PROGRAMS

Immigrant Executive Director Initiative

As part of CSIO’s involvement in a four-year Hyams’ Foundation funded Immigrant Leadership Development Initiative, participants in peer learning groups began a dialogue about the shared lessons from and obstacles to their work. As a follow on to these sessions, executive directors of seven immigrant-led organizations representing the Cape Verdean, Central American, Chinese, Haitian, Brazilian and Irish communities have created a regular space to strategize about ways to meet some of their common needs. Out of these discussions, two CSIO-coordinated initiatives have emerged:

The Information Technology Support Project

Working together with CSIO and Third Sector New England, the Immigrant Executive Directors’ group has created an integrated technology development, training and support project that is working to:

build and sustain internal technology capacity within immigrant organizations;

advance communication and resource-sharing among immigrant groups; and

move the immigrant organizing and leadership development sector forward via the development of shared I.T. systems among all the groups.

Participating immigrant organizations all suffer from a myriad of problems related to technology. TSNE’s Information Systems staff conduct on-site assessments of each of six immigrant organization’s technology needs, and then work with the groups to build upgrade plans based on meeting a shared operations minimum standard. TSNE then helps groups implement the upgrade plans. By the summer of 2007, all six groups will have improved I.T. systems so that networks are in place, file sharing among staff is seamless, back-up and anti-virus systems are in place, appropriate operating systems and software is used, and that groups have a written plan for future improvement. TSNE also offers monthly I.T. trainings to the I.T. cohort, addressing topics chosen by the participants themselves. Through this and some on-site support, we are trying to develop a team of ‘ Accidental Techies’ among the group – whereby someone from each group develops the skills and know-how to facilitate I.T. problem-solving at their respective organization. The work in the coming year – once each group’s system is upgraded - is to develop a shared I.T. system among groups.

All of this work is done with an eye toward immigrant leadership development, organizing and solidarity. For example, shared database systems could advance worker and pan-immigrant organizing potential. Web-based platforms could advance the leadership of low-income immigrants in policy and advocacy efforts. Shared communication systems could link the efforts of communities working in various neighborhoods and areas together to build a united and more effective struggle for justice.

The Intern Placement Project

The second component of CSIO’s Immigrant E.D. support project is an initiative to place Harvard Divinity School graduate students in immigrant organizations to provide administrative and program support as part of their ‘field placement’ requirement for a master’s degree. Students work from 12-15 hours per week for 1-3 years, providing writing, financial, technical and program related support to groups which face barriers due to a lack of English language skills and technical resources among their staff .