This document summarizes research conducted by the Cisneros Center for New Americans on the experiences of immigrant communities in Northwest Arkansas. Through community forums and feedback sessions with over 300 immigrants, the research found that while immigrants appreciate employment opportunities and education, they face significant barriers to services due to high costs, language access issues, and lack of awareness. Recommendations included expanding orientation programs, affordable services like childcare, and addressing the specific needs of communities like the Marshallese. Service organizations reported needing more resources to provide translation and outreach. Regional leaders saw a need for greater workforce training and transportation access for diverse communities.

1. New Americans in Northwest Arkansas:
A Qualitative Community Assessment

2. By Dr. Donna Davis, Zessna Garcia-Rios, Emily Hackerson, Madeline Holland
Researchers: Jennifer Aguirre, Jessica Boyd, Donna Davis, Zessna Garcia-Rios, Emily Hackerson,
Jacob Perry
April 2016
Cisneros Center for New Americans
1805 7th St NW
Washinton, DC 20001
Northwest Arkansas Office
614 E Emma Ave, Suite 234
Springdale, AR 72764
Suggested citation: Davis, Donna, Zessna Garcia-Rios, Emily Hackerson, and Madeline Holland.
2016. New Americans in Northwest Arkansas: A Qualitative Community Assessment. Sprindgale, AR:
Cisneros Center for New Americans.

3. Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
Background
Aims of the research
1. New American Community
Community Forums
Demographics
Methods
Findings
Community Feedback Sessions
Demographics
Methods
Findings
2. Service Organizations
Organizational Needs Assessment
Demographics
Methods
Findings
3. Regional Leadership
Leadership Forums
Demographics
Methods
Findings
Conclusion
Contents
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4. Executive
Summary
The Cisneros Center for New Americans is
a 501(c)(3) working in Northwest Arkansas
to facilitate collaborative and comprehensive
approaches to immigrant integration. Northwest
Arkansas’ foreign-born population has grown
tremendously in the last decades, increasing
from 1.9% of the total population in 1990 to
11.25% of the population in 2014. Northwest
Arkansas is one of the nation’s “emerging
immigrant gateways,” attracting large numbers
of New Americans despite little history of
immigration.
From 2014 - 2016, the Cisneros Center has
conducted extensive qualitative research on the
experiences of New Americans in Northwest
Arkansas, as well as gathered perspectives from
regional leaders and service-providers. The aim
of this qualitative research has been to identify
which aspects of life in Northwest Arkansas are
most amenable to New American residents and
which aspects present the greatest challenges.
Our research revealed that a large majority
of New Americans feel at home in Northwest
Arkansas and appreciate especially the ample
work opportunities, the strong education system,
and the tranquility and safety of the area. Among
those surveyed, high-school-aged residents were
more likely to say they did not “feel welcome in
Northwest Arkansas.”
Our research also demonstrated that the New
American population in Northwest Arkansas is
not monolithic, and different ethnic communities
experience distinct barriers to full integration
in civic, social, and economic life. However,
common challenges that our respondents
identified include: prohibitive costs of services
and activities; inability to access needed services
because of a lack of translated materials and
interpretation, complex processes of registration
for services, and uncertainty about how to
access them. Respondents recommended the
expansion of affordable services including: adult
educational programming, after-school programs
for youth, childcare options, college preparation,
public transportation, and community orientation
programs.
The challenges New Americans faced were
echoed by the challenges organizations
identified in fulfilling their missions. Organizations
cited the need for increased capacity to offer
more translation, interpretation, and community
outreach to immigrant populations. Organizations
also noted a desire for a more developed
workforce and the need for staff that is more
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5. representative of the populations they serve.
Regional leadership observed a need for more
leadership training for diverse populations,
expanded public transportation, increased
financial assistance for education, and more
effective communication about services in
Northwest Arkansas.
Common goals across the three surveyed groups
include greater cross-sector and cross-cultural
communication, and greater opportunities for
New Americans to develop skills and leadership
needed for the local workforce.
