Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

New Neighbors, New Opportunities:
The Promise of Immigrant Integration

June 21-23, 2006
Brown Palace
Denver, Colorado

ABOUT THE CONVENING

Urban, suburban, and rural communities across the nation are now home to a growing number of immigrants and refugees. Unlike previous waves of immigration, nearly one third of today’s newcomers are settling in states with little recent history of immigration. This dramatic demographic shift creates an opportunity for grantmakers in both new and traditional immigrant destinations to examine strategies for welcoming their newest neighbors and integrating them into their communities.

Introducing GCIR's comprehensive multimedia Immigrant Integration Toolkit, the 2006 national convening will highlight immigrant integration strategies that strengthen the broader community and provide opportunities for grantmakers to:

• Understand the current socio-political context, state and federal policy debates including comprehensive immigration reform and anti-immigrant ballot initiatives, and how they will affect the future well-being and integration of immigrant families.
• Explore immigrant integration as a positive and promising framework for tapping into the assets within immigrant communities, responding to their needs, and examining the roles and responsibilities of both the native resident and newcomer in building stronger communities.
• Learn how government, business, civic, nonprofit, philanthropic, and labor leaders are taking a leadership role and engaging in communitywide planning to integrate newcomers into the social, economic and political fabric of their communities.
• Examine policy and program strategies to improve language access, English proficiency, education, and employment opportunities; promote citizenship and civic participation; and strengthen intergroup collaboration on issues of common concern.
• Meet local leaders in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs and learn about their strategies for addressing the challenges of integrating immigrants and refugees.

The plenary sessions, workshops, site visits, and discussions will be designed to provide a rich learning experience and maximize information sharing and relationship building.