In 2020, Southern Vermont received a three-year, $300,000 grant to establish a “New Vermonter” community network, which will provide a scalable, inclusive, and sustainable system of support for immigrants, first- and second-generation Americans, asylum-seekers and foreign-born workers, students, and families.
For more information about our employment programs and Welcoming Workplaces, visit our page about the Workforce Center of Excellence.
This document titled “Helping New Vermonters Thrive – Southern Vermont” outlines the efforts of the Southern Vermont Working Communities Challenge to support the integration of New Vermonters, including families, students, asylees, and refugees into the Brattleboro region’s workforce and community. It highlights initiatives such as workforce training, employer engagement, transportation solutions, and community organization development to overcome barriers like language and mobility.
The success of this initiative relied on our ability to tell the story of- and create a shared, multicultural vision for Southern Vermont.
We’ve done this through collecting and sharing real-time data, communicating via press, public meetings, podcasts, journal articles, and blog posts.
One of the primary goals of the Working Communities Challenge was looking at the systems and policies that shape our regions’ outcomes, and through this work, the team contributed to significant legislative and policy changes at the State level.
These include creating a study committee for the Office of New Americans (S.56), increasing access to education funding (S.191), and introducing a bill to shorten the relicensing pathway for internationally trained physicians (S.142).
As a part of ensuring Southern Vermont has the institutions, organizations, programs, and volunteers to support a growing population of newcomers, building capacity within new and existing organizations is a key part of the initiative.
This included volunteer training and support, sub-granting and program management capacity for partner organizations like Southeast Vermont Transit and CASP, and supporting the creation of Green Mountain Welcome, a new nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrants of all backgrounds across Southern Vermont.
Peer learning, cross-organizational coordination, and regional collaboration were integral to the success of the Working Communities Challenge in Southern Vermont.
You can watch past recordings of New Vermonter Provider Network Meetings, Quarterly Consultations, and Welcoming Workplaces webinars below.
