GIVING IMMIGRANTS A
VOICE SINCE 1992
The Immigrant Learning Center has created a collection of Resources for Immigrants, Parents and Educators During COVID-19 Crisis. Please bookmark and share widely, as we will continue to add resources to support all members of our communities in this crisis.
THE IMMIGRANT LEARNING CENTER® (ILC) OF MALDEN, MA,
IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT GIVES IMMIGRANTS A VOICE IN THREE WAYS.
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM
provides free, year-round English classes to immigrant and refugee adults in Greater Boston to help them become successful workers, parents and community members.
THE PUBLIC EDUCATION INSTITUTE
informs Americans about the economic and social contributions of immigrants in our society.
THE INSTITUTE FOR IMMIGRATION RESEARCH
a joint venture with George Mason University, conducts research on the economic contributions of immigrants.
To protect the health and safety of our students, their families, co-workers and the community as a whole, The Immigrant Learning Center has temporarily moved classes online during the Massachusetts state of emergency. By Labor Day, some small classes will resume in-person while other classes remain online.
For more information or to enroll, please call (781) 322-9777 during office hours, Monday- Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
News & Events
In This Together
To show your support for Chinese-American members of your community, you can print and display this sign.
Strength in Numbers: Uniting Immigration with Other Social Causes
Check out the resources from our recent virtual conference on intersectionality and immigration, including webinars, articles, reports and more. Learn about the intersection of immigration with other social causes, including faith, environmentalism, public health, gender, LGBTQ and race.
Immigration at the State Level: An Examination of Proposed State-Based Visa Programs in the U.S.
Michele Waslin, program coordinator at the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR), participated in a webinar with the Bipartisan Policy Center to talk about potential state-level immigration policies. Watch the recording to learn more about this interesting new area of immigration policy.
Spring 2020
Impact Update newsletter
Read about The ILC teachers supporting students from a distance and more.
From our blog: Immigrants Make Our Economy More Resilient
Learn how immigrants play a role in strengthening and improving struggling economies. We need immigrants’ flexibility and skills now more than ever.
From our blog: Cultivate Kindness: Activities for Children and Teens
With COVID-19 leading to a rise in xenophobia and keeping families trapped inside, it’s a great time to check out our list of free activities to cultivate kindness in young people. Discover virtual field trips, empathy-inspiring TV shows, techniques for combating hateful rhetoric and more.
From our blog: Drawing Support
Teach your children about immigration and show your support for immigrants from home! Our downloadable coloring sheets and discussion questions can help children understand immigrants’ role fighting the COVID-19 crisis. Putting the finished coloring sheets in your window will signal to people that you stand with immigrants.
From our blog: Three ways immigrants are fighting COVID-19
Immigrants are on the frontlines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how they’re supporting the U.S. through this crisis, as they have throughout U.S. history.
Tweets
What makes us unique?
There is no place on Earth quite like The Immigrant Learning Center. Our well-resourced, award-winning direct services to immigrants and refugees combined with research and education for the American public on immigration issues gives us a truly unique perspective. The ILC is:
Public and Private
We receive 80 percent of our funds from the private sector and only 20 percent from government agencies. This unusually high percentage of private funding gives us the flexibility to innovate and respond rapidly to changing needs.
Intense
We offer English classes five days a week. That’s up to 15 hours a week of instruction, very rare for a free program. This intensive schedule accelerates learning and shortens the time it takes our students to reach their goals.
Local
To date, we have helped more than 10,000 immigrant and refugee adults living in 94 communities across eastern Massachusetts, By helping them learn English, we help them pursue their dreams. The impact is felt throughout the region by their families, their employers, customers, neighbors and more.
National
Americans from coast to coast learn about the positive impact of immigrants through The ILC Public Education Institute’s webinars, conference presentations and curated database of Immigration Research, and through the data and research generated by our partnership with the Institute for Immigration Research.
Customized
The ILC’s Literacy Program gives hope to students who struggle in traditional English classes. Students who have low or no literacy in their native language, or who have related learning challenges, receive individualized attention from teachers and trained volunteers. The Literacy Program serves as a model, and we are frequently asked to share our expertise with other programs throughout the region.
Collaborative
Collaboration is the key to doing more with less. The Public Education Institute’s webinars are presented by experts in a variety of fields from across the country. The English Language Program partners with job placement, training and educational institutions to help our students reach their goals. Both programs offer their expertise to help others in the field give immigrants a voice.
Entrepreneurial
From the Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame to the annual Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards, The ILC Public Education Institute has amassed compelling evidence of immigrants’ contributions as entrepreneurs, and it’s curated for easy access on our Immigrant Entrepreneurship page.
Published
Our book, Immigrant Struggles, Immigrant Gifts, brings insight to today’s immigration issues by examining the history of 11 different ethnic groups. Now in its second printing, the book is available for sale on Amazon. Don’t forget to start at smile.amazon.com.
Impact Stories
SADDIQA
Saddiqa left Afghanistan after her husband was killed by the Taliban. After living for a while with her brother in Pakistan, she and her children came to the United States…
ABDONY
On January 12, 2010, Abdony returned to Port au Prince, Haiti, after visiting his wife and daughter in Boston. At 4:53 p.m. that day, a huge earthquake struck Haiti…
MARIA
When Maria’s children became adults living on their own, she decided to start a new life in the U.S…