Strategic Initiative Fund (SIF)

Voices in Civic Belonging: Strengthening Immigrant and Refugee Engagement in Michigan

This initiative will strengthen the civic and democratic engagement of immigrant and refugee communities across Michigan by building partnerships at local, state and national levels.

The proposal identifies civic strengths and major barriers that limit the participation of immigrants and refugees in civic life. The project uses a participatory action research approach, meaning community collaborators and researchers will co-design the work together. The project will:

• Conduct engagement and data collection, which may include interviews, focus groups, surveys, literature review, and environmental scanning
• Develop the Civic & Media Ambassadors Program, an educational and capacity-building program for immigrant and refugee leaders with an accompanying digital platform through co-design workshops and curriculum planning
• Implement the live training program, expected to include around 40 immigrant and refugee leaders—20 from the Lansing/Mid-Michigan area and 20 from other regions of Michigan
• Evaluate the program’s impact, assess the usefulness of the digital platform, and disseminate findings to local communities, state government, and immigrant-serving organizations in Michigan and beyond

Expected outcomes include strengthened civic knowledge, media literacy, public communication skills, and leadership capacity among immigrant and refugee leaders. The program is also intended to build social capital by connecting participants with journalists, public officials, faculty, and service providers, and one another.