Category Archives: Immigrant Entrepreneurship Project

Mentoring Refugee Youth

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Each week at the Youth Mentoring Club, it can be difficult to encourage the children to open up and participate in certain activities, especially with a language barrier. The younger children often stick together while the older boys who are in high school are more willing to participate in more of the activities that we plan. One activity that brought everyone together across the language barrier and the age gaps was allowing everyone to draw something special to themselves.  I sat with the younger Syrian children and we got to know more about each other by drawing and practicing English. One of the girls was clearly an artist and she couldn’t draw anything if it was less than perfect. She showed me photos of some  drawings she  had done and grew frsturatd when what she was working on at the meeting was not turning out the way she wanted. Her sister ended up drawing something for her to hang up on the board with the rest of the pieces, but we also shared the pictures of her other drawings to the rest of the group. Everyone in the group participated and was passionate about what they drew. At times, it can be difficult to plan activities for such a diverse group but when we are successful in this, it is a rewarding experience.  Kathleen D.

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Getting to Know the Kids at the Park St. HPL Branch Homework Club 2017

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I have been to the Park Street Library twice to be a study buddy. My first time I reached the library at 3:10 pm, but there were not many kids as their school ended at 3 and they took some time to arrive. Then, when it was 3:30 lots of kids started showing up, and I went up to the kids to ask if they needed help. All of them refused. Most of the kids were shy, some of them didn’t even look me in the eye while I was talking to them. Finally, a kid named J. with his Math assignment and asked me if I could help him. I told him to sit beside me and I asked his name, he told me and I tried repeating it. But, I pronounced it wrong.  J. said: “Noo, it’s J.”. Then he started complaining about how all the kids in his school pronounce it wrong and there is a q in the end, and he also told me if he should just take out the q and make it J. I smiled at him and told him his name was unique and he shouldn’t change it. He smiled back at me. Then, we started the math homework. He told me how much he loved math and didn’t like any other subject. He was doing it homework on his own I was just supervising. He finished his homework and went swiftly to play games on the library computer.

My second time I felt more comfortable in the library.  Some of the kids recognized me and waved hands. That day was Valentine’s Day. There was a small event in the library for the kids. The kids had to write something nice for themselves on a heart shaped paper. There were many creative ones. One of the kids made the heart look like an angel with wings and was showing it off to everyone. After they were done writing, snacks were served, I helped the librarian to serve snacks to the kids. Then, one of the kids asked me to help her with English homework. It was a vocabulary assignment. She was struggling with the assignment, maybe because she wasn’t paying attention to the work, but anyway she finished her work and went to talk to her friend. Kishwor P.

International Hartford

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International Hartford is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and promoting the development of small immigrant-owned businesses in Hartford. They offer a variety of services to current and prospective business owners [http://interhartford.org] and also produce the “One World Market” events throughout late spring and early fall at the Parkville Fastrak Station, featuring immigrant arts, culture and foods [http://oneworldmarketcity.com].

Creating a Mission for Take2 Mentoring

Richie and I, along with Janet Bauer, decided to create a mentoring program that would efficiently offer tutoring programs for students interested in pursuing higher education. Initially, the we set out to create a program to assist students in college applications, applying for financial aid, and taking the appropriate SAT or TOEFL examination. However, as Richie and I began conducting interviews of Hartford refugee families, we determined that there were a plethora of other educational needs these families had. These ranged from ESL tutoring for parents to assistance and monitoring of students currently enrolled in college. Therefore, Richie and I decided to expand our program. We wanted to take a step back in the college process, as well as take a step forward. In other words, we wanted to assist younger kids with their homework, making sure they were on the right track for college, and assisting kids who are already enrolled in college, and making sure that they stay interested and enrolled, as well as utilizing the available academic services colleges offer.

We decided to call our services “Take 2 Mentoring.” We decided on this name for two reasons. The first being America provided opportunities for these refugee and immigrant families. It was a second chance at stable life. Also, we thought of in-school learning as “Take 1.” As is with most first takes of projects, nothing always goes 100% smoothly, and there are always corrections that can be made. Therefore, our services will be “Take 2.” We will help students and families get the knowledge, tools and resources that. We decided to create a website for our program to encourage the community to get involved, as well as bring some comfort to families. Our official mission began as:

“Take 2 Mentoring is a tutoring program that aims to increase academic success, and set refugee students, or students whose parents claim refugee status, on the path towards higher education. Savahna Reuben and Richie Freckleton, Trinity College students, founded Take 2 Mentoring to address a fundamental issue facing Refugee families: a lack of educational resources. Immigrant parents typically have little to no knowledge of the American school system. Furthermore, Refugee parents often do not know how the college process works, or the necessary steps that need be taken to pursue higher education. Take 2 Mentoring attempts to bridge this gap, and assist students who desire to pursue higher education.”