Limited resources posed a challenges for New
Americans and for organizations. New Americans
pointed to prohibitive costs of activities and
services, while organizations needed greater
capacity to offer better translation, interpretation,
and expanded programming.
NOTE: Throughout the report, we will use the
term “New American” to refer to all foreign-born
individuals regardless of immigration status.
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6. Introduction
Background
There are presently more New Americans than at
any time in the United States’ history, and many
are settling in communities with little history of
immigration. While this growth represents an
enormous opportunity for our country and for
many communities being revitalized by new
populations, it also presents challenges; in
communities unused to adapting to demographic
shift, New Americans can face barriers that
lead to lower levels of education, lower wages,
and higher levels of poverty than their native-
born counterparts, as well as their foreign-born
counterparts in other parts of the country.
How communities learn to respond to their
changing populations is a question of national
relevance and significance as the social,
economic, and civic life of the country will
be shaped by these responses. 80% of the
country’s population growth in the next 40 years
is projected to be driven by immigrants and
their children, as well as much of our country’s
workforce growth. Much of the change will
be experienced most acutely in “emerging
gateways,” those regions that have experienced
massive growth in their immigrant populations in
the last 40 years.
The Cisneros Center for New Americans opened
its doors in Northwest Arkansas in August of
2014. Northwest Arkansas is among these
“emerging gateways”; the region’s immigrant
population grew by 850% in the last 20 years.
Northwest Arkansas can be seen as a case study
in community adaptation to demographic shift.
Northwest Arkansas can be seen
as a case study in community
adaptation to demographic shift.
The Cisneros Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit
501(c)(3) whose mission is to ensure that all
Americans, whether native-born or adopted
by our nation, have the opportunity to achieve
their American Dream. The primary focus of the
Cisneros Center is immigrant integration, the
dynamic, two-way process by which immigrants
and migrants are welcomed into the social,
political, and economic mainstream of a new
location while simultaneously offering novel
contributions that in turn alter the broader
community. The following research contributes to
the Center’s work to facilitate a more
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7. collaborative and comprehensive region-wide
approach to immigrant integration.
All of the research in the following study was
conducted by staff members of the Cisneros
Center for New Americans. Much of the research
was conducted within the Cisneros Center’s
own programming, while other portions of
theresearch were conducted as part of the
Center’s role in the EngageNWA Immigrants
from Abroad Coalition, a community coalition
which brings together individuals across sectors
and demographics to work collaboratively on
immigrant integration in Northwest Arkansas.
The Cisneros Center serves as co-chair of the
EngageNWA Immigrants from Abroad coalition.
Aims of the Research
A significant portion of the Cisneros Center’s
work in its first two years of operation in
Northwest Arkansas has been to engage a
diverse array of stakeholders in Northwest
Arkansas, including New American residents,
community leaders and service organization
professionals. A critical goal of this engagement
has been to gather diverse stakeholders’
perspectives on which areas of life in Northwest
Arkansas are most amenable to New Americans,
and which aspects of life create the greatest
challenges. This research contributes to a larger
body of findings of life in an “emerging immigrant
gateway” in the 21st century, of which Northwest
Arkansas is a prime example.
Quantitative data drawn from 2014 Census
responses reveals that the foreign-born
population in each of the four major cities in
Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale,
Rogers, and Bentonville, have disparate
outcomes from native-born residents across
metrics including: educational attainment, wages
for full-time employees, and poverty rates.
Across the Northwest Arkansas region, foreign-
born residents are nearly five times as likely to
not have a high school diploma; foreign-born
residents are more likely to be concentrated
in low-wage, manual-labor jobs; foreign-born
residents of all family compositions are more
likely to be living in poverty.
To complement the quantitative data available
about the outcomes of foreign-born residents
in the region, the Cisneros Center undertook
qualitative research. Year one research was
conducted primarily in small group settings and
community forums, while in year two, research
was combined with community feedback
sessions on a digital tool designed for resource
access.
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8. 1.
