Community Treasures: Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees

Community Treasures: Contributions of Older Immigrants and Refugees

This report analyzes the motivations of immigrant elders engaged in civic roles and highlights the promising practices of agencies who successfully engage them.

To learn about the state of civic involvement among immigrant elders, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Atlanta Georgia and Orange County California with 99 immigrant elders from seven major ethnolinguistic groups. We also spoke with key informants in the communities including Community Based Organizations to learn about the current efforts that sustain and promote the civic roles of elders who are foreign-born.

In many cultures, the U.S. concept of "volunteering" is an unfamiliar one. Therefore, in this report, "civic engagement" is broadly defined to include informal and formal helping, giving, leading, influencing, and participating, which more closely reflects the variety of ways in which elders assist one another, their families, and the younger generations. When considering the civic engagement of foreign-born elders, words such as "volunteering" and "community service" may need to be replaced with more culturally appropriate language.

Key Findings

• If "civic engagement" is broadly defined to include both informal and formal roles, many older immigrants and refugees are already involved in a variety of activities that benefit their families and communities.
• Family caregiving is a major contribution made by many older immigrants and refugees.
• Some immigrant and refugee communities have maintained their cultural traditions of giving elders authority and power. In such communities, many older adults recognize their responsibility to serve as leaders and assume the "elder role," despite limited English skills or professional experience.
• Cultural values and practices and political systems in native countries influence why and how older immigrants become engaged in their communities.
• Trusted ethnic-based organizations and religious institutions, immediate and extended family units, and informal social groups serve as civic connectors that facilitate elder engagement and can also serve as access points for more formal opportunities.

Implications for Organizations and Community Leaders

Views of elders A paradigm shift is needed in the way that elder immigrants are perceived and treated in their communities. Organizations need to recognize that their older immigrant clients can also be contributors with whom they can partner to address community problems.

Elder roles Organizations and leaders should make available to elders a continuum of formal and informal roles to contribute to both their own ethnic community and the broader community. Creating such a continuum requires acknowledging and building on informal civic engagement practices as well as creating new opportunities.

Outreach to elders Understanding what motivates immigrant elders to become involved in their communities is a critical part of outreach efforts. Agencies unaccustomed to working with immigrant communities should take steps to establish mutually beneficial authentic partnerships with "civic connectors" (e.g., immigrant and refugee-led organizations; churches, temples, and mosques; ethnic senior centers or associations; community leaders; family members) in these communities.

Supporting elders It is important to build on the strengths that elders possess and help them acquire additional skills that will enable them to function effectively as community leaders. Having bilingual staff is key to engaging limited English speakers.
We hope this report both raises awareness and increases the capacity of community leaders and immigrant-serving organizations to craft and promote opportunities for elders to enhance their roles as contributing members of their families and the communities within their new homeland.

source: http://www.projectshine.org/ceamaterials