Program Structure
With nearly 36% of NYC’s eight million residents foreign-born, immigrant communities throughout the five boroughs confront numerous barriers to full participation in civic life and public decision-making. These hurdles include language barriers, political under-representation, limited access to elected officials and business leaders, and insufficient understanding of public policy processes. For New York City to thrive, all of her residents – native-born and recently-arrived – must have a voice in the life of the city.
Through the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program, participants tackle tough questions such as:
- How can immigrant communities effectively influence important public decision-making?
- What types of strategies and partnerships are necessary to make genuine progress in meeting community needs?
- What are the organizational development skills and strategies that can help strengthen important institutions and community-based organizations in immigrant communities?
- How can I be a more effective leader? Where are my leadership skills effective and where do I feel less effective?
- How can I cultivate my self-awareness and capacity to excel as a leader?
- How can I maintain a sustainable personal balance while meeting all of the demands of my work and fulfilling my commitment to the communities I serve?
All program sessions are experiential and use Coro's model of "inquiry-based instruction" to guide learning. Participants conduct small group interviews with government officials, community leaders and corporate executives. They also take part in site visits, panels and intensive discussion among program participants, during which they critically compare and analyze the information they have gained.
Program components include:
Opening Retreat - intensive immersion into the concepts that the participants will use and encounter throughout the program year.
Strategy Days - full-day Thursday sessions that meet once a month to explore multiple perspectives and interests shaping NYC immigration issues. Through site visits, small group interviews, panel discussions, and other activities across the five boroughs, participants investigate the dynamics of shaping policy.
Check out past Strategy Day agendas (pdfs): Public Finance | Drivers Licenses
Personal Leadership Days – full-day Saturday sessions that meet once a month to help participants gain clarity of purpose and vision, build effective partnership skills across diverse groups, enhance communication skills to align and motivate others, improve their ability to balance professional and personal priorities, and identify strengths and challenges in exercising leadership.
Program Fees
Participation in ICLP is based on a sliding scale fee in accordance with the annual operating budget of a participant’s organization. See chart below for fee guidelines. In addition to these fees, Coro underwrites 90% of program costs through foundation grants and individual donations. Limited scholarship assistance is available.
| Annual Operating Budget Size | Program Fee |
| < $250,000 | $250 |
| $250,000-750,000 | $500 |
| $750,000-1,500,000 | $1,000 |
| $1,500,000-3,500,000 | $1,500 |
| $3,500,000 or More | $2,000 |
