CVIIC 2014 Strategic Plan
The work of the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC) is guided by the 2014 strategic plan developed in consultation with numerous partner organizations and community leaders. It responds to the perceived need to improve the organizational capacity that existed in the region in 2013 in order to better serve the immigrant families residing in Fresno and neighboring counties (Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare). As the plan documents, the infrastructure that existed at the time was inadequate to address the needs and interests of 890,335 immigrants and the 506,549 children with at least one immigrant parent.
The plan includes the results of a regional convening that took place in Fresno on October 2013, incorporated information from multiple interviews with individuals, integrates an analysis of the region’s demography and economy, as well as the context in which the study was commissioned. The study was conducted by a team of researchers headed by Manuel Pastor and financed thanks to the generous support of the Werner-Kohnstamm Family Giving Fund and the Rosenberg Foundation.
As a result of the regional conversations and analysis, four strategic priorities were identified:
- Community Education and Outreach
- Meeting Immediate Service Needs
- Regional Capacity Building
- Ongoing Advocacy
The regional collaboration model that first emerged in 2013 with CVIIC’s predecessor, the Central Valley DACA Collaborative, and then with CVIIC, permitted the creation of a network that has involved community based organizations, nonprofit legal services providers, pro bono attorneys, mass media representatives, public sector agencies and local governments, educational and vocational institutions, health advocates and clinics, churches and libraries, join forces to deliver much needed reliable information and services to immigrant families residing in rural and urban communities.
Thanks to this collaboration, CVIIC and partner organizations organized an average of over 100 free legal services workshops each year. These workshops have offered free application assistance for clients interested in naturalization, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), U Visas, T Visas, VAWA, Asylum, as well as attorney consultations for other related matters.
Since the pandemic struck, this work has shifted to include webinars, Facebook Lives, virtual workshops, and telephonic assistance.
CVIIC’s priorities are reviewed periodically by its Board of Directors and regional convenings are scheduled to discuss updated agendas with partner organizations, as well as to offer trainings on significant issues. In addition, ongoing regional dialogue and the sharing of information and resources is promoted via dedicated listservs that include representatives from organizations located throughout the Central Valley.
