Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever has. –Margaret Mead
The civic engagement program at New American Pathways educates Georgians on the positive contribution of refugees and immigrants, advocates for a welcoming environment, and ensures that new Americans have a voice in their communities. Partnerships and coalition work are the backbone of the success of our work.
In an election year voter registration and education are more important than ever. Through our work with the New Americans Workgroup of the ProGeorgia State Table (with partners such as the League of Women Voters, GALEO and more) we helped to register over 4,500 new Americans to vote, put together stronger get out the vote materials, and conducted voter education workshops. Through this partnership we work closely with the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, a new organization formed to help register, educate and engage Muslim voters in Georgia.
We are also proud to be part of the newly-formed Georgia Immigrant Alliance for Civic Empowerment, led by our long-time partners at Center for Pan-Asian Community Services and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. This coalition of 27 community groups is working to register voters, get out the vote, and help ethnic communities have increased access to citizenship services.
Our deepest connections continue to be with fellow refugee and immigrant service groups through the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies (CRSA). The CRSA works to advocate on behalf of refugee and immigrant communities, to educate the general public about new Americans in Georgia, and to educate new Americans about how to advocate for themselves. Through the CRSA we have helped to lead an annual advocacy day at the state Capitol, the New Americans Celebration, bringing out hundreds of new Americans and supporters to speak to our elected officials about the many positive effects new Americans have on Georgia.
We are proud of all we have achieved, but know that we have succeeded because we have worked together with other individuals and organizations to bring more services to our communities. We know that as we continue to build partnerships we can empower more new Americans to become better engaged in their communities.