MIMA Community Matters: Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs

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MIMA is still accepting applications for its 2nd New American Leadership Institute (NALI), which will now be held in September/October of this year. NALI is composed of six weekly three-hour sessions and covers topics ranging from local government structure to environmental stewardship - all designed to better position participants as community leaders and advocates within Baltimore City. NALI will close with a graduation ceremony with Mayor Pugh.

NALI will cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate local government and access neighborhood resources, which will equip graduates to better advocate on behalf of New American communities across Baltimore. NALI graduates will also be connected with opportunities to utilize their leadership skills in neighborhood groups and on local boards and commissions where New Americans are currently underrepresented.

MIMA is working to recruit a cohort of approximately 20 New American leaders, but we need YOU to help spread the word! The application will be open until August 31, 2018. Complete the application here, or share the link with a New American you think would be a great candidate for NALI!   

Do you know someone who has made significant contributions to Baltimore’s Hispanic community through their leadership, the work they do day-to-day, or their volunteerism? If so, please submit your nomination for the Mayor’s Hispanic Heritage Awards TODAY! Awards will be given for the following categories: Emerging Leader, Educator, Service Provider, & Volunteer.

You can nominate someone online, or you can download the nomination form & email or mail it to MIMA (see instructions on downloaded form).

Winners from each category and a guest will be invited to join Mayor Pugh for the 12th Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration. Nominations must be received by August 31, 2018, so please nominate that special person who deserves to have their dedication to Baltimore’s Hispanic community recognized.

Catalyte is a software development services company located in Baltimore & several other U.S. cities that uses an online screening platform to identify individuals with the talent necessary to be great software developers. Anyone can take the online screening at no cost, and, if the results indicate that they have the requisite potential & abilities, they can enter Catalyte’s free software development training program, with employment as an entry-level software developer with Catalyte upon successful completion of the training. Entry-level developers are then apprenticed over a two-year period.

Catalyte’s commitment to diverse hiring without regards to typical employability measures such as educational attainment & job experience led them to MIMA. Catalyte hopes to include more New Americans living in Baltimore in future training cohorts. If you would like additional information on connecting New Americans to employment opportunities with Catalyte please contact Adam Curtis at acurtis@catalyte.io. Or, if you are interested in taking the first steps towards a career in software development, you can learn more and take the online screening at https://learn.catalyte.io.

Thanks to Catalyte for your commitment to discovering Baltimore’s untapped potential!

This month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office announced two funding opportunities that will provide up to $10 million in grants for citizenship preparation programs in communities across the country. 

The grant opportunities are for organizations that prepare lawful permanent residents and promote civic assimilation through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history and civics.

For more information, please click here