The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (The ILC) is a not-for-profit organization that gives immigrants a voice in three ways:
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Our mission is to give immigrants and refugees a voice.
Teaching English
The English Language Program provides free, year-round ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes to help immigrant and refugee adults in Greater Boston become successful workers, parents and community members.
Educating the Public
The Public Education Institute informs Americans about immigrants and immigration in the United States.
Researching Immigration
The Institute for Immigration Research, a joint venture with George Mason University, produces valid, reliable and objective multidisciplinary research on immigrants and immigration to the United States.
Our Core Values
Equality
We believe in the equality, inherent worth and dignity of all people, regardless of country of origin, immigration status, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or other differences. We also believe in offering everyone an equal opportunity to share their gifts and achieve their goals.
Patriotism
We believe the United States stands for hope, freedom and opportunity. We believe in the American Dream. By giving immigrants a voice, we help new Americans achieve their dreams. We also believe that immigrants make our country stronger, and the American people’s ability to welcome immigrants makes the United States the truly special place that it is.
Adaptability
We believe in adapting to changing conditions. Whether it’s the best way to teach an individual student or the best way to run an entire department, The Immigrant Learning Center finds the best way we can to give immigrants a voice. We don’t hold on to “the way we always do things” when there is a better way. We stay open to possibility and constantly evaluate our work and make changes accordingly. Some changes are more successful than others, but we always learn from experience.
Focus
At The Immigrant Learning Center, we stay focused on our mission, giving immigrants a voice, and we do it well. We adapt to changing needs but not changing trends. We don’t make change for change’s sake, and we don’t try to be all things to all people. As hard as it can be to let a need go unfilled or a good idea not implemented, we keep our resources focused on maximizing our impact by doing what we do best.
Annual Report
In fiscal year 2023, The Immigrant Learning Center served 677 students from 57 countries, from Afghanistan to Vietnam, living in 69 Massachusetts communities.
The ILC’s Public Education Institute produced 18 episodes of the podcast JobMakers, produced new three new Teaching U.S. Immigration resources and more.
The Institute for Immigration Research, a joint venture with George Mason University, published two research reports, four webinars and initiated nine new partnerships.
Our Students
Photo Credit: Don Toothaker Photography
Our students are the real reason we do what we do. Whether it’s teaching English or educating Americans about the gifts these newcomers bring, seeing them be successful makes it all worthwhile.
The ILC Youth Board
The Immigrant Learning Center Youth Board provides teenagers an opportunity to learn about our mission through direct and indirect service with immigrant and refugee adult students.
Our Inspiration
The Immigrant Learning Center was founded in 1992 by Diane Portnoy. Her creative impulse to open a free school where adult immigrants can learn English stems from her own immigrant background as the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors. Under her visionary leadership, The ILC has grown from three classrooms serving 60 students a year to a nationally recognized education center that serves hundreds of students at a time.
Our Evolution
1992
1992
Diane Portnoy opened The Immigrant Learning Center on November 9, 1992, with three teachers, 60 students and 80 on the waitlist.
1996
1996
- First grant from MA Dept. of Education received. Used funds to expand from three to four levels of English classes. The ILC continues to receive government grants, totaling roughly 25 percent of the annual budget.
- Family Literacy program created to offer parenting-related English lessons
- First computer lab opened with five computers
2024
2002
Ribbon cutting ceremony held on April 5, 2002, to commemorate placing The Immigrant Learning Center’s name on the building and the growth of the first 10 years
2024
2003
- The Immigrant Theater Class, where students learn to express themselves in English by writing and performing plays, formed
- Public Education Program launched to educate Americans that immigrants are assets to the country (renamed Public Education Institute in 2010)
2024
2005
First two research studies about immigrants in the United States released
2024
2008
Senior Conversation Class established for students aged 60 and above who may otherwise be socially isolated
2024
2011
First, annual Swearing-In Ceremony for new American citizens Co-sponsored by The ILC and the City of Malden
2024
2012
- The ILC Public Education Institute held its first online workshop for educators. The Institute now produces multiple webinars per year for multiple audiences reaching up to 1,000 people at a time.
- Partnership with George Mason University formed to create the Institute for Immigration Research
- First, annual The ILC Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Dinner held
- Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame launched
- Book, Immigrant Struggles, Immigrant Gifts, debuted
2024
2016
- Immigration Data on Demand, a free service available to the public, launched by the Institute for Immigration Research
- English for Entrepreneurs Class piloted
2024
2017
- Computer lab modernized with grant from The Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation
- Next Steps Class added to focus on helping students reach education and job goals
2024
2019
The ILC Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards renamed as the Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards
2024
2020
- First curriculum in the Teaching U.S. Immigration Series published
- English classes transitioned to virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024
2021
First executive director, Vince Rivers, joined The ILC
2024
2022
- Thirty Years of giving immigrants a voice celebrated
- In-person classes resumed
- Third floor of 442 Main Street occupied, giving The ILC all five floors of the building
- First Teen Perspectives on Immigration Contest held