New American
Community
conducted in order to hear from community
members about strengths and areas of growth of
community services, and to gather ideas for what
can be done to better address community needs.
i. Demographics
In total, 101 immigrant or migrant residents of
Northwest Arkansas were interviewed during
these forums about their experience in Northwest
Arkansas. Groups interviewed included Asian,
Latino, and Pacific Islander. Specific nationalities
included: Hmong, Japanese, Vietnamese,
Chinese, Mexican, Salvadoran, Indian, and
Marshallese respondents. Of 101 respondents,
52 were high school students, while the other 49
were working-age adults.
ii. Methods
Six one-hour community forums were conducted
in February and March of 2015. Each forum
targeted a different diverse community in
Northwest Arkansas, and were co-facilitated
by the Cisneros Center and a member of the
respective community. Forums were conducted
in familiar settings, in the native language of the
respondents, and notes were taken to record
information.
Over the course of two years, the Cisneros
Center has actively engaged over 300 New
Americans in conversation about immigrant
life in Northwest Arkansas. The following
findings reflect the wide range of experiences
for these individuals and families, while also
highlighting some of the shared successes and
struggles faced while building a new life in their
communities. All of these conversations took
place in small-group settings, with an aim of
gaining a better understanding the experiences
of our newest neighbors.
Some common themes that arose from these
conversations centered on the difficulties to
integrating and accessing services arising from
language barriers, a pronounced desire for more
scholarship and higher education opportunities
and a concerns of navigating healthcare
and insurance systems. However, despite
common struggles, an overwhelming majority
of New Americans feel at home in Northwest
Arkansas. Findings are presented below from
the community forums and community feedback
sessions.
A. Community Forums
Throughout 2014-2015, community forums were
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9. The structure of the forums included
introductions and icebreakers, followed by
two facilitated conversations using a 1-2-4-
all liberating structure. This type of meeting
facilitation involves posing questions or topics,
where first each individual thinks to themselves
about their responses, then partners form and
share their ideas with each other, pairs then
share with other pairs and finally, the whole
group comes together to flesh ideas out together.
The first 1-2-4-all session asked the following
two questions:
-What specific services are you accessing in
the community of Northwest Arkansas?
-What are the strengths in service provision in
Northwest Arkansas?
The second 1-2-4-all session asked the following
questions of respondents:
-What is still needed or needs to be improved
in service provision in Northwest Arkansas?
-What can be done in the community and
through EngageNWA (a community coalition)
to better address your needs?
iii. Findings
The employment opportunities and educational
programs for immigrant parents and their
children were some of the most mentioned
regional strengths. The most commonly
mentioned areas of growth were cultural
orientation for new arrivals and general
accessibility and awareness of services.
When identifying areas of strength in the
Northwest Arkansas region, respondents said
that there were ample work opportunities,
especially in the fields of animal-processing,
agriculture, and construction. Respondents
also commented on the quality of programs
for immigrant parents including ESL, GED,
and citizenship classes and specific family
engagement and new arrivals programs in local
public schools.
Some families were aware of free or low-cost
social services, health insurance and healthcare
options, as well as where to access legal
services or financial services.
When identifying areas of growth in service
provision to immigrants in Northwest Arkansas,
respondents identified many factors that
prevented them from taking full advantage of
existing services.
Many respondents indicated the prohibitive
costs of services ranging from health and dental
care to recreational programs including sports,
music, arts, etc., and of child-care options. Many
respondents also said that language barriers
prevented them from accessing services.
Insufficient translations and interpreters or
bilingual staff reduced respondent’s ability to
understand and apply for services and programs.
Many respondents said that
prohibitively high costs and
language barriers prevented
them from accessing services.
In addition to language barriers, respondents
indicated that the process of registration for
some services was prohibitively complex, and
individuals had difficulty either completing the
necessary paperwork or understanding the
necessary steps to follow. Beyond this, many
respondents said that they did not know how to
find out about which services were available to
them.
Respondents identified areas in which existing
services could be bolstered to better serve them.
