IMPACT MATTERS

Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers

Helping Utah’s growing population of immigrant and refugee families overcome obstacles to self-sufficiency is critical for ensuring the wellbeing of Utah’s families and strengthening our entire community and economy. To understand the issues surrounding immigrants and refugees, consider the following statistics derived from United Way of Salt Lake (UWSL) research:

• Around 50 percent of children in Title I elementary schools in Salt Lake City School District have a primary language other than English.
• 19 percent of immigrants in Utah have incomes below the poverty level, compared with an average of 10 percent for the entire state.
• With an unemployment rate reaching historic lows (2.5 percent), Utah depends on immigration to fuel continued economic growth.

In 2006, UWSL convened an English Learning Opportunities (ELO) Change Council to look at the underlying problems of language acquisition and other intertwined barriers faced by English learners. The council, which is comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders consisting of businesses, faith-based organizations, English language service providers, government agencies, and other community groups, encouraged UWSL to take two immediate steps:

1. Commission a study of language acquisition barriers in Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties (the United Way of Salt Lake service area).
2. Complete extensive secondary research that would provide depth of information to the realities that immigrants and refugees face daily.

Based upon the ELO Change Council’s recommendations, UWSL commissioned researchers to study the barriers, motivators, and perceptions surrounding English language learning. The full report, Building on Common Ground: A Framework for Immigrant Integration, synthesizes literature, secondary data and the survey results to describe the many challenges to integration that immigrants and refugees face. The report found that there are many interrelated obstacles—not just language barriers—that make it difficult to for immigrants and refugees to achieve self sufficiency. English learning, therefore, should be just one component of an overarching framework for immigrant integration

The comprehensive research and analysis within Building on Common Ground will enable UWSL and the broader community to target efforts to help immigrants and refugees overcome the various obstacles that make it difficult to reach financial stability and achieve economic mobility.

The report was released June 13, 2007, at The Synergy Summit: Maximizing the Strengths of a Diverse Workforce, an event that brought together about 400 employers, service providers, researchers and policymakers to focus on helping immigrants integrate in our community.

UWSL is grateful to the Women’s Philanthropic Network, which has provided visionary leadership and financial support to our research regarding language barriers and other efforts that seek sustainable solutions to community issues.