s iEnglish Project; the ongoing acceptance of zero-interest loan applications made by immigrant business owners; partnering for the first time with the Small Business Administration, SCORE, and Infinity Federal Credit Union to help immigrants start new businesses as part of our Business Hub; and we stand ready to offer free online English language instructions to the expected Afghan refugees.

The tasks may be enormous but so is our commitment to elevating Maine’s thriving immigrant communities. We know well that we can never serve the immigrant community without the support of our allies, friends, and volunteers. We value your ongoing support and thank you for being a partner in this important and timely work.

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Greetings!

It has been a busy summertime at IWC. As you’d see below, we have been hard at work to support the local immigrant business owners, raise awareness about world’s displaced people, in particular refugee children, fleeing violence only to get stuck behind unfriendly borders, bring in new Board members, create a team of reliable interns, hire new staff, and be creative in funding our programs, and so on. As a young nonprofit, we know we must work hard to ensure we deserve the community’s trust, and the generosity of our allies and supporter. What follows is our attempt to tell our story:

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We greet the arrival of 2021, with a sense of gratitude, and relief that the worst might be behind us. We mourn the loss of so many fellow Mainers, whose lives were cut short by Covid-19. We reflect on the contribution of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) which included sharing CDC-approved information, providing necessary PPE to immigrant owned businesses, and distributing multilingual CDC guidelines posters in the community. We strived to ensure that New Mainers had access to accurate information in order to stay safe and healthy.

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Program updates from the past three months.

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Interim Executive Director announcement, our 3rd year anniversary, office reopening plans, and more.

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Writing this, it is hard to believe that 2019 is coming to a close. This year the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) has seen remarkable growth across all our programs, completing pilot programs in the iEnglish Project and Immigrant Business Hub. We have formed new partnerships across the state and the country to strengthen our work and learn from others in the field of immigrant integration…

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