They cited a need for more training programs
in technical or artisan careers, expanded
immigration services to meet the growing
population of those with legal complications
concerning immigration, expanded child-care
options which would allow parents to participate
more in community life, more scholarship
opportunities for higher education, and more and
improved college-readiness programs for first-
generation college students.
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10. A recurring area of growth identified by
respondents was in orientation programs for new
arrivals on the following areas: state and federal
laws, local culture and customs, processes for
accessing services, and educational, health, and
financial systems.
A recurring area of growth
identified by respondents was
orientation programming for new
arrivals.
Marshallese respondents identified several
barriers particular to the Marshallese community
in Northwest Arkansas. These respondents
said that accessing health services was difficult
for Marshallese adults whose health insurance
options were restricted. Respondents said
that the driver’s license test was not offered in
Marshallese, making it difficult for Marshallese
residents to obtain their licenses. Marshallese
community members also cited a need for
increased public understanding of Marshallese
culture.
Marshallese community members
cited a need for increased public
understanding of Marshallese
culture.
Hmong respondents identified the need
for increased mobile services, especially
health, which are particularly needed by rural
populations with limited transportation.
Indian respondents said that they faced a lack
of professional mobility in part because of visa
requirements which limited the range of their
work area. They also said they faced difficulty
transferring skills and/or higher education
degrees, leaving several skilled workers unable
to apply their skills. Due to visa restrictions, many
spouses of employed immigrants are unable
to work, creating a barrier to their community
participation.
B. Community Feedback Sessions
Now in its second year in Northwest Arkansas,
the Cisneros Center staff is actively building on
the first year model of small-group, facilitated
discussions with members from the region’s
New American communities. This research is an
integral part of the Center’s ongoing efforts to
listen to, record, and create awareness on both
the challenges and opportunities immigrants and
migrants navigate daily in Northwest Arkansas.
i. Demographics
Across all presentation formats, 150 first and
second generation immigrants participated
in Cisneros Center surveys and feedback
sessions. At least 75 more were present at
sessions but did not provide written feedback. An
overwhelming majority of respondents identified
as Hispanic/Latino,with countries of origin
including: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador,
Brazil, Honduras, Argentina and Venezuela.
Other respondent nationalities included: India,
China, Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Palestine,
England and Bangladesh.
ii. Methods
Since August of 2015, the Cisneros Center
has facilitated 27 group discussions with New
Americans in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale
and Fayetteville. This is an ongoing project, with
an average of 5 feedback sessions conducted
monthly. The structure of the sessions varies
slightly depending on respondents and their
context, outlined below. All sessions, regardless
of structure, aim to better understand the
immediate and long-term needs of New
Americans in Northwest Arkansas, with
emphasis on their ability to effectively access
community and public services.
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11. Family Literacy Programs -
The Springdale Family Literacy Program (SFLP)
and Rogers P.A.D.R.E.S program support
Hispanic and immigrant educational needs in
the region by providing parents with the literacy
and language skills necessary to better engage
with their children’s school and education. The
programs also invite local nonprofits to speak
with families about local resources.
The Cisneros Center has conducted 17
feedback sessions with SFLP and P.A.D.R.E.S.
The classes have ranged between 3 - 18
respondents, 89% of whom are Hispanic/Latina
women. The feedback sessions are conducted in
Spanish by two Cisneros Center staff members
and last between 40 - 60 minutes depending on
the size of the group.
To encourage openness, facilitators start the
discussion by sharing a personal story regarding
immigrant integration in the region, as well as
giving background on the work and mission
of the Cisneros Center. The facilitators lead
respondents through a series of ten questions on
their experiences of living in Northwest Arkansas.
Notes and question responses are handwritten
by facilitators, as well as recorded on separate
handouts by respondents.
Adult English Language Learner Classrooms-
The Cisneros Center has held six feedback
sessions with adult English language classes
at the Northwest Technical Institute (NTI)
and Northwest Arkansas Community College
(NWACC). The class sizes ranged between
10 - 30 respondents. The demographic makeup
of class respondents was diverse, with adult
students from Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and
South America, though the majority of students
self-identified as Hispanic/Latino.
