Over the last six weeks, International House hosted a three-part "Storyology" workshop, teaching six local immigrants the art of moviemaking. Each of these individuals produced a digital life story of his or her own journey to the USA. The workshops were coordinated by International House and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and made possible by a grant from the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte. The goal is to give long term Charlotte residents an understanding of the struggles and triumphs of some of their newest immigrant neighbors, while also empowering immigrant storytellers with video skills and pride in their achievements.
 On March 16th at 7 PM these works will be showcased during a screening debut at International House. The event will be free of charge and open to everyone. Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of these budding filmmakers and listening to the stories of ordinary, yet extraordinary, North Carolina residents. Refreshments will be served and attendees will have an opportunity to meet and socialize with the filmmakers. For more information contact International House at 704-333-8099 or AFSC at 336-854-0633 or email lkhamala@afsc.org.
The workshop included immigrants hailing from Eritrea, Sudan, Bhutan, Nepal, Colombia, and Mexico.
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Join in the fun: Zumba and Salsa classes at International House!
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Salsa with Muhammad - Thursdays from 8 to 9 PM.
Also known as “The Cat in the Hat”, Muhammad has educated and inspired thousands of people, teaching classes at Latorre’s, RiRa’s, Cosmos, Pfeiffer University, International House, and more!
 Part 1 Series: Beginner – Intermediate
Dates: March 8 – April 19 (7 sessions, First session free!)
Times: 8 – 9:00 pm
Location: Kellen Room at IH
Price per session: $15 (March 8 - free)
Price for Package: $80.00
*Upon completion of this program (Part 1 Series: Beginner – Intermediate), Part 1 series will start again, and an additional Part 2 Series (for Intermediate to Advanced) will begin.
Zumba with Hermine - Fridays 6:30 to 7:15 PM
Originally from Armenia, Hermine has a passion for teaching multi-cultural dances. Every class feels like a party! Come join her and you'll see what we mean. You don't even have to know how to dance. Just move your body and follow the lead, it's that easy! Exercise has never been this much fun.
 Series: 7 classes, first class free
Time: 6:30 – 7:15 PM
Dates: Fridays, March 23 to May 4th
Cost: $8.00 per session
$42 for full-payment of all sessions
To register for these classes or to receive more information call us at 704.333.8099, or email lprintz@ihclt.org
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Art & Music Workshop - March 20th
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in collaboration with Edwin Gil (Visual Artist) and Ana Lucia Divins (Singer-Songwriter), International House will host a night of inspiration and exploration through the arts. Music, visual art, expressed feelings and an intentional process will create a safe space to lead participants on an experimental path of self-discovery.
Location: International House, 322 Hawthorne Lane, Clt, NC
Date: Tuesday, March 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Cost: $10 in advance or $15 at the door
RSVP by March 19 via Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3063616359
Space is limited so book your spot soon!.For more information call us at 704.333.8099, or email lprintz@ihclt.org
Through the non-profit organization Gil Project, Inc, Edwin Gil and Ana Lucia Divins spearheaded the project “Flag of Hope” in which they traveled to 12 cities across North Carolina collecting hand prints to make the state’s first ever diversity flag. More than 20,000 hand prints were collected with the purpose of promoting hope and understanding within North Carolina’s diverse communities.
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Citizenship Classes at International House
International House is currently mid-way through its first six week naturalization preparation program for 2012. More than 30 participants are gathering every Sunday afternoon to review American history, geography and government. The classes are taught in English, and individuals have an opportunity to speak with a local immigration attorney about immigration related questions.
In addition to covering American civics, the classes also review the English skills necessary to successfully pass the USCIS test and verbal interview. The classroom is truly representative of Charlotte’s growing diversity with students hailing from El Salvador, Mexico, Vietnam, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Sudan, Iran, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Russia, Honduras, Liberia, South Korea and Ethiopia.
Citizenship classes normally take place every Sunday from 1 to 4 PM for 6 consecutive weeks. The cost for the entire series is $25.For more information regarding future classes, please contact Norma Jiron: NJiron@ihclt.org or 704-333-8099 |
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Helping a Ghanian Family Live the American Dream
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When Maybel Richards entered the United States as a refugee from Ghana, she had to leave her husband James behind. James was able to obtain a visitor's visa, but that wouldn't keep him here for long. When he flew to join her in California, they desperately sought ways to keep their family together. A friend mentioned to James that North Carolina had better resources for refugees, and the family moved to Charlotte in 2010.
After initially meeting with Catholic Social Services, the couple was referred to International House’s Immigration Clinic due to the complicated nature of their status. Working with International House, they were finally able to take some steps forward. On March 3rd, 2011, Maybel became a U.S. citizen, allowing her to file for her husband to become a permanent resident.
Maybel and James describe their experience with International House as “smooth, fun, and very helpful.” They have been referring everyone in a similar situation to International House. “Some people are here for 10 years and they still cannot get their citizenship. We hope and pray that people either contact International House on their own or contact us so we can tell them about International House so they can get help,” said James. Maybel added “We highly appreciate International House; they are all so nice and helpful.”
James and Maybel Richards at their Charlotte home with their 3 children - February 2011.
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CHARLOTTE UNIVERSITY - TEACHING IMMIGRANTS ABOUT LOCAL RESOUCES.
On Wednesday, February 22nd International House hosted yet another luncheon for Charlotte’s immigrant communities, offering information about local resources vital to successfully integrating into Charlotte life. This was the first event of the 2012 series, and the topics discussed were taxes and job resources. A very diverse group of attendees listened to presentations from representatives of Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont, Goodwill Industries, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library regarding how and where to find tax help and vocational resources and services. We would like to thank our presenters and volunteers who helped make this luncheon a success.
