Building relationships and facilitating immigrant community integration: An evaluation of a Cultural Navigator Program

•A Cultural Navigator Program is evaluated to determine whether the model promotes integration of newly arrived immigrants into the community.•Results illustrate how communities and public institutions can promote integration and relationship building between newly arrived immigrants and long-time r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evaluation and program planning 2016-04, Vol.55, p.77-84
Main Authors: Thomas, Rebecca L., Chiarelli-Helminiak, Christina M., Ferraj, Brunilda, Barrette, Kyle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assimilation
Capacity building approach
Community
Cultural navigator
Immigrants
Immigration
Integration
Libraries
Newcomers
Noncitizens
Program evaluation
Public libraries
Social capital
Social networks
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Summary:•A Cultural Navigator Program is evaluated to determine whether the model promotes integration of newly arrived immigrants into the community.•Results illustrate how communities and public institutions can promote integration and relationship building between newly arrived immigrants and long-time residents.•Existing social networks, conceptualized as social capital, were leveraged to build capacity among program participants.•The program model is provided as an effective approach to fostering inclusivity and community integration. Despite the long history of immigration in the United States, communities around the country struggle to integrate newcomers into the economic, cultural, and political spheres of society. Utilizing results from the program evaluation of one public library's Cultural Navigator Program, the authors illustrate how communities and public institutions can promote integration and relationship-building between newly arrived immigrants and long-time residents. Existing social networks within receiving communities, conceptualized in this article as social capital, were leveraged to build capacity among newly arrived immigrants and foster inclusivity and integration at the community level. As a place of intervention, public libraries are suggested as a safe and shared space where community integration can be fostered. Insights derived from the evaluation inform a discussion on engaging approaches to immigrant integration. Lessons learned and recommendations for program evaluators and administrators are provided.
ISSN:0149-7189
1873-7870
DOI:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2015.11.003