Feedback sessions are conducted in English to
accommodate the range of languages spoken
in the classes, though some discussions are
conducted in Spanish and English if the majority
of students are Spanish speakers. The feedback
sessions follow the same format as the SFLP
and P.A.D.R.E.S. discussions. Notes and
question responses are handwritten by
facilitators, as well as recorded on separate
handouts by respondents.
High School Students-
Working with Rogers New Tech High School, the
Cisneros Center has begun preliminary research
with young adults, surveying 35 first and second
generation Hispanic/Latino students over four
sessions.
These discussions primarily seek feedback on
a digital resource guide the Cisneros Center
is developing for New Americans and their
families. However, students are also surveyed
on experiences of accessing community
services and sense of belonging in the region.
This data contributes to the Center’s broader
understanding of New American experience in
Northwest Arkansas.
High school discussion sessions are led by two
Cisneros Center staff in English. The sessions
are 30 minutes in length and conclude with a
take-home survey (homework) of 18 questions.
Survey responses are submitted online by
students, with instructions to complete answers
with input from their parents (parents are majority
first generation Hispanics/Latinos)
iii. Findings
Family Literacy Programs and English Language
Learner Classrooms-
Findings from the adult feedback sessions
focused on barriers respondents experienced
when trying to access community services in
Northwest Arkansas. Most frequently cited were
difficulties regarding language, including: lack
of translators or bilingual staff available to help
respondents navigate the service; few to no
official documents available in languages other
than English; experiences of discrimination for
not speaking English; and feeling unable to
advocate for oneself or children due to language
barriers.
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12. Participant feedback frequently mentioned
the need for more educational opportunities,
including: information on how to validate
professional licenses from their countries of
origin; more ESL classes; how to advocate for
children with special needs; and scholarship
opportunities for college-bound children.
Comments regarding health access were
also amongst the highest-reported concerns,
with emphasis on how to navigate medical
insurance, including: understanding the terms
of their coverage; how to get insurance; options
available for medical care if you don’t have
insurance; and assistance for paying off medical
bills. Lack of adequate translation services/
options at medical facilities was one of the most
commonly cited barriers to accessing services in
the Northwest Arkansas region.
Health care access was among
the highest-reported concerns,
with an emphasis on how to
navigate medical insurance.
The findings pointed largely to a lack of
understanding of how to use a service, as
opposed to difficulty locating or finding the
service. Participants noted the difficulty of
knowing all the necessary steps in completing a
certain process, such as using their insurance,
and not having the English language skills to
advocate for themselves as they would like.
Out of 112 survey respondents asked “Do you
feel at home in Northwest Arkansas?” 90%
responded affirmatively, 6% were unsure and
4% said they do not feel at home here. 10% of
respondents wrote they have experienced some
form of discrimination while accessing a service,
primarily for not speaking English. Many more
cited feeling welcome in this region, believing it
to be a very safe region, with good schools and
access to nature.
High School Students-
The Cisneros Center commenced research with
first and second generation high school students
at Rogers New Tech High in February of 2016,
with plans to expand to other high schools
across Northwest Arkansas. When asked
what services they would like to see more of in
Northwest Arkansas (for themselves and/or their
families), students most frequently requested
an increase in translation and interpretation
services, specifically for accessing school
and legal services, as well as for job seekers.
Students’ desire for more interpretation services
corresponds with our research finding that 84%
of students interviewed have had to translate for
a parent or family member at some point, often
from as young as 5 years old.
The majority of respondents said
they “feel at home in Northwest
Arkansas.”
Other top service needs cited by students
included: more scholarship and community
service opportunities; more ways to share their
Hispanic/Latino culture with Northwest Arkansas’
broader community; information on medical
insurance; better explanations of the process
behind using specific services and employment
of more Spanish speakers.
Students and parents seek
more college scholarship
opportunities.
