• What is the WeBelongMSP Employer Resource Hub?

  • The WeBelongMSP Employer Resource Hub is a place for employers to find resources, connections, and opportunities focused on creating inclusive and welcoming workplaces for immigrants and refugees.

  • Inside the hub you'll find:

    • A curated list of organizations and agencies that can provide technical assistance and advice about issues facing your business, organization or workforce in the Resource Compass

    • A collection of articles and educational resources on a wide variety of topics including human resource practices, diversity and inclusion, workforce trends and employee recruitment strategies in our Knowledge Center.

    • Recorded and upcoming events hosted by local and national organizations focused on issues impacting immigrant and refugees, workforce trends, challenges and solutions, as well as employer best practices. 

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• Why did the Minneapolis Regional Chamber launch this initiative?

  • WeBelongMSP came about as a result of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber’s participation in the Gateways for Growth Challenge. The Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G) is a competitive opportunity for localities to receive research support and technical assistance from the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in their communities.

  • In the fall of 2020 the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, with support from the City of Minneapolis, applied for and was awarded the Gateways for Growth Challenge grant, making us one of only 19 communities chosen for this opportunity.

  • Minneapolis was awarded research report as well as direct technical assistance, allowing us to work with community stakeholders to develop a multi-sector strategic plan to improve immigrant and refugee inclusion in the City of Minneapolis.

  • In March 2021, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, in partnership with the St. Paul Area Chamber, City of Minneapolis and City of St. Paul, released The Journey to Belonging in the Twin Cities, a roadmap for promoting full immigrant and refugee participation in civic, cultural, and economic life in the Twin Cities.

  • Our state’s character is inseparable from the story of immigration, and we know immigration is a cornerstone of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region’s economic competitiveness.

  • We also know that there is much more work to be done to ensure immigrants, refugees and New Americans actually have the resources they need to succeed. The resources provided via the Gateways for Growth Challenge Grant presented an opportunity work with a broad range of stakeholders and community leaders to create a comprehensive roadmap to making the Twin Cities a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees.​​​

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• What is in The Journey to Belonging plan?

  • The Journey to Belonging in the Twin Cities is a strategic plan that provides recommendations for a more robust welcoming infrastructure that will strengthen immigrant and refugee inclusion in the regional economy.

  • We are describing this strategic plan as a roadmap, but it is also important to emphasize that we want this to be a living document. This is an ambitious plan that relies on the buy-in of a wide range of stakeholders, and we also anticipated that some of these strategies will need to modified over time in order to meet the needs of the immigrant and refugee community.

  • The plan is broken down into four thematic areas – Connected Communities, Safe Communities, Equitable Access to Education, Housing, and Healthcare, and Economic and Workforce Development. These thematic areas are based on Welcoming America’s Welcoming Standard, which provides a comprehensive roadmap for places building more cohesive and equitable communities and fostering connections between newer immigrants and longtime residents. The Welcoming Standard also sets benchmarks that community organizations, residents, and others can use to hold welcoming places accountable and inspire continued innovation.

  • Within each thematic area there are three goals and 2-4 strategies aimed at achieving the broader goal.​

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• How did we develop these recommendations?

  • In addition to 1:1 stakeholder meetings, The Advisory Committee met monthly from August-November of 2021 to endorse the thematic areas selected, discuss the most significant topics impacting immigrant and refugee residents of the Twin Cities and develop recommendations that resonated with the Advisory Committee as being reflective of the unique situations in each city.

  • One of the consistent themes throughout the engagement process was a sense of frustration at what was being described as “over-engagement” or “survey fatigue” without ever seeing input reflected in a final product. In an attempt to solve for this we did an inventory of existing reports and survey data to help inform these recommendations.