Innovative employer partnerships, galas, celebrating inclusion and more!
Dear Friends,
UpGlo has had a busy, productive summer - we’re making big steps in transforming lives and building an inclusive, equitable workforce. I'm pleased to share highlights in the latest edition of The UpDate. Thank you for being a part of our work and community!
#UpGlo Inspirations
“The U.S. can be a quirky and different place for newcomers. 'Bigger is better' is the name of the game. But the U.S. is also abundant in other things - in joy, opportunity, diversity, competition, and a spirit of hard work.”
Upwardly Global launched our brand-new Instagram account with inspiration from our program participant Mohannad, a digital marketing professional. Learn more about his story, and follow @upwardly_global for more stories and updates!
Engaging Employers
UpGlo believes that equity is the cornerstone of prosperity, and is committed to building a stronger workforce that works for everyone.
We are honored to be one of the inaugural grantees of World Education Services’s Mariam Assefa Fund. This $250K grant will allow us to partner in new, innovative ways with employers across the nation - piloting better ways to recruit newcomer talent, and supporting their professional growth once they're on the job.
We also recently partnered with Accenture and Cummins in hosting an employer forum in Houston. This dynamic dialogue convened diverse business leaders to learn about UpGlo and participate in an open dialogue about their hiring needs and challenges. This inaugural forum was such a success that we plan to take the model on the road. Stay tuned for a Community Connection event in a city near you!
For two decades, Upwardly Global has fine-tuned our model of supporting foreign-born professionals in rebuilding careers in the U.S. With support from the Salesforce Foundation, we’re now applying what we know to support the “#NextGen” of our workforce - college students from refugee backgrounds who often struggle to put their hard-earned degrees to work in the U.S. workforce. Salesforce is supporting us with a $300,000, 2-year investment to reach 175 students with a work-based learning and job coaching model tailored just for them.
Through #NextGen, we aim to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty that affects so many refugee families. We’ve launched the program in Chicago, and are excited to soon expand to San Francisco, followed by New York and D.C. If you know a potential #NextGen candidate, encourage them to applyhere.
Get Ready to #Glo
#GloGala - Upwardly Global’s annual celebration of our work in transforming lives and advancing opportunity--is heading to San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City this fall. Get your tickets now - they are going fast!
Join us in San Francisco on Oct. 2nd to honor venture capitalist Alex Rosen and Facebook’s Ime Archibong, leaders who came from immigrant backgrounds and have made a significant impact in the tech industry.
Celebrate 10 years of Upwardly Global in Chicago on Oct. 16th with food stations, live music, and inspiring remarks from local UpGlo alumni.
We’ll gather in New York City on Nov. 13th will honor Pascal Desroches, executive vice president and chief financial officer of WarnerMedia Inc.
Can’t make it to #GloGala? Consider supporting Upwardly Global with a gift to our “1,000 New Beginnings for U.S. Immigrants and Refugees” campaign, an exciting opportunity for Upwardly Global to “accelerate” our change-making work. Be one of at least 40 donors that helps Upwardly Global raise $5,000 by Sept. 27. Your donation will help Upwardly Global advance in a program that will help us access matching funds, training, and fundraising resources.
UpGlo on the Record
We’re making headlines as we’re making change across the country. Read more about our work in recent media coverage:
This blog from our partner EF (Education First) features perspective from Upwardly Global's employer engagement team on why diverse talent is the future of the workforce.
I was interviewed by Yahoo News! about the new “public charge” regulations that will make it harder for immigrants who use public assistance like housing assistance or food stamps to become permanent residents. 37% of our community have lived below the federal poverty level, but we know that when we remove employment barriers they are able to succeed and contribute back. Read UpGlo’s full statement on the rule change.
UpGlo program participant Ahmad Javed Momand was featured in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article on the barriers foreign-trained physicians face in getting back to practicing medicine.
This is How #TeamWorks
In honor of Welcoming Week, join Upwardly Global in building welcoming workforces - one small act at a time. Our #TeamWorks campaign, built in partnership with the Kindness Factory and Welcoming America celebrates small acts of inclusion, welcoming, and kindness - the many ways that we can ensure our co-workers feel connected and valued, regardless of race, national origin, religion, age, ability, gender, or sexual orientation. There is still plenty of time to join the movement! We are aiming to achieve 2,000 examples of how #TeamWorks, during Welcoming Week and beyond.Download our toolkit to learn more!
Advancing Integration
This summer, UpGlo participated in the 2019 Skilled Immigrant Integration (SIIP) Program Convening in Toronto, bringing together cities and states across the U.S. and Canada committed to advancing skilled immigrant integration.
We presented UpGlo's Jobversity program. And now (drum roll…) we are providing technical support to Lincoln, Nebraska (Office of Economic Opportunities), Des Moines, Iowa (Regional Economic Development Office), Boston, MA, and Toledo, Ohio, to train their frontline staff on how to better serve skilled immigrants.
