Building Leaders Building Communities (BLBC)

Wednesday, March 20th - May 29, Dwelling Place Community Building & Engagement Department Offices

106 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

A group of change makers who come together for a 10-week, hands-on, dinner workshop series where you will connect with neighbors to strengthen and grow your community together.

• Exciting interactive experiences led by experts in their field.
• Hands-on discussions with guest speakers.
• Utilizing a national leadership curriculum designed to engage, energize, and activate communities.
• A place to learn and acquire the tools to solve problems with the intention of creating long lasting change.
• Connect with elected officials and local community leadership opportunities.
• Workshops offered in both English and Spanish.

More Information Here

Become a Cross Cultural Partner

Treetops Collective

Create a friendship with a New American woman or teen girl with this 9-12 month program. Practice English to neighborhood walks, Cross-Cultural partners simply do life together.

Create a profile & signup for an info session/training here

or email volunteer@treetopscollective.org

Volunteers needed to support refugee resettlement efforts in Michigan 

As Welcome Corps celebrates a successful first year, the Office of Global Michigan encourages everyday Michiganders to take advantage of the new option to support a refugee family of their choosing. Global Michigan continues to call for volunteers to welcome and support refugees from around the world seeking freedom and safety through the CHNV program, Uniting for Ukraine and the Welcome Corps.  

For questions about private sponsorship or other ways to get involved, visit Global Michigan’s webpage for resources to support refugee resettlement or contact LEO-RefugeeServices@michigan.gov. Connect with Michigan’s lead Private Sponsor Organization, Zaman International, at welcomecorps@zamaninternational.org for support with your Welcome Corps application.

To offer financial support, you can make a direct tax-deductible donation through our charity partner in this effort

Circles of Support Training

Treetops Collective

Circles of Support (COS) are peer-support groups led by
New Americans, ensuring that all communities receive mental health access and education by facilitators with shared language and culture. Click on the image for more information. Initial results of this program here.

If you interested in joining a comprehensive 5 session training fill out this form.

Immigration Legal Assistance Services 

Due date – by 11:59pm, Friday, March 22^nd, 2024

The Office of Global Michigan is pleased to share a funding opportunity for Immigration Legal Assistance Services. Please see the attachment for additional details and a few key dates below.

Please submit any questions regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) to LEO-RefugeeServices@michigan.gov by 12pm Tuesday, March 12^th, 2024

This information is also posted on our website at Office of Global Michigan.

OUR LGTBQ FUND 2024 GRANT

April 22nd deadline

Up to $100,000 will be awarded for programming that addresses social determinants of health for LGBTQ+ communities in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties.  Our advisory committee welcomes applications from both 501c3 organizations and community groups with a fiscal sponsor and will be prioritizing projects led by and serving LGBTQ+ Youth and LGBTQ+ people of color. Detailed information about focus areas for these funds, eligibility criteria, and the application process are in our grant guidelines (attached and on our website).  You can apply now using Grant Central through the April 22nd deadline- a comprehensive timeline can be found at GRFoundation.org/LGBTQFund. 

If you are considering applying you can learn more about the current request for proposal (RFP) by joining us for an optional application information session, on Zoom, on Monday, March 25^th from 4:30-5:30 pm - register here! 

Build Readiness for a New Minority-Owned Food and Agriculture Business Grant Program

Applications are due to MDARD by 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2024

the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) from minority-owned food and agriculture businesses and supportive organizations looking to increase capacity initiatives. In this phase one RFP, businesses should be looking to increase capacity initiatives in business plan development, grant management training, partnership development, and financial investment planning. More Information Here

Ready by Five Funding

The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage funds various types of programs that serve expecting parents and children through the age of five who live in Kent County. This funding is administered by First Steps Kent.

Agencies apply through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process that occurs annually.  If your organization would like to learn more about the requirements related to Ready by Five Millage funding and the process to apply for funds, we would like to hear from you! The next RFP will be released on Thursday April 18, 2024. Once the RFP is released, our team will only respond to questions submitted in writing and are required to post all responses online. 

For this reason, we recommend that you reach out to Heather Boswell at hboswell@firststepskent.org before Monday, April 1, 2024, to schedule a time. 

Learn more here!

