People in conversation

Creating Welcoming Communities: Immigration in America

Essential Partners

Communities throughout the United States are struggling today with conflicts around growing immigrant populations. This is especially true in areas that are straining to recover from major economic shifts. These communities often experience heightened anxiety that can lead to mistrust, hate crimes, and reluctance of new arrivals to interact with long-time residents.

Essential Partners is working in several cities to build productive and durable community relationships by facilitating conversations that address the fears and concerns of recent immigrants and native-born Americans alike.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, Essential Partners collaborates with Welcoming America and a number of immigrant and refugee-serving organizations to build trust, deepen relationships, and foster collaboration. These efforts include providing facilitation training for local partners, as well as consulting on meeting design and focus groups that speak to the meaning of citizenship.

Essential Partners is committed to helping build strong and diverse communities where all residents feel welcome.