[fsf60k] Re: Fwd: Immigration issues

PREPARING FOR THE CITIZENSHIP INTERVIEW

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE IMMIGRATE?COME FIND OUT12:00 pm Thursday, October 25The Freeport Trailerwww.colokiinc.comEastern end Bennington Ave. Freeport(for GPS purposes put 103 Bennington Ave.)Witness for Peace â Claudia Ana Rodriguez, Walker Grooms(www.witnessforpeace.org)Leonila Romero of Las Patronas de Veracruz & Catholic Migrant Ministry(http://inthesetimes.com/main/article/13505)will report from the frontier region of southern Mexico about the conditions forcingdesperate migrants north in search of work and survival. Discover what the mediaoverlook and downplay in their news coverage of this issue.Light refreshments will be served during the Q&A session.For more info call: (516) 996-9298Please rsvp Lizosh@xxxxxxxxx

ESL Classes Offered at Soup Kitchen in Riverhead
âFeeding The Mind,â an English as a Second Language program, was started as an extension of the Bread and More/INN during the winter of 2008. This year, they are beginning our fifth year and are under the auspices of the Interfaith Nutrition Network to teach local resident immigrants functional English language skills, so that they may better assimilate into their communities. Instruction is provided to all with dignity and respect in a friendly, non-judgmental environment. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide all learners with knowledge of the basic customs, behaviors, and responsibilities to become productive citizens of our country. Feeding The Mind classes meet on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:15 to 7:45 in the Sunday school room of the First Congregational Church of Riverhead (103 First Street). Classes begin in November and culminate in mid-March. For more info, contact Deedee Newcom at 631-369-9379. 
 
 
âEveryone's Talking About It" Nov. 9 at Touro Law Center
Raising Awareness about Language Access
for a Better Long Island
The Long Island Language Advocates Coalition (LILAC) is proud to announce our first conference, "Everyone's talking about it: Raising Awareness about Language Access For A Better Long Island."
The conference will take place on  Friday, November 9, at Touro Law Center in Central Islip from 8am-2:30pm.
 
The purpose of this conference is to raise awareness about the need for language access services in our communities. The conference will address the legal obligations of government agencies and community service providers, such as the police, the courts and social service agencies.  It will examine the impact felt by local residents when services are not provided, and promote strategies to successfully effect change. We hope that participants will leave this conference with a better understanding of these issues and acquire the tools and resources necessary to meet the needs of Limited English Proficient populations on Long Island.
 
You can register at http://www.longislandlanguageadvocates.org/. On our website you will also find more information about the speakers from the federal, state and local governments and the workshops that will be offered.  For further information, please contact Sylvia Baruch at   supportimmigrants@xxxxxxxxx

DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILD ARRIVALSThe Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which will allow qualifying undocumented youth to temporarily live and work in the US, has officially begun.Click here for details about how to apply and where you can find help.CARACEN, and Jobs with Justice are offering workshops on Deferred Action. Hosting such a workshop is a great service to those who may be eligible for this program and a great way to invite immigrants youth and young adults to your congregation. Weâd be glad to pass the word about such workshops. Hereâs info on the workshops that Jobs with Justice is doing: INTERRELIGIOUS VISITSA recent Pew Report noted that more immigrants came to the U.S. in 2010 from Asia than from Latin America, which suggests that we may all need to get to know some new neighbors.The LICCâs Dialogue Committee wants to encourage inter-denominational and inter-religious visits to houses of worship, which is one way to create communities that welcome immigrants. When Christians meet local Sikhs, Bahais, and Jains, they are reminded that not all recent immigrants are from Latin America. And Latinos often find they need a little help in understanding Long Islandâs astonishing religious diversity.If a picture is worth a thousand words, someone remarked once at a meeting of the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum, a visit is worth a thousand pictures. Would your church, synagogue, mosque,  gurudwara, temple or fellowship welcome interfaith visitors? If so, what are good times to come and whom should we list as a contact for visits? Is there anything you would like visitors to know about where they should sit, what they should wear, and what you would prefer that they do or not do? The Forum has done more than 275 educational programs, mostly in English but also some in Spanish to help Latinas get to know people they are likely to encounter on Long Island.You might also consider hosting the Forumâs âBuilding Bridgesâ program or its âWhatâs My Faith?â game show. Both are great ways to help your congregation or community group to understand your immigrant neighbors. For more information, please visit www.liccny.org. To request a presentation, contact Bernice Suplee at jbsuplee@xxxxxxx or (631) 665-7033. Michael Fairchild, who produced the half-hour âFaiths of Long Islandâ video for the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum has loaded it onto YouTube. You can see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncnn5pd6Gu4 and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOsL0LaClgU HELP FOR IMMIGRANT WORKERSThe State Department of Labor has a host of free programs designed to help immigrants break into the workforce. The New York State Department of Labor is addressing the language/employment barrier with a new program designed to help immigrants navigate the working world and learn English as well. Immigrant workforce counselors are set up at the State Labor Department's one-stop centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Flushing, Patchogue, Yonkers, Buffalo, Syracuse and Utica and they can provide assistance in a wide variety of languages. They also refer clients to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. All of the Immigrant Workforce Project programs are free. For more information, visit http://www.labor.ny.gov.The Rev. Thomas W. GoodhueExecutive DirectorLong  Island Council of Churches1644  Denton GreenHempstead, NY 11550516-565-0290  ext. 206 (voice)516-565-0291 (fax)tomgoodhue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxhttp://www.liccny.org

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