FATIMA SHAMA Friday, September 12, 2014 The Role of Local Government in Multicultural Policy – An International Perspective

STRATEGIES FOR CREATING IMMIGRANT-FRIENDLY CITIES & COMMUNITIES AGENDA: + SELF-ASSESSMENT + ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS + STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS + QUESTIONS INTRODUCTION| 3

IMMIGRANT-FRIENDLINESS: MEASURING WELCOMING, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MEASURING WELCOMING, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OBJECTIVES: Self-assessment on measurements of welcoming, diversity, inclusion and integration on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being closest to ideal This exercise will help identify strengths, weaknesses and challenges in approach to welcoming and serving diverse communities MEASUREMENTS: ASSESSMENT | 5 + DIVERSITY + CIVIC ENGAGEMENT + WARMTH OF WELCOME + ACCESS TO PUBLIC BENEFITS & SERVICES + PUBLIC SAFETY + EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME + EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS BACKGROUND| 14

DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS BACKGROUND| 16 TOP COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN NEW YORK CITY 1970 & 2010

NYC MAYOR’S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS MISSION STATEMENT: Building on its Charter mandate, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs promotes the well-being of immigrant communities by recommending policies and programs that facilitate the successful integration of immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic and cultural life of the City. INTRODUCTION | 2

CITIZENSHIP | 2 STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS

CREATING A MUNICIPAL AGENDA 1. ENSURE AND ENHANCE ACCESS: Promote use of city services and access to information and resources for immigrants Confidentiality Language Access 2. BUILD PARTNERSHIPS: Liaise with and promote collaboration between city agencies and offices and immigrant communities Listening Tour Civic Engagement 3. PROVIDE TECH. ASSISTANCE: Serve as a key resource to other agencies and offices regarding immigrants Serving Vulnerable Youth (ACS) Universal Pre-K (DOE) 4. CELEBRATE CONTRIBUTIONS: Coordinate programs celebrating immigrant contributions and supporting immigrant heritage Immigrant Heritage Week StoryCorps AGENDA| 21 COMPONENTS:

LANGUAGE ACCESS OBJECTIVES: + Build a more customer service-oriented approach to the delivery of government services + Promote meaningful access to services for limited English proficient residents through effective communication that includes multilingual signage, interpretation services, translation of essential documents, plain language principles, and multilingual outreach campaigns + Increase government efficiency through standardizing language access across agencies + Further the public safety, health, economic prosperity, and general welfare of all City residents by increasing their access to City programs and services LANGUAGE ACCESS| 23

CITIZENSHIP CITIZENSHIP | 28 OBJECTIVES: + Help greater numbers of immigrant parents apply to become U.S. citizens + Increase visibility and accessibility of affordable, high-quality immigration legal assistance + Connect immigrants with neighborhood-based financial institutions to help them establish credit, open bank accounts and learn about other mainstream financial services that are available + Increase immigrant parent involvement in education by providing immigration-related services for parents in schools

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT| 32 OBJECTIVES: + Connect immigrant communities to information and resources about City services and additional resources for community development + Identify and cultivate immigrant leaders who will act as ambassadors and liaisons between municipal government and immigrant communities + Forge meaningful and trusting partnerships between immigrant leaders and government representatives + Build bridges of communication, understanding, and respect among diverse communities and all city residents

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT| 40 OBJECTIVES: + Make it easier for immigrant owned small businesses to start and grow by connecting them with business courses courses and other resources + Increase the earnings potential of unemployed or underemployed immigrants with advanced degrees and in-demand skills + Leverage human capital assets to meet the growing demand for skilled labor in the STEM, finance and healthcare sectors

POLICE & COMMUNITY RELATIONS POLICE & COMMUNITY| 44 OBJECTIVES: + Promote public safety by building and strengthening relationships with community leaders and organizations in immigrant communities + Coordinate with other bureaus, City agencies, organizations and various departmental units to address specific community concerns + Provide linguistically and culturally competent information on police department services and programs

EDUCATION EDUCATION | 49 OBJECTIVES: + Ensure that immigrant parents have meaningful access to their child’s school + Provide opportunities for immigrant parents to access and influence decision- making structures in the school system + Create material resources for schools to use with English Language Learner (ELL) students + Use data to target solutions toward high academic achievement for all ELLs

FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT | 54 OBJECTIVES: + Promote financial empowerment and inclusion for immigrant households + Increase immigrants’ access to high-quality, low-cost financial education and counseling + Promote tax preparation and improve access to income-boosting tax credits + Connect low-income immigrant households to safe and affordable banking and asset-building products and services

PUBLIC LIBRARIES LIBRARIES | 58 OBJECTIVES: + Curate collections of books and other materials and provide cultural programming to reflect the ethnic diversity of the local population + Provide relevant educational and skill-building workshops, programs and other services that make it easier for immigrants to survive and thrive + Develop partnerships with public, private and non-profit institutions around shared objectives such as English language instruction, public safety, citizenship and other topics

CITIZENSHIP | 2 CONCLUSION & QUESTIONS

THANK YOU! CONCLUSION | 63 CONTACTS: Fatima Shama nyc.gov/integration