The Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G) is an opportunity for localities to receive support from New American Economy (now American Immigration Council) and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in their communities. In the fall of 2020, Saint Paul and Minneapolis each received grants from the G4G Initiative. The G4G awards included the preparation of two data reports entitled New Americans in Minneapolis published in June 2021 and New Americans in Saint Paul and East Metro Area, MN published in September 2021.
Based on findings from the reports, Minneapolis and Saint Paul initiated efforts to make each city more welcoming and supportive for immigrants and marginalized communities.
These efforts were initiated amidst the COVID 19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd. Each city realized that Twin Cities residents in were in shock and exhausted and those emotions were strongly reflected in these preliminary conversations. Leaders of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis G4G initiatives established a joint Twin Cities Advisory Committee. The leadership team held one on one conversations with representatives and leaders from community-based organizations, academic institutions, business, legal service providers, refugee resettlement organizations, and governmental offices at the municipal, county, and state level.
These individual conversations and meetings led to the creation of the Twin Cities Gateways for Growth Advisory Committee. The Twin Cities Gateways for Growth Advisory Committee developed the recommendations that reflected the unique situations in each city. Those recommendations were published on March 31, 2022, and are contained in the Joint Twin Cities Inclusion plan entitled The Journey to Belonging in the Twin Cities Report.
The next phase of the G4G Initiative will require each City to review the recommendation contained in “The Journey to Belonging in the Twin Cities Report” and identify priorities reflective of each city’s current situation and resources. Successful implementation will depend upon regular participation of a wide range of voices. It will also require recognizing that this inclusion plan represents the first phase of a multiyear initiative to rally community members to take an ownership interest over the plan, develop metrics to track progress, set city specific priorities, and identify resources to support implementation of the goals and strategies identified in this document.
For more information, please visit: New Americans in Saint Paul and East Metro Area, MN - New American Economy Research Fund and New Americans in Minneapolis - New American Economy Research Fund