The Implications of an Aging Undocumented Population in Illinois

Both academic and public access literature regarding undocumented immigrant older adults is incredibly sparse, and there is no known literature forecasting its growth or the impact of that growth. Therefore, this two-part project commissioned a demographic report to analyze the current undocumented population in Illinois and its projected growth by 2030. We then convened a cross-sector collaborative of leaders in aging, healthcare, immigrant services, and their intersections to discuss the direct practice and structural policy implications of an aging undocumented community. According to this report, the number of undocumented immigrants who are over the age of 55 in Illinois will grow drastically by the year 2030. In fact, the population aged 65 to 74 will increase from 3,392 to 47,271 (more than a twelve-fold increase), and those aged 75-84 will increase from 594 to 7,621 (an eleven-fold increase). Under the current immigration and healthcare systems, without access to Medicaid, Medicare, or any public benefits, these individuals have extremely limited access to services necessary for older adults to age successfully in place—rehab, nursing homes, home health, homemaker services, long-term care, etc. The study also analyzed demographics from the current undocumented older adult population. This poster will summarize the findings of the demographic portion of the report, the themes and findings of the structural and practice implications of an aging undocumented community in Illinois, and provide policy recommendations to prepare for the wave of undocumented older adults by 2030.

Canadian Immigrant Youth and the Education-Employment Nexus

Canada’s population of immigrant youth between the ages of 15 and 35 is approaching 3 million and growing rapidly. Youth are critical to Canada’s goal of recruiting immigrants to expand the economy, but there is insufficient information about their school and work experiences and inadequate support to ensure their successful integration into the workforce. This literature review investigates the connection between education and work for Canadian immigrant youth. It documents obstacles in the form of underfunded settlement services, lack of diversity in the school curriculum, inadequate English-language instruction at all levels of schooling, racially and ethnically biased streaming of students into the lowest educational track in high school, rejection of foreign school transcripts and work credentials, employers’ prejudice and discrimination, and workplace exploitation. The number and magnitude of these systemic impediments create significant obstacles for immigrant youth. A major cause of these issues is insufficient funding for immigrant services under neoliberal economic policies. The outcomes for immigrant youth include failure to finish secondary and postsecondary education, a long-term cycle of employment in low-skill, low-wage jobs, and socioeconomic hardship such as poverty and homelessness. The authors call for greater attention to this critical population and make nine recommendations that would contribute to solutions in each major issue area impacting the education of Canadian immigrant youth and their entry into the workforce.

Leadership in Self-organized Systems: Squaring the Circle or a New Kind of Responsibility?

Current changes in society, in particular globalization, demographic trends, and changes in the labour market, have far-reaching implications for how we live and work together. Common social problems, for instance, are becoming more complex and new problematic situations continually arise. With cuts in the social sector and increasing demands for efficiency and effectiveness, overall conditions are becoming worse. Faced with these developments, social security systems are increasingly pushed to the limit and are forced to redefine their areas of responsibility. In addition, we must take account the issue of crowding-out processes in the social sphere. Large, mostly internationally operating enterprises for example are increasingly receiving performance contracts from governments in the areas of elderly care or immigrant services. It is also apparent that social service organizations are overloaded and that their established structures and historically evolved market positions are eroding. In the current discussion, we have to find answers to at least two questions within the context of developing organizations:1.            How should we build organizations so that they are able to withstand or handle these challenges?2.            How can we define the role of leadership in these organizations?First, we will discuss the concept of responsibility. We will then describe the different challenges that organizations face, particularly in the social sector. Based on Frederic Laloux’s (2014) model of “Evolutionary Organizations,” we will present a critical discussion of the possibilities for responsible leadership that are available to organizations in the social sector.

Supporting college students through peer mentoring: Serving immigrant students

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) Immigrant Services program enlists the support of peer mentors to provide holistic support to the institution’s immigrant, refugee, and English Language Learner (ELL) populations. These peer mentors are highly specialized in their student employee role and are trained to provide academic and personal support. Peer mentors support students with such issues as English writing support, scholarship applications, and connection to immigration resources. The Immigrant Services program at MSU Denver could not function without this student employment position. The Student Academic Success Center at the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) hosts a variety of programs that support students in persisting through college. These programs scale from supporting the student population at-large to targeting specific populations that have been identified to need specialized support. The Immigrant Services Program provides support to a specific population of students at MSU Denver that includes immigrants, refugees, undocumented and Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) students, and English Language Learners (ELL). Highly trained peer mentors work with students individually and as a group to support their transition to college and onward through graduation.

Gendered Immigration: Implications and Impact on Social Work Education

Gendered immigration is a frame of reference for contextualizing the need for gender-specific immigrant services. Like other immigration societies, the United States disproportionately pays less attention to immigrant women. This article is a conceptual examination of the critical challenges faced by immigrant women from a global perspective. Special attention is given to the importance of social work education regarding service delivery structures for an increasing number of immigrant women in the United States.