Partnered with the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, we held a Chinese Tea Talk to invited Chinese immigrants to share their opinions regarding how we can better serve our community.
One goal of this event is to build a network of mutual support beyond the Chinese community. Besides their concerns, we also invited our guests to explore how they can help themselves and others.
How do you define success? And, What are some obstacles limiting your success?
Below are some valuable voices we collected through our Tea Talk.
How do you define success?
Living Quality, Income, and Social Status
What are some obstacles limiting your success?
- Language barrier
- Culture difference
- Limited social capital/ information for better jobs and or higher education
What do you need to accomplish that success?
- Opportunity/access to study
- Opportunity/access to activities
- Get a (better/ideal) job
Of all the needs, what needs are most important?
- Language barrier; difficulties in independently dealing with the daily living activities, even like ordering food in restaurant, transportation, etc. Some of our guests don`t want to rely on others about the language barriers.
- Job searching
What else topics do you concern?
- Need social network because immigrants barely have family or friends here
- Children education
- Immigrant integration
What kinds of services do you like to help you to succeed?
- English class
Basic level: daily living activities, including going to a doctor`s office and filling medical forms
- Learn how to start a business and get advice
- Learn about job searching, including where to look for jobs, how to write resume/ cover letter, and more information
- Assistance on getting higher education/ certificate to get a better job.
What are the most concerned topics in your local Chinese community?
- language barrier
- Economic growth
- Child education; how to choose school for children , how to apply benefit to support children education, like CCIS
- Health care and well-being
- Shopping
- Understanding American culture by herself instead of reading news from China in the past
How can Welcoming Center better serve the Chinese community?
- Arranging activities specific for kids, provide opportunities for kids to play and speak English with their peers. A young mother has no idea where she should bring her kid for entertainment activities.
- Activities held at locations where have good (public) transport
- Share information of activities through email
- Having more Chinese volunteers would be easier for them to communicate with the Welcoming Center
- More activities held in English
- Teach how to cook American food
What`s more?
Want to know more information about this activities? Please email us at ibelong.philly@gmail.com
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