Several Charlotte University luncheons are offered throughout the year. Topics addressed include employment services, legal services, education, healthcare, financial literacy, emergency services, cultural awareness, social services, housing, and employment. If you think that you or someone you know might benefit from this program, please contact Hendrik van Vuuren at hvanvuuren@ihclt.org or call 704-333-8099.
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 Home Hosts Needed!
Are you interested in being a cultural ambassador and welcoming some wonderful international guests into your home? Here is your opportunity!
We are looking for home hosts for:
Legislative Fellows professionals from Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Afghanistan who will be visiting Charlotte from April 15th to May 2nd. (Options for hosting full time or half time are available)
Mexican Youth Ambassadors (high school students) this summer for 2 weeks (Friday July 20th to Saturday, August 4th). Families with high school teenagers are encouraged to host the Mexican guests.
For more information please contact Lara Printz at 704-333-8099 or or email lprintz@ihclt.org.
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From the executive director
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Storytelling is perhaps one of the most effective and powerful forms of communication. This past month, I experienced two occasions where stories provided an unforgettable message of the resiliency and strength of the human spirit.
First, I had the privilege of dropping in on one of the recent Storyology workshops hosted here at International House over three weekends in January and February. Six immigrants and refugees met with facilitators and volunteer mentors to create their own autobiographies in digital format. You are invited to a screening of these powerful short films on March 16th. Created entirely by the budding filmmakers, these stories speak of triumph in the face of adversity and remind us that our society is enriched and not weakened by cultural diversity. Please join us for this remarkable debut!
Secondly, I attended the annual conference of the National Council of International Visitors (NCIV) in Washington, D.C., along with International House Program Director, Lara Printz. The NCIV is a nonprofit membership association serving the international exchange community by building person-to-person relationships "one handshake at a time." Its membership includes a nationwide network of 90 Community Member Organizations. International House is one of three such member organizations in North Carolina. NCIV members design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality for foreign leaders, specialists, and scholars participating in the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchanges.
The theme of this year’s NCIV meeting was storytelling. We were treated to the stories of several former participants in international exchange programs who went on to do great things back in their home countries. For instance, we heard from Elisheva Darar, a role model and young leader for the undeserved Ethiopian community in Israel. She previously was one of the highest-ranking civil servants of Ethiopian origin in Israel, and was responsible for the work of a think-tank bringing together the government, community and NGO leaders, as well as private and public sector partnerships. Her work encompassed social change initiatives such as empowerment of women, people with disabilities and other underserved communities. She credits her career development directly to her IVLP experience in the United States in 2006 where she studied topics relating to government and grassroots activism.
We also heard from a Lebanese attorney from Beirut who was an International Visitor to the United States some years ago studying the legal system and human rights issues. He has since returned to Lebanon and established a legal aide program to assist impoverished citizens with legal representation, a program based directly on what he saw in the United States.
And in this current economic climate of budget cuts, one final story exemplifies the importance of ongoing funding for citizen diplomacy and international exchange programs. The front story of the Washington Post on one of the days we were in Washington highlighted the state visit of Vice President Xi Jinping, the heir apparent to the leadership of China. Xi insisted on a visit to the tiny town of Muscatine, Iowa because of the fond memories he held of his time there on an international exchange program in 1985 when he was a lowly provincial official studying agriculture. The warmth and hospitality Xi and his delegation apparently experienced was offered by town residents, including Muscatine housewife, Eleanor Dvorchak, and her husband, who ended up with the future leader of China sleeping in their sons’ bedroom, surrounded by “Star Trek” figurines. And so, that visit remains in the mind of one of the most powerful people in the world, a man who will come to lead the United State’s fiercest economic competitor, policy opponent, and military rival.
Perhaps this story should be a lesson for our government leaders on the impact of citizen diplomacy in our increasingly global world. “Winning hearts and minds” should be as important a budget priority and national security issue as military expenditures. International exchange programs are not budgetary “fluff”. They plant seeds that blossom many years later into ideas and attitudes that can change the world.
International House staff Lara Printz and Denise Long at a reception hosted by the Mongolian Embassy in Washington D.C., sponsored by the National Council for International Visitors.
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International Book Club |
The next meeting of the International House Book Club will be on Monday, March 19, 2012 at 7 p.m. Everyone welcome!
The book to be discussed will be The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano (288 pages) ITALY, a best selling international literary sensation about whether a "prime number" can ever truly connect with someone else.
A prime number can only be divided by itself or by one. It never truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia, both "primes," are misfits who seem destined to be alone. Haunted by childhood tragedies that mark their lives, they cannot reach out to anyone else. When Alice and Mattia meet as teenagers, they recognize in each other a kindred, damaged spirit.
But the mathematically gifted Mattia accepts a research position that takes him thousands of miles away, and the two are forced to separate. Then a chance occurrence reunites them and forces a lifetime of concealed emotion to the surface.
Like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, this is a stunning meditation on loneliness, love, and the weight of childhood experience and is set to become a universal classic.
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Doorways - International Women’s Group
Doorways is a group of international women meeting on the first Wednesday of each month for social and cultural exchanges. These meetings typically take place at International House and feature different presentations from guest speakers.
The guest speaker for March will be Robert FitzPatrick, the author of "False Profits", the first book to examine pyramid scheme frauds and multi-level marketing companies, also called network marketing. His presentation will discuss the rapid growth of Ponzis and pyramids in America. He will explore the values and ethics that lead people to enroll their friends and families into these schemes and examine how the schemes affect personal relationships.
If you are interested in Doorways, please contact Lakana at laklouk12@carolina.rr.com or Lara Printz at lprintz@ihclt.org.
The next Doorways meting will be on March 7th at 10 AM at International House.
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Get Involved |
For more information about our people, programs, or organization please email info@ihclt.org or call 704-333-8099.
www.ihclt.org
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