Known as Community Navigators, They Serve A Community Under Attack
CHICAGO – This Saturday, April 27, approximately 80 community navigators and trainers of navigators representing over 50 immigrant-rights organizations nationwide in Chicago to hold training sessions focusing on the rights of immigrants in our communities.
The training, organized by the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and The Resurrection Project’s Chicago Legal Protection Fund, will train the navigators on new immigration policy, Naturalization, 2020 Census, Workers Rights, and U-visas.
As the Trump administration doubles down on the Department of Homeland Security’s anti-immigrant policies, immigrant rights advocates vow to give community members the tools they need to navigate through a more hostile and changing environment.
“Our navigators are quite literally on the front lines,” said Magaly Arteaga, NPNA’s Program Manager and Trainer of Community Navigators. “They hear the stories of abuse and injustice first, so we have to be prepared to help people in many different ways.”
Since 2015, the Community Navigators program has been a model that NPNA and its members have built out to increase capacity for legal immigration services while empowering community leaders, predominantly immigrant women.
Over 15,000 Community Navigators have been trained around Naturalization, Know-your-Rights, and DACA renewals; and, the training continues to adapt to relevant issues such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deportation Defense.
Community Navigators have also become a women’s empowerment program, and currently, six NPNA members coordinate a local Women Empowered to Lead (WE Lead) program in collaboration with Jones Day Law Firm. Community Navigators are the trusted leaders, educators, and support systems in communities for individuals and families seeking accurate information, protection and security.
To schedule a visit and see the community navigators “in action” and to witness the impact this model has in immigrant communities across the country, please contact Susana Flores (915) 525 2434 susana@communicationsshop.us