Connecticut - Immigrants & World Languages, Connecticut

Scholarship Program for Immigrant Families

2009-11-18T16:15:52Z

Western Union Foundation Announces New Scholarship Program for Immigrant Families

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to individuals from migrant or immigrant families living in the United States to support their language acquisition classes, skills training, financial literacy, or English as a Second Language courses

Winter application due date: February 5, 2010

CT Interfaith Refugee Ministry website

2009-10-26T13:56:02Z

I just stumbled upon this, never having realized it existed. Based in New Haven, the CT Interfaith Refugee Ministry has a very cool, even inspirational, web site - it is appealing, easy to navigate, and uncluttered.

Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford directory of agencies

2009-10-28T12:48:34Z

The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford published up a 60-page PDF (Fall, 2009).

While it's designed to inspire volunteerism and advocacy it contains a couple dozen listings of Hartford area agencies that help with poverty, hunger, homelessness, etc.

Good stuff.

CT refugee resettlement agencies

2009-10-22T15:37:09Z

Refugees arrive by way of a lot of federal and state government assistance.

CT works with many resettlement agencies in providing case management and employment services. It's good to know that they exist, sure, but we can also arrange programs and partnerships with these agencies in the communities serving refugees.

* Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services, 125 Market Street Hartford, CT 06103 (860) 548-0059

* International Institute of CT670 Clinton Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, (203) 336-0141

* Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, 235 Nicoll Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 562-2095

* Jewish Federation of CT, 40 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105 (860) 727-5701

* Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations, 143 Madison Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106, (860) 236-6452

Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations

2009-10-16T18:19:42Z

The Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations is "statewide, non-profit collaborative comprised of representatives from several refugee mutual assistance associations—African, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Hmong, Laotian, Albanian, Kosovo, and Vietnamese."

Some content is old and some is generic.

Nghi Le is the current director; ccmaa@hartnet.org or 860-236-6452.

RE: International Institute of Connecticut

2009-10-15T21:59:10Z

For patrons who need legal assistance, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration website provides a directory of free and low-cost legal services for immigrants and refugees. There are several locations in CT in addition to the International Institute of Connecticut offices and there’s also a directory for the rest of the country.

Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance

2009-10-15T12:44:05Z

Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance

The free 5-page guide, in PDF, is designed to help service providers address the barriers to resettlement and integration faced by asylees. It is from Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc (CLINIC).

It contains information about the benefits and services for which asylees are eligible, including:

• job placement assistance
• English language classes
• Medical screening
• Cash assistance
• Social security cards
• Employment authorization documents
• Adjustment of status
• I-94s
• Travel authorization
• Petitioning for immediate relatives
• Federal student financial aid

Sources of information

2009-03-20T13:11:08Z

Hi everyone,

This thread is a clearinghouse for information that will hopefully be helpful for libraries and librarians serving diverse populations.

Please add or comment to these postings as our shared knowledge about quality resources will help us to help each other - that's the idea of webjunction.

International Institute of Connecticut

2009-10-09T16:32:31Z

The International Institute of Connecticut has three locations and offers the following services:

* Immigration & Citizenship Counseling
* Refugee Resettlement
* Employment and Training Programs
* Human Trafficking Project
* Interpreter/Translation Services
* Immigration Court Representation
* English as a Second Language
* Community Education & Training

Bridgeport office
670 Clinton Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605-1704
Voice: 203-336-0141; Fax: 203-339-4400

Hartford office
330 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Voice: 860-692-3085

Stamford office
22 Grove Street, Stamford, CT 06904
Voice: 203-965-7190

Partnering with Parents + Families to Support Children @ School

2009-08-27T12:39:13Z

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools publication Partnering with Parents and Families to Support Immigrant and Refugee Children at School provides background on the impact of the immigrant and refugee experience on children and youth and the importance of engaging the entire family in addressing the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee students.

Return of Críticas Spanish-Language Author and Book Reviews

2009-06-30T17:35:01Z

In response to reader demand, Críticas, reviews of Spanish-language books for adults and children will appear on the Library Journal web site.