When asked “Do you feel welcome in Northwest
Arkansas?” 63% of students said yes, 20%
were unsure/mixed feelings and 17% said they
do not feel welcome. For those citing mixed
feelings or responding “no,” they mention having
experienced racist comments or looks that make
them acutely aware of “being a minority.” The
majority of students responded to the question
affirmatively, stating that Northwest Arkansas is
where they have lived their whole lives and it’s
the only home they know.
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13. 2.
Service
Organizations
In addition to understanding the perspectives
of New Americans, the experiences, strengths,
and needs of service providers provides another
valuable lens through which to assess the state
of immigrant integration in Northwest Arkansas.
Findings from the year-long organizational needs
assessment follow.
Organizational Needs Assessment
Throughout 2014 and 2015, the Cisneros Center
met with many staff members and directors of
service organizations in Northwest Arkansas
to understand how the service ecosystem was
faring in supporting and serving an increasingly
diverse community.
i. Demographics
Over 100 relational meetings have been held
throughout Northwest Arkansas with leaders from
the corporate, nonprofit, political, small business,
K-12 education, higher education, media, health,
legal and recreation sectors.
ii. Methods
Since July of 2014, the Cisneros Center has
conducting relational meetings with leaders of
various organizations in Northwest Arkansas.
The purpose of these meetings has been to
build relationships in the community, learn about
work being done, as well as to understand the
organizational needs in Northwest Arkansas.
The following findings are an overview of the
most frequently identified needs expressed by
organizations.
iii. Findings
The most frequently recurring needs
mentioned in these relational meetings fall
into five categories: Community Engagement,
Funding, Inter-Organizational Collaboration,
Organizational Support and Workforce
Development.
With regard to community engagement,
organizations in Northwest Arkansas seek
more effective engagement with the immigrant
communities. In order for organizations to
increase the reach and use of their services,
there is a need for: document translation
services, interpreters, best practices on
immigrant engagement, an increased awareness
of their services in the community, access to
ethnic media, effective tools to reach the
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14. immigrant community and to diversify their staff
to better represent the immigrant community.
In terms of funding, organizations in Northwest
Arkansas have expressed a need for additional
funding in order to fulfill their missions and
meet the needs of their target communities.
Organizations cited a need for additional funding
in order to: expand programs, continue current
programs, begin new programs, hire additional
staff, gain additional capacity to research funding
opportunities and gain additional knowledge on
the grant-writing process.
In terms of inter-organization collaboration,
better communication and collaboration
between organizations in Northwest Arkansas
was an often-mentioned need. Without this,
organizations inadvertently compete for
volunteers, attendees, and money. Organizations
need: additional capacity and time to pursue
collaborative opportunities, opportunities and
outlets to communicate, opportunities to
collaborate on events, opportunities and
incentives to establish partnerships and
opportunity to participate in a collective impact
model.
Organizations expressed a need
for interpreters, translators,
volunteers, additional staff,
trainings, and workshops.
Another common need is organizational support.
Leaders stated that In order to operate at
maximum capacity and efficiency,
organizations need staff and program supports.
These supports directly enhance the
organization’s ability to improve their services
and to reach a broader audience. Specifically,
organizations need: interpreters, volunteers,
additional staff, trainings and workshops.
Finally, there was a commonly expressed need
for a more developed workforce. Organizations
have expressed a need for a diverse and fully-
trained workforce that is representative of the
communities in Northwest Arkansas. Some
specific needs mentioned are: a professional
and academic pipeline for the immigrant
community, a guide on career preparation
for students and more ethnically diverse
professionals in Northwest Arkansas
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15. 3.
Regional
Leadership
To get a holistic picture of the strengths and
areas of growth in Northwest Arkansas, the
Cisneros Center gathered information from
established community leaders as well as New
American residents. Northwest Arkansas has
a robust network of accessible, committed and
well-informed leaders that span the education,
corporate, municipal, philanthropic and nonprofit
sectors as executive directors, presidents,
professionals and executives. A review of
the findings from the forums conducted with
Northwest Arkansas leadership is presented
below.
