The City of Champaign was recently selected as one of three communities nationwide to be a pilot site to beta test the Welcoming Standard 2.0 and the starred certification system for Certified Welcoming. The certification demonstrates our commitment to our values of welcoming everyone who chooses to call Champaign home, including immigrants and refugees.
The City has worked with staff from the New American Welcome Center to complete a self-assessment of the Champaign community’s policies and procedures. This week, staff from Welcoming America came to visit Champaign and meet with community partners and government representatives as a follow-up to the information provided in the self-assessment. The auditors met with a variety of community organizations and city departments including: Equity and Engagement Department, New American Welcome Center, Planning Department, City Manager’s Office, Researcher at the Native American and Indigenous Language Lab, Finance Department, Economic Development Corporation, Crisis Department, Regional Planning Commission, Parkland Community College, Champaign Police Department, Champaign Fire Department, Champaign County Emergency Management Agency, Champaign Urbana Public Health District, Neighborhood Services Department, Latine Community Leader + Parent Liaison at USD116, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, Chinese American Association of Central Illinois, The Refugee Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unit 4 School District, The Immigration Project, and the Congolese Community of Champaign County.
Staff and community representatives were able to gather for lunch to continue building connections. The City was honored to be a part of this pilot program and we look forward to moving forward with Welcoming America!
More information about Welcoming America can be found here. Information about the specific pilot program that we are a part of can be found here.