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

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

3. IMMIGRANT-FRIENDLINESS: MEASURING WELCOMING, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

4. 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:
DIVERSITY
ACCESS TO PUBLIC BENEFITS & SERVICES
EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
PUBLIC SAFETY
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
WARMTH OF WELCOME
ASSESSMENT | 5

5. ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

6. DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS
BACKGROUND| 14

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

8. 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

9. STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS
CITIZENSHIP | 2

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

11. 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

12. CITIZENSHIP 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
CITIZENSHIP | 28

13. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 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
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT| 32

14. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 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
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT| 40

15. POLICE & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
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
POLICE & COMMUNITY| 44

16. EDUCATION 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
EDUCATION | 49

17. FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT
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
FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT | 54

18. PUBLIC LIBRARIES 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
LIBRARIES | 58

19. CONCLUSION & QUESTIONS
CITIZENSHIP | 2

20. THANK YOU! CONTACTS: Fatima Shama fatima@fatimashama.com
nyc.gov/integration
CONCLUSION | 63