Leadership Forums
In early 2015, the Cisneros Center conducted
forums with community leaders who serve on
EngageNWA’s Immigrants from Abroad coalition,
an active demographically-representative group
focused on welcoming and retaining diverse
talent in NWA, including immigrants. These
community leaders participated in these forums
to give their assessment of where the community
stands in welcoming and supporting immigrants,
and to generate initiative ideas for the coalition
to further improve Northwest Arkansas. All
members of EngageNWA were invited to
participate in the forums.
i. Demographics
In total, 19 community leaders of Northwest
Arkansas, nearly half of the EngageNWA
membership, actively participated in these
forums. Of the 19, 12 were men and seven were
women. In terms of race and ethnicity, the group
was made up of eight white, five Hispanic, three
Black, and three Indian Asian respondents.
ii. Methods
Five one-hour forums were conducted in
February and March of 2015 with members
of the EngageNWA Immigrants from Abroad
coalition. This coalition is made up of community
leaders across business, nonprofit, education
and philanthropic sectors. Each forum was
facilitated by Cisneros Center staff. Forums were
conducted in familiar settings and notes were
taken to record information.
The purpose of these forums was to hear from
community leaders about strengths and areas
of growth of community services, and to gather
ideas for what can be done to better address
community needs. The structure of the forums
included introductions and icebreakers, followed
by two facilitated conversations using a 1-2-4-
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16. all liberating structure and then finished with a
whole group structured conversation. The 1-2-4-
all meeting facilitation involves posing questions
or topics, where first each individual thinks to
themselves about their responses, then partners
form and share their ideas with each other, pairs
then share with other pairs and finally, the whole
group comes together to flesh ideas out together.
The whole group structure includes a summary
presentation by the facilitators of the information
gathered thus far, followed by a solicitation of
more in-depth exploration of the ideas shared.
The first 1-2-4-all session asked the following
two questions:
- In what ways are we successful in Northwest
Arkansas in attracting and retaining
immigrants from abroad?
-In what ways are we best meeting the needs
of immigrants from abroad?
The Whole Group session had two parts. The
first part resulted in a collaboratively created
list of ideas for initiatives and actions steps for
EngageNWA. Participants were then asked the
following three questions:
-What are resources needed to address these
initiatives?
-What are challenges and barriers to address
these needs?
-Where do you see areas of policy that
EngageNWA can support?
iii. Findings
The five forums conducted with leaders of the
community resulted in a plethora of information
on the strengths and areas of growth in service
provision in Northwest Arkansas, as well as
initiative ideas for the EngageNWA Immigrants
from Abroad coalition. The wide range of
employment opportunities and high quality of
living in Northwest Arkansas were some of the
most mentioned regional highlights. The most
commonly mentioned areas of opportunity were
leadership training for diverse populations, public
transportation, and effective communication
about services in Northwest Arkansas. In thinking
about ways to address these needs, many forum
respondents suggested initiatives focused on
a digital communication platform, leadership
training programs for immigrant youth and adults,
a cultural welcoming center, and advocacy for
workforce development funding.
When identifying strengths in service provision to
immigrants in Northwest Arkansas, respondents
identified eight areas of strength: employment
opportunities that include a range of stable jobs
from low to high-skilled; an education system
is accessible for all K-12 populations with good
programs supporting immigrant children; a low
cost of living; a safe, low-crime area; a health
service provider ecosystem that is meeting a
lot of the needs in the immigrant community;
a diverse religious landscape; relatively easy
access to political leadership in the region; and
an environment that is accepting of newcomers.
Regional Leadership is
interested in increasing diversity
in leadership positions in
corporations, school systems,
volunteer work, and public
offices through leadership
training opportunities.
