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IISTL News Brief - May Issue
previous issues - click here.

June 20, 2013
Coffee & Bagels: World Refugee Day Recognition at the International Institute. Join us for our inaugural speaker series event from 7:30-9 am. Free event. Registration required by emailing info@iistl.org.

August 24-25, 2013
International Institute's Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park. Click here for more information.

Welcome!
The International Institute, established in 1919, is a pioneer in the field of diversity. In all our comprehensive array of adjustment services reaches more than 7,000 immigrants and refugees from 75 countries, approximately 8% of the St. Louis City and County 2010 foreign-born population.

As a result, the Institute has important multigenerational ties to local immigrant communities. Our programs and services are locally and nationally-acclaimed. We also have deep knowledge of the state of the immigrant communities and population trends. We serve as key consultants on a broad range of issues affecting the social, cultural and economic health of our region. Our mission is to help immigrants and their families become productive Americans and champion ethnic diversity as a cultural and economic strength.

The Institute’s highly-acclaimed programs are arranged in THREE SERVICE PILLARS:

Immersion
We have had a hand in the resettlement and integration of nearly every new immigrant population in St. Louis for almost 95 years. We work with newcomers to provide initial housing, jobs and orientation and health support as needed. Later we provide citizenship and other community integration services – so vital during what is, for many immigrants, a lifelong adjustment process.

• English, Computer & Citizenship Classes for Adults • Job Search • Employment Training • Refugee Resettlement • Immigration Application Preparation & Photos • Mental Health Services • Elderly Services • Counseling & Social Work • Human Trafficking

Investment
Awareness is growing that immigrants add economic value to our community and state as consumers, workers and entrepreneurs. When they start businesses as a disproportionately large number of them do, they create jobs and wealth for our entire community. Providing technical support and microloans to immigrants yields a high payback for everyone.

• Small Business Technical Assistance • Business Development Micro-Loans • Peer Lending Program • Financial Literacy • Asset-Building • Credit Counseling • Urban Farming & Product Sales • Home-Based Child Care Business Program

Inclusion
Newcomers and long-timers must appreciate and value one another to successfully live and work together. There must also be ways for them to communicate and learn from each other. We are the St. Louis region's authority on issues that involve connecting immigrants and the wider community. We offer fee-based multilingual communication solutions so companies can take greater advantage of the growing global business market; recruit and retain a multicultural workforce; and build a larger multicultural customer base. We also produce the annual Festival of Nations, which showcases multicultural performances, demonstrations, and food. Offered free to the general public, the festival draws more than 140,000 visitors together while raising money and awareness for people-in-need.

• Festival of Nations • Translation & Interpretation • the i - International Community Calendar • Speakers Bureau • Culture Links Directory • Multicultural & Ethnic Market Research • Cultural Competency Training • Multicultural Communication Training

Together, we can improve lives and help strengthen the St. Louis region.

Pursuing the American Dream

Boniface has never "settled" for anything in his life - even though he has faced huge obstacles at nearly every turn.

At the age of 15, Boniface fled the Democratic Republic of Congo to nearby Tanzania, where he spent 10 years in a refugee camp. There Boniface decided he wanted to become a nurse. He studied for a year and then got a nursing job in the refugee camp hospital. In 2007, his resettlement application for the US was approved.

At first, Boniface found St. Louis bitterly cold, and he disliked the snow! He struggled to make friends since he couldn't speak English. But soon, Boniface enrolled in Institute English classes, and we helped him search for a job.

Read More ...