Intercultural Wellness Program
Enrollment for the Intercultural Wellness Program is closed. If you are still interested in getting involved in your community - check out our Immigrant Leadership Institute!
About the Intercultural Wellness Program:
The Intercultural Wellness Program (IWP) is offered by The Welcoming Center to promote community wellness and well-being among immigrant communities of Greater Philadelphia. The program is offered to immigrants from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds to overcome acculturative stressors resulting from the process of social and economic integration, learning to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the program devoted full attention to creating safe spaces where participants talked about their situation, listened to each other, shared information and resources, and continued practicing English language skills rather than staying at home speaking only in their native language.
During the past three years, we heard many stories of loss and pain but also stories about dreams and hope. In the post-pandemic phase, immigrants continue learning how to overcome the barriers such as developing language proficiency, addressing social isolation, understanding American culture, meeting new friends, and connecting to economic opportunities that match their skills and values. New challenges have emerged, however, from a changing economy, new working conditions, and higher demands for use of information technology.
In the new situation, the Intercultural Wellness Program is fully devoted to supporting participants to cultivate personal and collective agency, promote community wellness and well-being, and develop new skills and a better understanding of the world of work in the United States.
What you will learn:
- Understanding of a trauma informed approach to building community wellness
- Skills to be leaders in their community and promote immigrant wellness and wellbeing
- Skills to overcome barriers to immigrant integration
- Skills to better understand racialization, racial trauma, and the structural racism that perpetuate social and mental health disparities
- Skills to participate in a network of immigrant leaders working to create change against deficit narratives that subject immigrants to paternalistic practices and deny them their voice as leaders and decision-makers
- Skills to increase a sense of belonging
Program Requirements:
- Respect for cultural diversity and inclusion
- Ability to attend all training sessions & activities
- Comply with 6 hours of weekly assignments
- Willingness to support evaluation of program outcomes
- Intermediate English Level
- Respect and promote the mission of The Welcoming Center
- At least 21 years of age
Action Projects:
Through an experiential learning approach, the program offers its participants an opportunity to define what wellness means to them. Working in small teams, the participants implement listening campaigns to learn from the community what issues impact their wellness and well-being and organize community projects and events that raise awareness, share information and resources, and learn how to address emotional, social, physical, financial, occupational and other areas of wellness.
The community action projects use an immersion approach to help immigrants develop confidence and use their rich experience, knowledge, skills, talents and the power of their creativity to help themselves and their community. This evidence-based approach has been instrumental in helping participants strengthen their mental health and develop a forward-looking mindset with which to rebuild their lives in the United States.