In response to areas of growth for service
provision to immigrants in Northwest Arkansas,
respondents identified: better coordination
in communicating services and events both
amongst service providers and to the community;
more development programs and opportunities
for immigrant youth; increased linguistic
accessibility including adding bilingual staff in
service organizations; a need for a more robust
public transportation system; reducing barriers
to full participation in educational opportunities,
particularly around tuition and financial aid;
increasing diversity in leadership positions
in corporations, school systems, volunteer
leadership positions and public offices through
leadership training opportunities; better meeting
16

17. the service and health needs of those in poverty;
and provision of immigration counseling services
for those affected by any executive actions
around immigration.
Initiatives to address these areas of growth
fell into six broad categories, including
communication, education and leadership
training, public transportation, inclusion and
welcoming, regional urban planning and policy
advocacy. More specifically, communication
initiatives included a smartphone app or mobile
website to raise awareness of service and events
with cultural specificity. Education and leadership
training initiatives included a mentoring program
for high school and college-aged immigrant
students and increasing immigrant participation
in leadership and development training
opportunities. Public transportation initiatives
included suggestions to enhance transportation
options including a ride-sharing program, service
taxis and expanded bus routes. Inclusion and
welcoming suggestions centered on a welcoming
center initiative aimed at orienting newcomers to
the region. Initiatives in regional urban planning
centered on planning for affordable, integrated
housing. And finally, policy and advocacy
initiatives suggested included statewide pre-k
access, accessing state funding for workforce
development, in-state tuition for all residents
and employees of the state, and a change to the
English-only law in education.
17

18. Conclusion
After nearly 450 conversations with individuals in
Northwest Arkansas, a clear picture of Northwest
Arkansas’ adaptation to diversity begins to
emerge. Our research reveals a widespread
enthusiasm for greater community integration.
New Americans express desires to communicate
more effectively with their new neighbors and
hopes to access higher education; service
providers seek to better reach and serve New
Americans; regional leadership is identifying and
supporting welcoming and inclusion efforts.
One common theme to emerge from our
research is the desire for better communication.
New Americans are in need of services that have
bilingual staff or interpreters, especially to assist
them through difficult registration or enrollment
processes; service providers need additional
translation and interpreting resources to
effectively reach the immigrant community; and
leadership recognizes the need for initiatives that
allow for more effective communication to New
Americans about services and events available
to them. This alignment between these three
groups is an opportunity for all of players to act
together to facilitate better communication.
All groups also identified increased workforce
development for New Americans as an area of
opportunity for the region. New Americans
cited a desire for more professional training
opportunities and expanded access to English
classes and other educational programs at
accessible costs and times. Organizations
expressed a need for more bilingual New
American staff members. Leadership recognizes
that creating opportunities for workforce
development will be necessary for for retention
of talent and long-term prosperity for the region.
This alignment in priorities is another opportunity
for collaboration across groups and sectors.
The need for greater cross-
sector and cross-cultural
communication was expressed
by all groups interviewed. A
desire for increased workforce
development opportunities was
also an area of common ground
across groups.
18

19. Limited resources present a challenge for
New Americans as well as the organizations
that serve them. One concern voiced most
pronouncedly by New American respondents
is the prohibitive cost of recreational programs,
health services, child-care, and higher education.
According to the 2014 Census, in Northwest
Arkansas, 23.5% of New American families live
at or below the Federal Poverty line, compared to
9.45% of native-born families. Initiatives to serve
New Americans should plan to make provisions
for the significant number of families for whom
high costs will be a barrier to participation or
engagement. Simultaneously, organizations note
that there is a need for more funding to be able
to carry out and expand current programming,
as well as hire the staff necessary to best serve
New American populations. Northwest Arkansas
is one of several “emerging immigrant gateways”
across the country, communities characterized
by an expansive growth in their immigrant
populations in the last 40 years. This research
can be seen as a case study in the experiences
that New Americans, service organizations, and
regional leadership face when a community
undergoes rapid demographic change. It also
serves as an important example of how diverse
stakeholders in an emerging gateway are
engaging in the work of immigrant integration
and striving to build a community where all
residents feel at home.
19

20. www. cisneroscenter.org
@CisnerosCenter