ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY NON-PROFIT
YOUTH FAMILY
FAMILY HEALTHCARE
AND ARTS EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT , SUSTAINABILITY ORGANIZING
MANAGEMENT
AND WELLNESS
COMMUNITY AND POLICY HEALTH
BALTIMORE FRANCISCAN CHESAPEAKE DEWMORE BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS -
CODE COURT IMPACT BY ART PEACEFUL WITH IN APPOINTED THE A YOUTH SCHOOLS HEART SHAKESPEARE SQUASHWISE ARTS SPECIAL
MEANS CO ADVOCATES
ESPERANZA GREENMOUNT
MAYOR JOY WELLNESS ' S HUB OFFICE CENTER BALTIMORE CENTER
EAST
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Shan
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Koye Winley West Oputa
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At the start of my internship at the Mayor ’ s Office of Immigrant Affairs ( MIMA ), my supervisor gave me a list of documents to read to familiarize myself with the organization and the work we would be doing . The most important item on this list was called “ The Role of Immigrants in a Growing Baltimore ,” a report compiled by the New Americans Task Force in 2014 that resulted in the formation of MIMA . The report outlines focus areas for supporting the economic growth and community well-being of Baltimore ’ s immigrant population , but with a twist that I , at least , found unexpected : It urges the city to make itself attractive to immigrants so they will move here and improve overall economic growth .
While my initial reaction to this stance was cynical --immigrants as a means to an end ? -- I grew to understand it in the context of Baltimore politics and MIMA itself . For a city that has faced population loss for decades , attracting immigrants is a viable economic strategy , and framing pro-immigrant work as such makes it more politically attractive . And , in MIMA ’ s work supporting immigrants ’ access to city services , it actually matters to begin at a place of , “ we ’ re glad you ’ re here ,” rather than viewing the existence of immigrants in Baltimore as a problem to be solved . I ’ ve never heard this former sentiment spoken out loud in our team check-ins or community stakeholder meetings , but when I think about what the alternative would look like , I realize that it is intrinsic to the way my coworkers interact with partners and community members .
Although the work I ’ ve done for MIMA only encompasses a fraction of what the office aims to do , I am thankful to have been exposed to new types of programs for service provision and to have learned more about the particular challenges of groups of people whom the US ’ s systems exclude , either directly ( through eligibility requirements ) or indirectly ( through the withholding of language access or culturally accessible information .) I am grateful to everyone in this year ’ s CIIP cohort ( especially the other peer mentors !) and to my wonderful supervisor , Charlie , for all I learned this summer .
Analyzed Census data and designed infographics illustrating statistics about Baltimore ' s immigrant communities with the purpose of expanding knowledge of the foreign-born population among MIMA staff and the general public
Revamped MIMA ' s volunteer program to streamline its management process and adapt to meet new needs of Baltimore ' s immigrant population that have emerged over two years into the COVID-19 pandemic
Designed social media outreach materials and managed the application process for the Baltimore City Hispanic Commission , as well as supporting outreach for and administration of the newly-formed AAPI Advisory Committee
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