Church World Services Harrisonburg

The Harrisonburg Immigration and Refugee office has been in operation since 1988. For over thirty years this organization has helped resettle refugees from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Burma, Colombia, Congo (Kinshasa), Croatia, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Run by the Church World Service (CWS), the goal of this organization is to help these families establish themselves as functioning, self sufficient members of the community and promote long lasting stability in their lives. The CWS also teaches American language, culture, and skills that allow recent immigrants to better adapt to their new home. In addition to their resources, the CWS also contains a diverse and multi-lingual staff that is ready to aide almost anyone, no matter their English speaking ability.

Upon arrive, newcomers will be put through an orientation process that will give them a look at their future as they prepare for employment opportunities, explore American healthcare, and seek education. After initial orientation, they will embark upon their next step, the Cultural Orientation Class. This class covers the basics of the English language, and lets them know what to expect living in America. Though further instruction, newcomers will learn about a variety of new topics including housing and health, education, finances, and jobs in and around Harrisonburg. The CWS also maintains a partnership with Skyline Literacy to help eligible candidates study for the citizenship naturalization test and complete their immigration paperwork to become American Citizens.

In case you are wondering, “why the Shenandoah Valley?”, The Valley has been a welcoming place for refugee families for many decades now. Most of our clients are resettled in the Harrisonburg City area, but we regularly with families in Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Augusta county. This area provides an attractive resettlement site because of the affordable housing, diverse and welcoming community, and the abundance of entry level jobs in the poultry, agriculture, and hospitality industries.

The CWS has many volunteer opportunities every year. After a brief application on their website, volunteers can assist is many of the services and events that the CWS holds annually. These include weekly cultural orientation classes, classes on how to use public transportation, in home tutors, and guiding “field trips” to cities like Harrisonburg. The CWS also has internship opportunities that also can be inquired about via their online application. Visit their website calendar for information on upcoming events, donations are also accepted, every little bit helps!

Contact Us: 540.433.7942

250 E. Elizabeth St. Suite 215, Harrisonburg, VA 22802

New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center

In Downtown Harrisonburg, one block away from court square, is the New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center.

Founded from a group of Mennonite Churches concerned about the increasing cultural diversity of the valley, the center has been a center of immigrant culture and engagement, helping them find their way here in the valley since being founded in 2000. They work to help immigrants in a variety of ways, ranging from providing services and resources in a wide variety of languages to cultural events that help global engagement.

For all the work they provide, all their services are completely free. They are entirely dependent on donations and volunteers to keep the center going and to help host events that the center hosts.
The events they host are both for the general welfare of the immigrants in the valley and for the continuation of the center. Their main fundraiser is the Taste of the World, a fundraising event that invites various local businesses and community members to come participate in a global engagement event. They also are the one of the main organizers of the Harrisonburg International Festival, an event held in the fall to celebrate the cultural diversity in the valley.

They provide a wide variety of services ranging from Immigration documentation to financial support to education. These services help them getting settled into their new lives here in the valley. In addition to their services, they also have many resources available, including an interactive map of Harrisonburg and links to Virginia Immigrant resources and Healthcare directories. These resources provide additional information for the services and provide context to things mentioned in the services, with the map helping them navigate around the city.

Their resources come in two languages: English and Spanish. They also have a flyer explaining the center in Arabic

A full list of their services, resources, and events can be found on their website, along with a donation link if you would like to donate to help the center.

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Skyline Literacy

“A community where adults are empowered by literacy skills to be self-sufficient and to participate in the workforce, education and civic affairs.” This is the vision stated by Skyline Literacy, a nonprofit organization that provides literary assistance to adults. Skyline Literacy was founded in 1987 in Dayton, VA, as a coalition of smaller groups dedicated to providing literary resources and education to adults in the Shenandoah Valley. They expanded their mission to include tutoring non-English speaking immigrants in English, and in May of 2008 they moved to Harrisonburg.

Nancy Magan has been a student at Skyline Literacy since 2009. She moved to the United States from Peru, a country she loves, for better economic opportunities so she could provide a better life for her kids. Nancy understood the demand for the ability to speak English, and enrolled in Skyline Literacy. Ever since her enrollment, Nancy has been able to attend community college and is on pace to complete her masters. She hopes to someday be able to run her own healthcare firm.

Skyline Literacy volunteers Brooke Long and Joe Sinegra emphasized the importance of knowing the dominant language in your community. “It impacts your living situation, your job, any type of relationship you hope to have.”, said Long. Sinegra made a point of stressing the difficulties of learning a second language, and how native speakers hardly notice the intricacies and nuances of the English language that non-speakers have to pay strict attention to.

A discussion about the significance of Skyline Literacy’s role in the community would not be complete without mentioning the impact is has one the lives of the next generation. In a PR video posted to YouTube in 2018, Skyline Literacy said that 72% of their 300 students were parents, and the primary reason that that 72% enrolled was to help build a better life for their kids. The video also says “the single greatest indicator of a child’s success is the literacy level of his or her parents.” Children of immigrants already face an unnecessary number of obstacles in their day to day life, but having at least one English-speaking parent in the household reduces a significant number of those obstacles and entirely erases a handful of others. Parents like Nancy who enroll in Skyline Literacy are able to communicate with teachers, coaches, physicians, pharmacists, and countless other professions whose role in a child’s life is integral to their development.

Skyline Literacy boasts a strong cast of community resource partners, their biggest partner being either the McGaheysville-Massanutten Lions Club or Harrisonburg City Public Schools. They also partner with Blue Ridge Community College, Virginia Career Works, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and The Gus Bus.

The website for Skyline Literacy can be found here: http://www.skylineliteracy.org/who-we-are. They can be reached by phone at (540) 433-0505, by email at info@skylineliteracy.org, and by mail at P.O. Box 1354, Harrisonburg, VA, 22803. Their physical address is 160 N. Mason St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22802.

Harrisonburg Public Schools

Harrisonburg, Virginia, has a long history of taking in immigrants. This small town, with over 53,000 residents, is a perfect model for international coexistence. Residents of the city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, characterize the city as ‘welcoming’ and consider the city to be a ‘diverse community.’

The Harrisonburg Public School system is no different as it is one of the most diverse school systems in the entire state. With over 6,000 students enrolled in the Harrisonburg Public School system, and of these, more than 35% are English language learners (meaning that English is their second language). There are more than 50 different languages spoken and 49 countries represented in the HCPS system. The student population consists of 45 percent Hispanic and only about 35 percent white and 20 percent from other backgrounds.

So one would think that the Harrisonburg Public School system is probably struggling to meet the needs of its students since it is so diverse. In reality, it might not be accurate. The Harrisonburg Public School system has dedicated time and money to ensure that students of different backgrounds are fitting in and enjoying their life not only within the school system but outside of it as well. The school system is a community of sorts. It provides plenty of outlets for students and a ton of opportunities for them as well.

The school systems require teachers to participate in a 20-hour workshop. This workshop consists of working with culturally and linguistically diverse students within their first three years of employment. The school system also has programs that promote language learning and community involvement. The Dual Language Learning Program that deals with Spanish speaking students and their pursuit to learn English allows the students to maximize their potential inside and outside the classroom. There are also programs connected with James Madison University (such as language learning programs) that connect students of the HCPS with college students who want to not only help the community but create relationships as well.

Harrisonburg’s school system continues to grow, and with a loving community supporting them, it seems as if they could tackle any hurdle in the future.

If you are looking to view the HCPS website then follow this link below as it will have enough information for anyone looking to view what the HCPS has to offer.

https://harrisonburg.k12.va.us/