Keynote: Osagie Imasogie
Senior Managing Partner & Founder, Phoenix IP Ventures
Our 2016 Convening in Philadelphia hosted 300 attendees from nearly two-dozen Rust Belt cities and our growing network of community leaders working to welcome, retain, and empower immigrants as valued contributors to our economies. The WE Global Convening is an opportunity to exchange and learn about the growing energy and momentum of local initiatives in the Rust Belt.
Hosted by Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians and the City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Why we chose Philadelphia
Philadelphia is a leader in attracting, retaining, and including immigrants, and has shown the positive economic and social impacts of being a welcoming city. Immigrants have significantly contributed to the reversal of a 60-year population decline. Philadelphia is the “City of Neighborhoods”, each with its own distinct personality and home to long-established or newly-arrived immigrant communities.
Check out some of Philadelphia’s innovative initiatives in the video below, Philadelphia Welcomes.
Program
The 2016 program was highly interactive and engaging. Together, we dove into the processes and strategies that can help communities launch, grow, and expand their immigrant economic development efforts. Sessions were grouped in one of the following areas: Workforce Development, Entrepreneurship & Business, Neighborhood Development, Social Cohesion & Equity, and Organizational Capacity-Building.
Speakers
Do immigrants present an untapped opportunity to revitalize communities?
In Philadelphia, the Welcoming Economies Global Network and Fiscal Policy Institute released new research which demonstrates that immigrants should be an important component of vacant and distressed housing revitalization.
The report and interactive tool show that immigrants have strong rates of potential homeownership in 23 target cities, and suggest that efforts that encourage homeownership and/or vacant property purchase could yield significant returns by targeting immigrant groups.
Press
How immigrants can revive America's blighted neighborhoods
CBS Philly - October 19, 2016
How immigrants can help revitalize America’s cities
The Atlantic - October 18, 2016
How immigrants can revive America's blighted neighborhoods
CNN - October 21, 2016
350 national leaders in immigration are touring Philly this week
Generocity - October 19, 2016
Commentary: Make Philly more welcoming to immigrants
Philly.com - October 18, 2016
Photos
2016 Convening attendees participated in a series of tours on Wednesday and Thursday of five of Philly’s unique neighborhoods and the Reading Terminal Market. Browse through photos of the tours, and of the plenary and breakout sessions.
#WEConvening
2016 Convening Supporters
2016 Convening Presentations
Convening speakers and panelists should upload their presentations into this WE Global Network Google folder. The presentations will be made available to all attendees.
A project of Welcoming America in partnership with Global Detroit.
