Immigration

To help provide services and become a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees, the city of Rock Island, Ill., is creating an information clearinghouse for new residents. "This is everybody in the community coming together to support one another whether you're different or all the same."

With an increasing refugee population in Rock Island, Ill., residents are participating in 'study circles' to address concerns and challenges such as the gaps in services available to refugees and how to make them feel comfortable to participate in community life.

Frances, an African-American mother of a teenaged boy, moved to Syracuse a couple of years ago. She came from the Bronx to escape the violence, drugs, and street life that was poisoning her family. After learning about Community Wide Dialogue at a street festival, she joined the North Side dialogue to have a voice in making a better life for her family in their new community.