With the support of Baker & Taylor, LJ and School Library Journal are showing their commitment to providing timely and authoritative reviews of current Spanish-language books.

Adult books will be reviewed monthly by the expert reviewers who have covered these books for Críticas, led by former editor Aída Bardales.

Children's titles will be reviewed at least every other month by a group of youth services librarians and subject specialists, led by Freda Mosquera, youth services outreach librarian for Broward County Library, FL.

Montana SLO Webinar

2009-06-30T17:23:28Z

Montana SLO Webinar Brings New Resources to WebJunction

May's webinar, Montana Libraries: Spanish Language Outreach Success Stories, was a great success well worth reviewing.

Amy Ling (North Valley Public Library), Marie Habener (Dillon Public Library) and Molly Ledermann (Missoula Public Library) presented on their Spanish language outreach efforts and shared practical and repurposable templates. We recommend review the full archive, but here's a sampling of the resources referenced in the webinar and made available on WebJunction:

Computer Permission Form – Spanish
Missoula Bilingual Card Application – Spanish
Missoula Library Brochure – Spanish
Dillon Bilingual Bugs Program Flyer
Hispanic Conversation Circle Poster
Flyer for input on library expenditures – Spanish
Child Unattended Policy – Spanish

Pew Hispanic Center's Chronicling Latinos’ diverse experience in a changing

2009-03-20T13:13:57Z

The Pew Hispanic Center's Chronicling Latinos’ diverse experience in a changing America report, authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, the Associate Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, is national in scope and contains some statistics and information that we librarians and educators here in Connecticut may be able to use in terms of approaching funders, documenting trends, proving points, and obtaining statistics that are well presented and compelling.

In addition to the demographic data that cogently show how the Latino population in the US has exploded, there are slides on educational attainment, the economic downturn, the workplace, rising unemployment, and changing economic behaviors.

This demographic (both native- and foreign-born) has tripled in size since 1980 and will again by 2050. It is a younger population that is creating new population concentrations in relatively few geographic centers.

Spanish Language Outreach Program - CT Wrap Up

2009-03-11T15:30:27Z

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Spanish Language Outreach Program (see below for the program’s objectives) built the capacity of trainers and coordinators from 36 states who then helped local library staff learn how to do effective outreach and build strong community partnerships. The Connecticut State Library’s Division of Library Development functioned as the monetary pass-through agency.

Three librarians from Connecticut participated (Danbury Public, New Haven Free, and Hartford Public) and provided workshops.

After the workshops, trainers, coordinators and participants participated in follow-up activities within their states and on WebJunction including reading and posting articles, taking courses and webinars, and participating in social networking activities like discussion boards.

What libraries can purchase:
Spanish language materials (media items, databases, ESL materials) (click here for SLO's core materials link);
Programming (Spanish language story hours, bilingual story times, children's Spanish-language-only programs, ESL classes & groups, conversational groups, computer classes, citizenship classes);
Signage;
Not: Equipment, Computers, or salaries.

Please consider acknowledging the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and/or the Division of Library Development.

In addition to some simplified contractual steps, one final report will be required of your library that indicates what you purchased. Please use the discussion areas to share best practices with the larger library community and how the purchases/vendors worked out.

Spanish Language Outreach Program Goals

1. Increase the number of activities directed at reaching Spanish-speaking patrons.
2. Improve the attitude, knowledge, and skills of local staff toward outreach to Spanish-speaking residents, with the longer-term goal of increasing the numbers of Spanish-speakers involved in public access computing at their local public libraries.
3. Increase partnerships among local libraries and other community organizations serving Spanish-speaking residents.
4. Increase awareness in the Hispanic community about local library services and public access computing.
5. Build and grow the Spanish Language Outreach online community at ct.WebJunction for library staff to share content and information with each other, with the longer term goal of providing access to best practices information and materials to other libraries.

Contact:
Douglas C. Lord
Division of Library Development
Connecticut State Library
Middletown Library Service Center
786 South Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
1-800-437-2313 (in CT only)
860-704-2204
http://ct.webjunction.org
dlord@cslib.org