Immigrant Learning Center

CONTACT:

442 Main St.
Malden, MA 02148
781-322-9777
www.ilctr.org

Diane Portnoy, Co-Founder and Director

DESCRIPTION:

The ILC was founded in 1992 to help deliver the opportunities of America to Massachusetts' immigrants. Since then, it has served over 3,300 foreign-born adults, from 65 countries, in 58 Greater Boston communities, with free-of-charge English as a Second Language (ESL), computer literacy, "family literacy" (helping parents teach children to read) and citizenship preparation. The demand for these services is huge; today immigrants comprise 11% of our population -- 710, 000 people -- the 7th largest such cohort in the nation; one out of every three new employees in Massachusetts today is foreign-born. To keep up, the ILC has had to grow; in 2003, ILC served over 680 students -- 20% of its history's total. Many ILC students come here already educated or trained in their native countries; over 3/4 are high school graduates, 35% have some college education, a few are college graduates and some even have advanced degrees. What they all need, however, is instruction in English language and American culture, which the ILC provides -- 60% of its students attain their goals upon graduation -- i.e., find a job, enter a training program or higher education, improve their jobs, start their own businesses, gain U.S. citizenship, even pass a medical license exam. The ILC relies on philanthropy for 75% of its budget. The ILC is expanding to include the promotion of immigrants as assets to America. Let's help them continue their success.

(2002: CULTURE: Education: Informal: General)