Community Resources

RESOURCES

Community Studies

FIRN commissions and oversees studies addressing circumstances regarding the foreign-born in Howard County. Two examples of these follow.

Howard County's Foreign-born Community: Dimensions, Growth and Implications (October 2005) is a study conducted by the Association for the Study and Development of Community for FIRN, Inc. and the Howard County Department of Citizen Services. The Foreign-born population in the County has grown significantly in the years since 2000. The top five foreign languages spoke are Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Urdu, and Vietnamese. However many others are also spoken, including in the school system. Eleven key findings are given. By examining demographic characteristics of Howard County's growing foreign-born population, the distinctions among foreign-born groups, and their service needs, the study has focused the attention of many service providers on the needs of the foreign-born.

The Connecting Across Cultures: Improving Access to Health and Human Services for the Foreign Born in Howard County, Maryland (August 2002) documents the barriers to health and wellness; identifies client drawbacks; and lists five major recommendations. The study was conducted by Dawn Fisk Thomsen and Marjory Bancroft.

FIRN Newsletters

In April 2008, FIRN launched a new e-newsletter to keep the community better-informed.

October 2009 Newsletter
July 2009 Newsletter
January 2009 Newsletter
October 2008 Newsletter
July 2008 Newsletter
April 2008 Newsletter

FIRN Helpbooks

FIRN Helpbook - English
FIRN Helpbook - French
FIRN Helpbook - Korean
FIRN Helpbook - Spanish

Community Resources

Howard County Cultural Competency Summit 2008

Only through collaborative leadership can Howard County serve our growing foreign-born community with cultural competency. Based on this premise and building off the recommendations of the 2005 study, FIRN sponsored a Howard County Cultural Competency Summit on October 6, 2008. Funded by the Howard County Department of Citizen Services and The Horizon Foundation, the Summit convened leaders of key local public agencies and nonprofit service providers to: 1) reach a shared understanding about the meaning of cross-cultural competency; 2) share ideas for how our public agencies and nonprofit organizations can promote and institutionalize cross-cultural competency and collaborate effectively on this; 3) determine how best to continue to learn and exchange knowledge related to cross-cultural competency; and 4) discuss tangible next steps, including who can be responsible for which steps. The Summit focused on language and workforce development/retention. Following inspirational remarks by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, the Summit was facilitated by Kien Lee of The Association for the Study and Development of Community. Tawara Goode, Director of the National Center for Cultural Competency at Georgetown University, was the featured guest speaker.

Summit Report
Speaker's Handouts
Speaker’s Power Point Presentation
Implementation Guide
Organizational Cultural Competency: Areas for Consideration
Tips for Working in a Culturally Competent Manner

Local Resources for Immigrants

There are several private non-profit associations in Howard County whose mission is to help particular foreign-born groups. In addition, the Howard County School System has many resources which are helpful.

Organizations

Alianza

Conexiones Howard County

Howard Community College ESL Classes

Howard County Muslim Council

Howard County Public School System

International Student and Family Services

State and National Resources for Immigrants

Maryland Office for New Americans (MONA)
Maryland Department of Planning
U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services
www.LEP.gov (created by the Federal Interagency Working Group on Limited English Proficiency)
The Cross Cultural Health Care Program
Cross Cultural Communications
EthnoMed

U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Health Brochures in many languages)
U.S.A. Learns (free web-based English training by U.S. Dept. of Education)
Integrating Immigrant Families in Emergency Response, Relief and Rebuilding Efforts (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2008)
The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland: The Contributions of Immigrant Workers to the Economy (The Urban Institute, 2008)
The Maryland Community Services Locator

Immigration Policy Resources

Migration Policy Institute