"We do not have a single human being to waste.  We need to use every single person, every single talent, every single expertise, every single skill." Patience Lehrman Director of Project SHINE Temple University Center for Intergenerational Leraning

As part of the Center's new Civic Engagement for All initiative that seeks to understand and promoting civic contributions of diverse groups of people 50+, three forums were held to raise national awareness of this issue. Practitioners in the fields of immigration and refugee resettlement, civic engagement and aging met with immigrant and refugee elders in Washington DC, Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, California.

Participants heard highlights from our Community Treasures report which investigated the civic contributions of older immigrants and refugees. There were national perspectives on the movement to engage diverse communities and stories directly from immigrant and refugee elders who connect and contribute to their communities in different ways.

Washington, D.C.

Representatives from Temple University's Intergenerational Center (CIL) and Metlife Foundation welcomed participants to the forum at the National Press Club in D.C. on February 2, 2009. Dr. Nancy Henkin, Execuive Director of CIL, emphasized the importance of building communities in ways that are inclusive of elder immigrants and refugees, "Immigrant elders, just like native born elders, want to be able to transmit their skills and experiences. They want to be able to leave a legacy and give back." Barbara Dillon, Program Officer at Metlife Foundation, echoed the sentiment and referred to the Community Treasures report, "This study looks at a population that has been under looked and overlooked." Both also highlighted the importance of bringing people in different fields together to explore collaborations that draw on and benefit all members of society.

A brief presentation of the report's major findings was given, followed by a panel of elders who shared their experience in community engagement, their challenges and their advice for others who want to participate. All three elders spoke of the joy it gives them to help others and the powerful impact that it has. Ba Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee put it this way, "What they learn from me, they carry to their families."
Marie Cooper, a Liberian elder who has devoted much of her time and resources to the Liberian community in Philadelphia supports her neighbors in informal ways and provides English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to other community elders at her church. She talked about what continues to motivate her engagement: "There is nothing like the joy of seeing these people smile, knowing that the rest of their lives there is someone to stand with them."

The elders' panel was followed by the keynote speech by Dr. Kien Lee, a Principal Associate of Community Science, who reinforced the key messages of the day.

Dr. Lee affirms the report's finding that it is important to broaden the definition of "civic engagement" to accommodate the different cultural perspectives that inform why and how people connect and contribute. She also emphasized that the engagement of immigrant and refugee elders is mutually beneficial to the immigrant population as well as to the receiving communities. "Civic participation of immigrant and refugee elders is good for everyone-for the elderly person, for our organizations, for our own communities, and for our society." Dr. Lee noted that engaging immigrant and refugee elders requires understanding the diversity within this population and their practices of civic engagement as well as a shift from viewing elders as deficits to recognizing them as assets in their families and communities.

The audience had the opportunity to participate in the event through small group discussions. Many were excited by the discussion around the expansion of the vocabulary of "civic engagement," the opportunity to network with other agencies, and the many possibilities they saw to tap into the strengths of the immigrant and refugee elder population. CIL continued the conversation with Margie McHugh, Co-Director of the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) to discuss next steps. She felt that her take-away from the event was the need for intentional inclusion of elders in community building and integration efforts at the national and state policy levels. 

Metro Atlanta and surrounding counties, Georgia 

The perception of immigrant and refugee elders is often focused on their needs rather than viewing them as a valuable resource. Almaz Akalewold, a refugee from Ethiopia and Director of Senior Programs at Clarkston Community Center is very cognizant of this common attitude which often means that the wisdom and skills of elders go underused. Akalewold works closely with many immigrant and refugee elders in the
Metro Atlanta area and saw the forum as an opportunity to dispel this image, "My goal today is to change the stereotype that refugees and immigrants come here and just ‘take take take'. I want you to see what they do. They might not be giving back in a way that you are used to. They do it in a way through their culture. They don't brag about it. They do things day in and day out, without being recognized," said Akalewold.

Infornal types of community engagement are a natural part of family, religious and communal life and must be acknowledged. Community Treasures

Many elders joined Akalewold on the Elders' Panel at the Atlanta forum to share their stories and raise awareness of their contribution. Among them was Haalima Muse. Muse never dreamed of leaving her own country-Somalia-- in the middle of the night. But that's exactly what happened when, due to civil unrest, she was forced to escape and flee to the United States on September 12, 2003. Muse was resettled in Clarkston, Georgia.

