IMMIGRANT FAMILY SERVICES INSTITUTE
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Mission Statement
Founded in 2015 by dedicated Haitian immigrant professionals, IFSI believes that when voices of marginalized people are centered, the outcome is equity, inclusion, and greater wellbeing. The IFSI organizational mission is to center the voice of immigrants and expedite their successful integration into the social and economic fabric of the United States with justice and dignity through our three pillars: “Education - Integration - Advocacy”.
About This Cause
Founded as a 501c3 in 2015 by dedicated Haitian immigrant professionals, IFSI was built on the belief that when voices of marginalized people are centered, the outcome is equity, inclusion, and greater wellbeing. IFSI centers the voice of immigrants and expedites successful integration into the social and economic fabric of the United States with justice and dignity through education, workforce development and advocacy to advance equity and inclusion. Our vision is to uplift newly arrived immigrant families and to build a society that views newly arrived immigrants as valuable contributors to their communities. We envision a future where newly arrived families feel supported, informed, and empowered to navigate the complex systems of the US, including the school system, and where every student has an equal opportunity to excel academically and develop as leaders. Our program seeks to bridge the gap between newcomer students and the education system while advocating for systemic changes that make education more inclusive and responsive to the needs of diverse communities. At IFSI, we meet newcomers, including students, where they are. Born from humble beginnings offering after school programs in the basement of a local church to mitigate educational gaps. Today, IFSI is a trusted community resource with a $5mm budget, delivering impactful programs that accompany and launch participants on self-sustaining, upward trajectories through health and wellness, education, and workforce development. Our organization comprises staff of the very community we serve, bringing shared living experience and cultural and linguistic expertise to effectively guide newly arrived Haitian and other Caribbean neighbors through myriad hurdles. We endeavor to meet this extraordinary demand and give our Haitian brothers and sisters a pathway toward upward mobility, while continuing to heighten visibility and advocacy at state and national levels, toward systems change. Clients are empowered through our ‘One Stop Center’ approach at our Mattapan headquarters, where the greatest portion of services and programs take place, and throughout gateway cities including Brockton, Worcester, Methuen, and Everett where our newly developed coalition sites serve those who have either settled in these areas to be with family and friends or are unable to be placed in the city due to Boston’s growing housing affordability problem and lack of temporary housing. Individuals and families arrive requiring vital essentials: food, clothing, shelter and access to legal aid and applications for public benefits and work permits. As newcomers arrive, they participate in an intake process and are subsequently triaged to appropriate departments for services based upon need. Once emergency needs are met, newcomers are poised for opportunity within our educational and workforce development programs where they are encouraged to engage in programs that they wish to attend. At the heart of IFSI’s mission is its child and youth after school and summer academic and enrichment performing arts program with an emphasis on social emotional wellbeing. Additionally, our youth leadership program, where developing today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders provides opportunities for work experience, offers college internships to students who advance to higher education, as well as future employment opportunities for all students. Our Adult Education program focuses on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Second Language (ESL), literacy- including financial literacy, technology, certified nursing and culinary arts to support pathways to gainful employment, meaningful inclusion, and optimal living for those served. Bolstered by its Adult Ed classes, IFSI’s workforce development program combines job coaching (resume building, interview techniques) with acculturation regarding American workplace etiquette for successful integration, and provides knowledge of employee rights and self-advocacy, with the ultimate goal of job placement in positions that are either commensurate with their skill and ability or serve as a stepping stone to career advancement. IFSI mobilizes workforce communities, organizing job fairs at its headquarters and across the Greater Boston Area to meet job seekers where they are and to facilitate introduction, with the ultimate goal of job placement.