Atlanta's Immigrant Crossroads: Untapped Potential or Utilized Promise for Newcomer Integration
Recently several municipalities in the Atlanta area have declared themselves “welcoming cities” to immigrants and refugees. Atlanta is a new immigrant gateway destination and a region at the crossroads of receptivity (Singer, Hardwick, and Brettel, 2008). The purpose of this study is to examine the barriers to accessing education, citizenship, and employment for the foreign-born population living in Atlanta and identify potential ways to overcome those barriers to maximize the untapped potential—immigrants’ skills and abilities that go uncultivated and unutilized due to systemic barriers—of newcomers in Georgia. The project is designed to incorporate a team of at least four undergraduate researchers (URs) from beginning to end.
Our methodology for this project, which undergraduate researchers will be involved in, is situated within the context of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR involves a partnership approach that equitably includes community members, organizational representatives, and academic researchers in all aspects of the research process. The aim of CBPR is to increase knowledge and understanding of a given phenomenon and integrate the knowledge gained with interventions, policies, and social change to improve the community.
Primary results will inform public, private, and nonprofit sectors’ immigrant integration initiatives on how to better address the needs of several different immigrant population groups related to access to education, citizenship, and employment in areas of expertise. Through this project, we aim to provide research-based information to help organizations create appropriate programs, identify target resources, and inform policy-makers regarding inclusionary practices and investment in civic engagement. As an undergraduate researcher on this project, you will help shape these project outcomes.