Meet Katie

During the summer of 2004 I participated in a program called Hands of Peace, which brought 20 teenagers to the Chicago area from the Middle East in order to foster long term peaceful coexistence among Jewish-Israelis, Arab Israelis, and West Bank Palestinians. As an American participant, I not only was able to gain valuable knowledge of the conflict plaguing those in the Palestine/Israel region, but I also became exposed to cultures different from my own, ultimately allowing me to recognize our common humanity. It was my experience with Hands of Peace that aroused my interest in learning about different cultures and my commitment to promoting public understanding of cultural diversity.

I just finished my junior year at the University of Notre Dame, where I am pursuing a double major in Arabic and Political Science. In order to explore the various cultures I had been learning about throughout my classes at school, I set off to Morocco last summer to continue my Arabic language studies and gain first-hand experience of Arab culture. I had such an amazing experience in Morocco that I decided to go abroad yet again, this time to London, giving me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe and experience the many cultures Europe has to offer. I was able to learn so much during my time abroad and am excited to develop my knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity-in the city I call home- while simultaneously gaining experience with non-profit work through my internship with the Chicago Cultural Alliance.

Meet Cara

I grew up in Harrison, OH (near Cincinnati, for those of you unacquainted with Ohio's small towns), the oldest of six children (which proved a valuable way to gain important people skills). During high school, my family hosted an Irish student in our home through a program called the Ulster Project, an exchange program which paired Northern Irish teens from Protestant and Catholic families with students in various cities throughout the U.S. The goal of the project was to promote tolerance, friendship, and understanding between two historically troubled religious groups. I spent a month that summer with a group of American and Irish teens, participating in outings, picnics, and talent shows, as well as community service projects and serious discussions about relevant political and social issues. That experience sparked a lasting interest in and desire to learn about other cultures.

My educational background is in music: I received my bachelor's degree in piano performance from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and then attended Yale to pursue a PhD in music history. After many grueling hours of coursework, student teaching, and completing my dissertation, I decided to pursue a non-academic career that would incorporate my love of the arts and education. Last summer, I moved to Chicago to find work in the vibrant arts and culture community here. Following a freelance research position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I began my internship at the Alliance, which has been a phenomenal opportunity to learn the ins and outs of non-profit work. I enjoy the challenge and flexibility involved in tackling many different types of projects, from event planning and grant preparation to writing for the Alliance newsletter and blog. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this internship has been the chance to meet and interact with so many fascinating people and to get to know my new, adopted hometown through the eyes of Chicago's diverse communities.

Angeli's bio

Having grown up as the child of immigrant parents, I was always interested in global affairs and traveling. It helped that my parents took us all over the world to visit different cultures. I decided to expand upon this idea and spend my entire university career abroad in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. I enjoyed myself studying in another country so much that I will be starting a double masters at Peking University in Beijing and the London School of Economics in International Affairs.

I have enjoyed working at the Chicago Cultural Alliance immensely because I am able to learn about the numerous ethnic communities in Chicago and how they have joined to form museums and the Alliance. It has been especially interesting to see how the economic downturn is affecting the communities in Chicago, when the larger media mainly ignores this subject.

While I did not know that much about social networking when I started this internship, I feel confident enough now to hold a workshop to instruct people on how use these sites more effectively. We continually hear about a generational difference in these communities, and social networking is just one way to try to reach out to the younger generations.

My work on the Talking Im/migration includes attending a very interesting workshop on telling immigrant stories, and a lot of work with Rebeccah and Mario and Rosa at The Field Museum.

I have learned a lot about working in a non-profit, and working with the many different ethnic communities in Chicago. I will be sad to go!

Immigration Storytelling Workshop

On Monday, May 11, 2009 a group gathered in the basement of the Cambodian American Heritage Museum to discuss immigrant stories in a workshop hosted by the Chicago Cultural Alliance and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. The Medill School of Journalism was recently awarded a grant from the Carnegie Foundation to start a collection of immigrant stories to be placed on Immigrant Connect Chicago.

The workshop, run by Jack Doppelt, a professor at the Medill, focused on teaching the participants the core questions and interview techniques required to draw out the stories that everyone has about immigration or migration. With the assistance of some written prompts, the group divided into partners and began to tell each other their stories, or the stories of someone they knew. The results were astounding; when given the task of reporting on other people's story, everyone was able to relate the story of their partner in great detail.

With the knowledge of how to start asking the questions that can facilitate dialogue about an individual's immigration experience, this workshop was timed to occur one week before the Talking about Im/migration facilitator training workshop at The Field Museum. These skills will be expanded during the day-long session on Monday, May 18 2009 and over the next few months.

The Immigrant Connect Chicago program is an online forum, where people can write their own stories or contact a member/student of the university program to assist them with writing their story. The ultimate purpose of this program is to bridge immigrant groups and cross ethnic and generational lines within communities. Their goal can in many ways be assisted by the Alliance, and makes the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University an ideal partner organization. For further information on sharing your own, or someone else's immigration story, you can can contact Professor Doppelt and his students at contact@immigrantconnect.org.