A chat with Jay Luthra, Executive Director of the Indo-American Center

On April 17, 2009 I sat down with Jay Luthra, Executive Director of the Indo-American Center (IAC)to discuss his work with the IAC and its relationship with the Chicago Cultural Alliance. As a part of our interview series we get to look at the relationships that the Alliance is building with Chicago's ethnic communities. The Indo-American Center is located in Rogers Park, and its primary goal is to help South Asians integrate into American life and culture, though they don't turn anyone away (they are currently working with citizens from over 20 different nations). The IAC represents one section of society that contributes to the "melting pot" that is Chicago's cultural diversity. The Alliance mission is to "effect social change and public understanding of cultural diversity", and Luthra believes that this is an important to the IAC because we are working to make sure all different ethnicity's are recognized and treated with tolerance and respect.

The Indo-American Center is a community based organization that runs programs that flow from it's core mission principal of integration. They offer a multitude of classes in English, civic testing, and citizenship preparations. The space also serves as a area to help seniors and youth through after-school programs and free social ethnic lunches, health topics and exercise. Luthra explains their senior work in more detail, illustrating the challenges that face many South-Asian immigrants who have followed their families to American but feel lost when they arrive. The IAC aims to assist them by holding classes on how to get CTA Seniors Passes, library cards and other benefits that require going through many agencies. They also offer their space as a social gathering to meet people of similar backgrounds and comforts from home. The recent introduction of job training skills has become all more relevant during this economic hardships. The IAC offers classes that help people to build resumes, to interview for positions, and to talk to potential employers over the phone. However, Luthra notes that the IAC's shortage of space and funding means they have to turn people away from their classes and training.

For Luthra, years of working in the for-profit sector made him yearn for non-profit work. He has been the Executive Director of the Indo-American Center for a year and a half and in that time has been proud to see the center grow. With an increased budget of 30% since he started, and numerous new programs, the IAC has been able to offer more programs to its community. Luthra finds this growth rewarding as the center offers meaningful help and resources to the South-Asian community. While the relationship with the Chicago Cultural Alliance continues to grow, the Alliance has helped the IAC Board and staff members get on track through the smARTscope, a capacity building program that strengthens organizations' management capacity. With space and funding problems being all too real to many of our members, hopefully the Alliance can help lessen the effects of the current financial crisis through shared services and staff. Luthra sees social networking sites as a way to reach a whole new generation for the South-Asian community, and perhaps this is something else where the Alliance can assist.