Like many refugees, Muse faced obstacles in adjusting in a foreign country, learning a new culture and language, establishing new social connections and rebuilding her community. "I believed at that time if you just open your heart America will welcome you...and now I have my citizenship and I am proud of that." Muse is as dedicated to helping her community in America as she was in her native land. "Civic engagements taught us in our country that we need to help each other." In Somalia, when her neighbors were sick, Muse would keep them company and make sure they had home-cooked food to eat. Despite the challenges of coming as a refugee with little resources, Muse, like many elders, continues to embody the principle of helping others. "I want to help my community and other immigrants and refugees. We need to share our culture so we can benefit from each other," said Muse.

Older immigrants and refugees often serve as cultural and linguistic brokers for their families and neighbors to the wider community. Their formal and informal roles support new comers' path to successful integration, thereby alleviating the burden on social institutions. These elders have not only shown that they contribute where they can, but that they are seeking additional opportunities to interact with wider communities and contribute to the growth of this country. Dr. Nur, a Somalian refugee elder, said: "In our old cultures, there are different kinds of contributions for society. And it is important to continue this tradition in the new county, continue helping each other, like Haalima is doing. So in this sense, I think this is important, SHINE Civic Engagement Initiative created a chance to learn from each other, for the others to come and learn about our tradition and say, ‘Help me to help you.'"

Many agencies and community organizations are already engaging elders in this way, building onto their unique assets and desire to contribute. Emory University, for example, which co-sponsored the Atlanta forum by Sam Marie Engle, Senior Associate Director of Emory's Office of University-Community Partnership (OUP), has long partnered with community-based organizations in the immigrant and refugee communities in Metro Atlanta and recently received the 2008 Presidential Award for General Community Service. Through the Civic Engagement for All pilot project, Emory's Office of University-Community Partnership, is collaborating with Clarkston Community Center and Sagal Radio to engage immigrant and refugee elders in a variety of meaningful civic roles.

I was telling my mother-in-law about this presentation and asked her what is the word or concept for civic engagement in the Afghan culture. She told me that there was no direct translation, but there are two words that describe the concept: khairat, giving out of your individual generosity because you want to share your wealth, and zakat, giving out of obligation because of your faith. Dr. Kien Lee Principal Associate Community Science

Dr. Lee, Principal Associate at Community Science, who served as the keynote speaker at both forums, issued this challenge in her remarks: "Immigrant and refugee elders have a lot to offer if we, as service providers, advocates, community builders, and civic connectors, understand their strengths and needs, aspirations and fears, as well as the structural barriers they face in their attempts to engage in civic activities in this country. This understanding won't come to us overnight; it takes time, effort, and an intentionality that we don't usually practice in our daily work."

Los Angeles and Orange County, California

Partnering with the California Community Foundation and California State University at Fullerton, our third and final forum was held at the California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities in downtown LA on August 3rd, 2009.

The California Community Foundation's mission is to Strengthen Los Angeles communities through effective philanthropy and civic engagement. Linda Wong, Vice President of Civic Engagement at the Foundation, welcomed guests to the event. She briefly explained the goals of the forum and the importance of engaging immigrants as a path toward integration and community building to improve the quality of life for both immigrants and the receiving communities.

Pauline Abbott, Director of Gerontology Institute at California State University at Fullerton, joined Linda Wong in welcoming participants. Dr. Abbott raised the alarm that the budget crisis in California is threatening to take away the support that many rely on. Dr. Abbott believes that positive change will come from people like those gathered in the audience who are working toward communities where all members are given the care they need and have a meaningful role through which to contribute. "I hope that out of ashes," said Dr. Abbott, "a phoenix will rise."

Immigrant integration is a particularly urgent issue facing Southern California. Manuel Pastor, professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity from the University of Southern California joined us as the keynote speaker. His presentation provided an overview of the demographics of the immigrant population in the Los Angeles and Orange counties, both are home to large and growing immigrant populations. One in three residents in LA County are foreign-born, comprising of nearly one third of its workforce, and Orange County hosts the largest population of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam.

While the majority of attention regarding immigration policies and programs are targeted toward school age children and working age adults, the population of those age 50+ play crucial roles such as keeping culture alive, providing childcare for hardworking parents, connecting new immigrants with their new settings, and advising the community.

