Inside the Department of Homeland Security

This morning Alysa and I met with Immigration Services to meet our new contact, Cyndi Harper, who is in charge of all naturalization ceremonies in the state of Arizona. When we first arrived we went through some pretty intensive security. Two security officers checked our identification outside and one had to rendezvous with someone inside before even letting us in the building. Then, past the metal detectors,  we were again asked for our id and what business we were there for. I guess security has been quite intensive since SB1070. Apparently when there were marches and gatherings in the recent months, all the employees have been asked to close their windows and were warned about serious security threats. It is certainly nice to see such strong precautions being taken for a building filled with government employees and many immigrants who will soon be America's newest citizens. But at the same time it makes you realize how much immigration has become a serious daily issue for so many here in this state.

Once we had met Mrs. Harper, we realized that she would be fantastic to work with. The office was undergoing one of their four annual audits of every imaginable file in the building, so you can imagine the kind of hectic atmosphere we were walking into. But such are the demands of working in a public institution I suppose. Even among tables stacked high with files, we were able to have a very good first meeting.

Mrs. Harper went over her responsibilities with us, and Alysa presented our organization and our curriculum. Everything seemed to mesh incredibly well. Not only are they incredibly supportive and accommodating for our program, but we fulfill some of their goals of community outreach as well. And with a quota of 900 naturalizations a month, on a very low budget, Immigration Services seemed elated that we could help take some of the workload.

One of the goals of the meeting was to discuss the possible outreach opportunities for different schools this year. Expanding our program beyond just charter and public schools, and beyond the phoenix area would be a huge step in the right direction. Mrs. Harper suggested reaching out to children who are home-schooled as well. The only problem here lies with the ceremony event location. One of the stipulations of holding a ceremony is strangely enough, that we must provide chairs for every new citizen. Many community centers and event spaces charge a rental fee for chairs. And since Immigration Services is the only self-funded branch of the Department for Homeland Security, this option isn't possible. In fact, all event locations and chairs must be found at basically 0 cost, or the institution will go over budget. Of all of this "excess fat" that so many politicians continually talk about when referring to public budgets, Immigration Services certainly can't be included. They fund themselves solely and entirely on the fees paid by immigrants going through the naturalization process.

Overall the meeting was absolutely fascinating and I felt lucky to be able to sit in on the building of a relationship that truly does represent the way America should be moving. Creating new and innovative ways of teaching our children about the true responsibilities that come with being a citizen here in America, about the importance of diversity, and the real story behind immigration beyond SB1070 and the media hype is something truly worthwhile.

September Board Meeting

Last week I attended my second board meeting and was lucky enough to get to meet our founder Gerda Klein. She is a woman of extreme sincerity and strength and I was honored that she expressed gratitude for the work that I have been doing and will be doing this semester.

The board meeting itself was fascinating. We began by discussing the most recent National Conference on Citizenship, which is held in Washington DC every year on September 17th, in honor of the ratification of our Constitution. Our Executive Director, Alysa Ullman, went to the conference and held numerous meetings and panels with organizations from across the country that try and promote civic action and awareness of the values and responsibilities of citizenship. Alysa also held meetings with Immigration Services and some other government agencies to discuss new communities that we might begin to reach out to in order to develop new programs. Some of the recommendations include Minnesota, Florida, California, and Nebraska, and so we have begun to develop contacts in these areas to begin to develop programs nationwide.

We also discussed the schools here in Arizona that we will be running programs in in the next semester. We are attempting to reach out to both charter and private schools as we have seen success in public schools already. We are also attempting to run the program as connected to after-school or extra-curricular activities. This way, students can hold the program as part of an honors society, or as a club activity for those clubs that are engaged in civic action and political awareness. We would also like to run a program in southern and northern Arizona, especially since we have some good contacts in the Tucson area.

The meeting ended by dividing up responsibilities among staff and board members for contacting these new schools about our program, and I am excited to see how many schools are interested.

First Post

Welcome to my blog about my internship with Citizenship Counts (CC). CC is a non-profit based in Scottsdale, AZ dedicated to promoting civic education in America. They have created a curriculum which they provide free of charge that culminates in a student-led naturalization ceremony and celebrates the roles and responsibilities of citizenship. Our founder, author, human rights activist, Holocaust survivor and proud naturalized citizen, Gerda Weissmann Klein, began the program after speaking at a student-led naturalization ceremony herself. Our advisory board includes such prominent people as Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, current Superintendent of Education Tom Horne, and many other leaders in politics, education and public affairs.We recently just launched a brand new interactive website that features activities for students and teachers as well as information about who we are and what we do. Check it out at www.CitizenshipCounts.org.

My responsibilities range from managing social networks, to adiminstrative and clerical duties, to attending meetings between immigration services and school administrators. Because CC works with Immigration Services, public and private schools as well as separate nonprofits, I am getting a good look at how non-profits interact and work with government agencies. I will continue to update about my work with CC and all my other crazy endeavors as well. Talk soon.