Introduction
Throughout our history, immigrants have given this country their dreams, their labor, and their wisdom. As each group arrives - the Vietnamese, Somalis, Salvadorans, Bosnians, Chinese, Irish, and all the rest - they bring their ideas, their food, their holidays, and their strong hands and minds to enrich our nation.
Most of us have ancestors who came to the United States as immigrants - either willingly or unwillingly. We know how their welcome, or lack of it, affected their lives and the lives of generations that followed.
The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) can help many immigrant elders achieve economic self-sufficiency and meaningful civic participation. How well we are able to respond to the needs of immigrant elders directly affects their chances of success. The more we are able to communicate effectively across different cultures and languages, the more effective we can be in serving our diverse communities.
In addition to physical and psychological changes that are part of the normal aging process, immigrant elders also must deal with dislocation and loss, isolation because of language and cultural differences, and confusion - and sometimes shock - at various American attitudes and cultural practices.
To participate fully in American society, immigrant seniors may need help understanding and using English in the workplace and in their communities. They may need help comprehending mainstream U.S. culture, especially as it affects the world of work. For example, they may need to learn how to make small talk on the job and adapt to American concepts of time and schedule. These elders may also need assistance in figuring out mainstream American ways of dealing with gender, age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.
This guide is written primarily for the staffs of organizations that assist immigrant seniors to enter or re-enter the workforce. Our intended audience includes the staff of SCSEP programs, One-Stop or workforce development agencies, agencies on aging and other providers of services to older adults, and English language or ESL instruction programs.
The first part of this guide provides an overview of the older immigrant population in the United States and describes ways to think about how language and culture are interconnected. We give special attention to cultural differences in work-place settings. In its next part, this guide offers practical information and advice on integrating low-income immigrant seniors into the economic and community life of their new country. It includes scenarios to promote reflection on real work situations, helpful information to use when selecting English as a second language (ESL) providers and teachers, and activities that encourage English language communication. Finally, this guide concludes with a list of references and additional resources to help service providers working in multicultural environments.
In reading the rest of this guide, consider:
- Building bridges between cultures is a two-way process that takes effort on the part of immigrants and the native-born. We all can learn from one another, and we all need to make an effort to communicate.
- Learning a new language is a difficult process and can take many years, especially for those who did not complete a high school education.
- Culture affects individuals in unique ways, including how they treat others and how they expect to be treated by those from different age groups and gender.
- No matter what their cultural background, immigrant seniors are individuals and may or may not behave in ways that are typical for their cultures.
- Sensitivity to cultural and language differences and our competence in dealing with diversity has a big impact on efforts of SCSEP providers - among others - to recruit, retain, and place immigrant seniors, as well as those who come from different regions of this country.