The document discusses the mission and goals of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) to advocate for the rights and integration of immigrants and refugees in Massachusetts. Specifically, it outlines MIRA's work promoting access to higher education for immigrant youth, including supporting legislation for in-state tuition, providing training and scholarships assistance. It describes MIRA's membership-based model and process for achieving its goals through education, advocacy and community outreach.

1. BY ANTHONY HERNANDEZ

2. OUR MISSION
• We are the largest organization in New
England promoting the rights and integration
of immigrants and refugees. We aim to serve
the commonwealth's one million foreign-born
residents with policy analysis and advocacy,
institutional organizing, training and leadership
development, and strategic communications.
The Coalition involves an active membership
of over 140 organizations, including
community-based groups, social service
organizations, ethnic associations, schools,
refugee resettlement agencies, health centers,
hospitals, religious institutions, unions and law
firms, as well as thousands of individual
members, contributors, and allies.
CONNECTION BETWEEN OUR LOGO AND OUR CAUSE
• Our logo includes the shape of our state
Massachusetts which is primarily where we do most
of our work. Though we do have allies from other
states that we help out because they too are trying
to reach the same or similar goals as we are. Our
state is diverse and part of that diversity is made up
of immigrants. We believe they are an important
part of our state and they should be educated and
helped out in order to benefit all of MA.

3. OVERVIEW
ACCESS TO HIGHER
EDUCATION
- At MIRA, we advocate for access to higher education
for all because we believe that opportunities should be
encouraged for the benefit of all of Massachusetts.
- We participate in educational campaigns such as the
DREAM act to raise awareness and reach out to
colleges to educate them on policies they may follow.
- We push for in-state tuition by supporting a bill that,
currently filed in the MA legislature, will ensure all of
MA high school graduates to have an opportunity to
get access to affordable higher education.

4. INPUTS
In order to achieve our goal to give equal access to high
education to all MA high school graduates we need…
- Members: At MIRA, we believe our members make us
a strong coalition and are a critical our success. Our
members are first to receive analyses and information
gathered from across the country so that they will be
informed and up to date. This is done in order for them
to be able to take informed action when fighting for
our cause.
- Funds: In order to keep running our coalition we also
need funds. Membership, whether organizational or
individual, help us keep a well funded budget in order
to accomplish our goals including getting for our
foreign-born high school graduates.

5. THE PROCESS
The following is the process in which achieve giving higher education access to
immigrant youths. The process includes specific areas in which we focus on in
order to achieve our goal.
- Trainings: We provide trainings to guidance councilors, students,
parents, and teachers about available resources to immigrant
students. If you are a teacher or any educational staff member, and
you believe you should help out our cause then this is one way for
you to become informed on what is available to your students.
- Scholarship Research: There are private scholarships that do not
discriminate on who they choose reward them too, so that means
it does not matter whether they are documented or
undocumented. What we do is help our immigrant youths become
aware of which scholarships are available to them in order to
receive funds to get a higher education. The same is done for
colleges that also do not require a student to be documented.

6. THE PROCESS
continued…
- Individual assistance: We offer
individual assistance to those
students who need that extra help. If
required we are also ready to hold a
group session in order to make sure
they are informed and confident
about their future college education.
- Higher Education Advocacy: We advocate for equal tuition for all
undocumented students that graduated from a high school in the MA
area. We believe it should be fair if undocumented students paid the same
amount as their documented peers they graduated with. Lately we’ve
been supporting the DREAM act, and reaching out to colleges to educate
them on the policies they may follow brought up by the DREAM act.

7. OUTPUTS
- Our coalition is over 200 members strong who each are critical
to our success. Our members get a number of benefits such as
the MIRA Bi-Weekly bulletin which reports on current issues of
immigration, citizenship, civic participation and immigrant access
to services. That is just one of the many things that our members
will receive which will keep them informed and up to date on the
issues and on our coalition so they can be aware of our progress.
- We work with over 140 Member organizations and
many other allies. They range from law firms to labor
unions to community organizations, and more. We
work together to organize, mobilize, and educate
our members so that they are able to be an active
participant in shaping one’s world and/or
community.

8. OUTCOMES
- We are able to find scholarships and/or colleges for
undocumented students in order for them to pursue their
college education.
-

9. COMMUNITY NEED
• One in five children under • We believe that all students,
disregarding where they were born
age 18 are immigrants; one or what race they are, should
in four are children of receive equal access to education.
immigrants. We believe One way advocate this is by
supporting the DREAM act. So far
Investing in their we’ve been able to help students fill
education should be a out the Deferred Action Application.
state and national priority.

10. PERSONAL CONNECTION
• The personal connection I have to this is the fact that my
brother was not born in the USA. Had it not been for him
getting his green card there would been a likely chance
that he would not have been able to get into the
university he is at right at this moment. I too believe that
children taken by their parents to another country
should not be punished for it. I also believe that just
because they were born in another country does not
mean they should be sent back because America is their
home now. By not allowing these undocumented kids
access to higher education then we are hurting our
country in the end. The more educated people we have
the better our community will benefit.

11. THE SHUTTLEWORTH FOUNDATION
Why should our program be funded?
• Your foundation believes • Our program helps our members
develop skills in order to help the
in the people helping community they are in.
shape their community in a • Our program will get kids into a
positive way. higher education institution. The
more kids we help get an education
the more it will propagate rational
decisions which will lead to a
greater benefits to their community
in the future.