Dr. Pastor, a child of immigrant parents, harkens to his past where he was mistreated as a construction worker along with other immigrant workers. Through his academic research and career, he advocates for communities where people are treated with respect no matter their ethnic background or economic status. "One of the great lessons that elders teach us is to think beyond how we escape from hardship individually, but how do I think of myself as being connected, compassionate and committed to community. And understanding that how we do as a people, including our immigrants and elderly immigrants, is how we do as a region, and how we will do as a state... We need to be compassionate, connected and committed to change."

Dr. Pastor noted that there is great pressure in the current immigration reform debate to "shift our system to one where we'll value people's earning capacities, and not their family connections or potential to contribute to their community." As resources dwindle, he cautions that decisions regarding where to target funding for services, such as ESL instruction, will likely exclude immigrant elders who have less earning potential than younger adults. This will negatively impact on the degree to which immigrant elders will be able to connect and therefore limit their ability to engage and contribute to the health and well-being of our communities.

Five immigrant baby boomers from Iran, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam joined us on the panel. Guity Shabaz came from Iran to this country to study at a university. Shabaz asked her counselor at that time how she can be a useful member of the community. Shabaz's counselor told her to begin by talking to churches that connected her to many opportunities to serve. She began volunteering at many sites doing different things to contribute, such as reading to the elderly and serving lunch. Applying her experience in TV and radio announcements in Iran and her fluency in several languages, Shabaz's role grew deeper in the community. When she became too busy with school work to do it all, she involved her friends and classmates. "All of a sudden it grew into something big. And all these years later, they're still doing it at Stephen's College." Linda Wong VP of Civic Engagement, California Community Foundation noted that the panelists' experiences highlight the importance of personal social networks and other civic connectors such as churches.

Working to Enhance the Care and Resources for Our Elders (WECARE) is an AmeriCorps program at California State University at Fullerton's Center for Internships and Civic Engagement.  Recipient of the Presendential Honor for community service, Cal State Fullerton has been developing its model of engaging volunteers of all ages and all cultures in service to their communities. Adrienne Stokols, director of WECARE, shared promising practices from her experience engaging immigrant elders in her presentation.

Emma Barrera, one of the many volunteers at WECARE was on the panel. Her testimony illustrates the role that agencies can play. "I am Mexican. Our people are helpers. But when they come to this country, they don't always understand the structure... Through WECARE, I have learned the structure so I can help my people, my community to be involved and understand: what are the ways we can travel together and fix things together and be together. I can see that everybody's working as an island. This is no good. We need to work together. There are a lot of things to fix, and a lot of things to work for - we need collaboration."

Participants talked about the skills necessary for community service. Shabaz shared the lessons that were the most important for her: "Use patience, be a good listener [to the people you work with], see what they need and try to make them open up." Sue Wang, an immigrant from Taiwan who obtained her MS in Physiology in the US, reflected on the trainings that had been the most meaningful to her. She said, "We have to listen - we need to listen to the people before we tell them what we are doing. That's very important. Also, connecting is basically what we need to do as volunteers and not think I'm better than you or I'm here to help because I have more knowledge to help you. Building connections is key."

On how to better support and retain volunteers, one of the panelists, Winnie Dela Cruz from the Philippines, talked about how powerful speaking at this forum has been for her. She was very glad to prepare for the forum to talk about her experience connecting and contributing to the community, but had expected only a few people in the audience, perhaps a couple tables. The excitement and support from an enthusiastic group of 80 participants gave her great encouragement to continue and do even more.

Many immigrant and refugee elders and baby boomers shared their experiences and advice on our panels across the nation. They all spoke eloquently to their deep desire to help, to give back, to pass on traditions and to make meaningful connections to others. They inspired the audience to think about a variety of ways for non-profit organizations to partner with immigrants and refugee elders to create communities where people of all ages and cultures can engage in meaningful roles that contribute to each other's growth and well-being.

Emma Barrera echoed Dr. Abbott's words in conclusion: "The phoenix will rise again. And it will be by volunteers!"

We would like to recognize the generous support and leadership of MetLlife Foundation, which supported the research and publication of the report, Community Treasures: Recognizing the Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees, and this series of regional forums where our elders' voices are heard calling us to connect and work together. We hope that this is the beginning of a national conversation that will bring about more collaboration and partnerships that support healthy communities for all. Project SHINE Temple University Center for Intergenerational Learning

Next Steps:
More to come! Please check back in a few weeks.