Empowering Immigrant Communities to Fight Against Fraud in Multiple Languages

Welcoming America - Webinar Thursday, March 7th 2pm ET

Join representatives from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, as they discuss ways to empower the communities you work with to fight against fraud. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to spot and avoid common scams, as well as how to use the FTC’s new educational materials in multiple languages to help people in your community protect themselves against scammers. Register Here

Money Smart Train the Trainer Overview

Webinar on Tuesday March 12, 2024 - 2:00PM-3:30PM

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in collaboration with the Office of Refugee Resettlement will host a Train the Training Overview webinar featuring the financial education curriculum Money Smart for Adults and the online game How Money Smart Are You. These programs have been designed to provide adults with practical knowledge, skill-building opportunities, and resources to confidently manage their finances and establish positive banking relationships.

Register Here!

Crisis Response Training City of Holland

Thursday, March 14 from 3-5 pm. Holland City Hall

Professionals and volunteers who work in public service are invited to attend a training on the City of Holland’s Crisis Response Plan. Registration is at Eventbrite.

The City’s Crisis Response Plan (CRP) is a community strategy to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and restore community balance should the community be faced with a hate crime, racial or bias incident, or perception of racial or bias incident.

The training will also focus on immigration law and understanding victim trauma.

Presenters include representatives from the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office, Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates, the Flourishing Collective, and City of Holland Public Safety.

Companionship Workshop

Saturday March 23, 2024, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Moran Park Church, 97 W 22nd St, Holland, MI 49423

Have you ever wondered how to sustainably support someone in distress without burning out? 

Participants will learn:

• The five practices of Companionship
• Skills to listen consciously and with openness
• How to maintain an awareness of limits and boundaries
• Ways to ease the isolation these difficulties often bring

Register Here!

Refugee Mental Health Series

Kent County Community Health Improvement Plan

Wednesdays / February 21st - March 20th

8:30am - 10:30am / 700 Fuller NE, Grand Rapids MI

Every month in Grand Rapids, people who are refugees are arriving after fleeing horrendous conditions in their homelands caused by war and civil unrest. Many arrive with mental health challenges, such as PTSD.

This 5 part educational series will provide useful information for both clinicians and non-clinicians who are working with refugees community members. 

for more information and to register click here

Zeeland Adult Education

LEARN MORE, EARN MORE
with a high school equivalency diploma and career training
All students are eligible for these free services provided by
Zeeland Adult Education in partnership with Thompson M-TEC

CLASSES OFFERED
•English as a Second Language (ESL)
•Adult Basic Education (ABE)
•General Educational Development (GED)
•High School Completion (HSC)
AND MORE!!!! Click on the Image for a full list of courses

The LTW Program is an open entry program and offers weekly orientations. You must schedule an in-person orientation before you can attend class. Please call Brenda at (616) 494-8803 to register for the next available orientation.

Great Decisions Programs

Free Event - Every Tuesday in February and March

Public Program: 6 pm - 7:15 pm

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum 303 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids MI 49504

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program provides background information and policy options for the most critical issues facing America each year and serves as the starting place for dialogue and discussion within the community. The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) each year selects eight topics. Our Council develops a discussion series featuring those topics with complementary material provided by the FPA. It is our longest-running and largest community program on global issues.

View the February Schedule Here!

Program Assistant - The Office of Equity and Minority Health 

Interested applicants must apply by Sunday, March 10.

The Program Assistant – OEMH provides administrative support within the Office of Equity and Minority Health (OEMH) on several different projects. The incumbent will complete assignments for OEMH Leadership in support of the on-going program needs. More information and Apply here: Program Assistant - OEMH

Corrections Officer Jobs for Newcomers

Jackson County - 3855 Cooper Street
Jackson, MI 49201 $20 - $31.00/hour

•  8-week training and can also be paired with/mentored by others on staff from immigrant and refugee backgrounds 
• The facility offers three shifts for workers and employees would supervise offenders, help facilitate hospital visits, supervise food services, visits off-site etc.
• Potential employees need to be work-authorized (not necessarily citizens) and have sufficient proficiency in the reading, writing and speaking of English.
• By virtue of having support services located on the campus facility, employees are exposed to a diverse staff of doctors, medical professionals, etc. from around the world.
• Health and support services for employees that are available to assist with stress, acculturation support to the system, and more.

Apply Here