The program restructuring came when we decided to reflect on our mission, and change programs to provide the best help to our women. Our programs are structured in ways that build on one another. When a woman joins our community, we assess her needs and place them in the program that best meets her goals. Programs are open to all members of the immigrant community, though spots are prioritized for women. The English language is the foundation of our programs. We will soon be offering 8-week pronunciation courses and Proficiency in Oral English Communication (POEC) assessments to help participants improve their intelligibility.
In Her Presence is serving in three various ways:
- IHP Programs help our participants to increase their language knowledge, build their career path, and other skills necessary to empower themselves
- Community Response Initiatives programs are created based on identified areas of need of participants
- Organizational Services are provided to businesses and organizations looking to improve the experiences of immigrant employees or clients
IHP Programs
Under IHP programs, we have 3 subprograms:
Find Your Voice focuses on contextual English through classes and speech therapy. The program allows women to better transition to their new home. There will be a new level called English for Career Success, which will equip participants with the tools needed to find a career in their fields of interest.
Build Your Dream focuses on career fulfillment through consultations, mentorship, partnerships, etc., allowing women to discover their long-term path of success. We currently collaborate with organizations to help participants understand the professional job market and get internships and shadowing support. Our Partners include Allagash, Trader Joe’s, Prosperity Maine, UNUM, Hannaford, and MEMIC.
Lead The Way, which utilizes In Her Kitchen, In Her Classroom, and In Her Care. They are all based on the women’s career paths to help propel them into new positions and opportunities. Through In Her Kitchen, we are bringing together individuals with culinary experience and highlighting their skills with innovative activities. Currently, the members of In Her Kitchen are working on releasing a cookbook in partnership with MECA. We are looking to begin selling and distributing products to local restaurants and providing cultural training and cooking classes.
Community Response Initiatives
Furthermore, the Community Response Initiatives is run through:
Heal Your Body is inspired by yoga classes. The program has blossomed into an ongoing series of health and wellbeing programs, events, and forums to address community challenges. Past and current events include substance use, stress management, prenatal and infant care, yoga for women, and health access equity.
Child and Family focus on the difficulties faced by women coming into the workforce alongside childcare. Therefore allowing children to thrive as much as the women in their careers.
Meet Your Needs allows our women not to worry about basic needs for themselves and their families. These programs help to provide women better ease into the workforce as they become strong and independent community leaders.
Organizational Services
We lastly offer Organizational Services as:
Organizational Partnerships, we work with organizations on a long-term strategy for collaboration and partnership to provide better access to volunteers, mentorship, and ensuring cross-cultural understanding.
Public Speaking is a new way in which IHP seeks to spread our mission to more people. We send one or a team of expert speakers to speak at events, conferences, or companies about cultural communication, power, language acquisition, code-switching, and much more.
Community Engagement provides opportunities to bring together community members to engage the immigrant community with those who care about these topics.