But Richie and I decided that it was important to get the perspective of actual refugee parents and to see what they needed help with, what they would feel comfortable with, and what they though about our program. In that way could we best create a mentoring program to fulfill the needs of the refugee community in Hartford.

In our first parent interview the father was clear that he wants his children to go to college, get a degree, and then think about marriage afterwards. Furthermore, he was proactive in answering our questions about homework assistance for the younger children, and seemed very eager and interested when we mentioned the possibility of working with the children in their home.  However, the parents prefer that their children live at home throughout their college experience, in order to help with their younger siblings.

Eventually, the conversation shifted from how we could help the children, to how we could help the adults. The mothers said that they could really use ESL help, and that it would be ideal for someone to come into their home. Furthermore, the parents explained that their inability to speak English was the reason that they could not assist their children with any of their work, as well as their inability to obtain knowledge about the college system in America. Therefore, Richie and I decided to broaden Take 2 Mentoring. We wanted to offer services to the parents as well, so that we could make sure that we were offering the best possible services to these families.

In our second interview was with a mother from Burma named who had three sons, ages six to fourteen. She talked about the oldest son’s dreams of becoming a pilot, and the youngest son’s dreams of attending a Magnet school. The mother didn’t speak much English, but enough to answer most of our questions. She told us how she was enrolled in classes at Jubilee House, a refugee center in Hartford. She was excited that she was at level 2, and had finished level 1. She was eager to show us her completed level 1 notebooks, and happily flipped through them as if to show off her proud accomplishments. She asked us for help: to help her sons fulfill their dreams of education. And we promised her we would.

In another interview, and perhaps the most insightful, we spoke to a father named Karin father and his daughter who had been enrolled in Capitol Community College, but had recently dropped out because she wasn’t sure if nursing was what she wanted to do. We questioned her about talking to her college advisor about her academic future, but she said that she was too shy and didn’t want to go speak to her. Furthermore, she didn’t know what her college advisor could do to help. Her father seemed dismayed at this. He wanted his daughter to re-enroll in college and to graduate. He also mentioned an 18 year old son, and inquired about Trinity enrollment. He was very grateful for the program we were starting and were eager to get his children involved. Similarly, his eldest daughter seemed very interested in talking to us and getting a mentor, so that she might be able to apply to new colleges and pursue her passion of the arts. In contrast with the other families we interviewed, this father and daughter both agreed that she should live in a dormitory to focus on her education. The father noted that there are many distractions in the home, and that if she lived away from home she would be able to be more focused on her studies, as well as get more practice with English through submersion.

Through these interviews we realized that our mission needed to change. They were extremely insightful and now we are able to better tailor to the needs of the community. We look forward to putting the program in full motion in the fall, and perhaps taking off and allowing the program to eventually help families with green card applications. The possibilities are endless, and Take 2 Mentoring is excited to get to work.

Dedicated to Clients

This semester I worked with the International Hartford team in gathering information about immigrant entrepreneurs in Hartford, Connecticut.  Through participating in this research I had the opportunity to interview three immigrant business owners on New Britain Avenue in Hartford.  The main objective of conducting these interviews was to gain a general understanding of the amount of energy immigrant entrepreneurs bring to the Hartford area, in particular to the business district.  These businesses included a grocer, nail salon, and African hair-braiding salon.  After interviewing the immigrant owners of these businesses, I distinguished prevalent themes present in their process of starting a business as well as the many adversities they had to overcome.

My first and most informative interview was with a female owner of the African hair-braiding salon on New Britain Avenue in Hartford. The owner migrated to the United States from West Africa to seek enhanced economic opportunities.  Although she did not relocate to the United States with her immediate family, she explained that some of her extended family lives in the greater Hartford area.  The interview began with something of her background and her previous working experience before starting a business of her own.   As she shared this information I learned about the many challenges she faced in her process of starting a business and how she learned from those difficult experiences.

A dominant theme I detected in the contents of the interview was her lack of knowledge about the different prerequisites for starting a business, which created many hardships for her as a result.  When this business owner arrived in the United States, she was only fluent in French and spoke no English at all, hindering her ability to understand basic regulations and communicate effectively like city licensing requirements.  So she began taking courses at Capitol Community College, in Hartford, to learn English and received her hair styling license after attending classes at West Hartford Adult High School.  During this time, she was working as an employee for a salon on Albany Avenue in Hartford.  When that business eventually failed and shut down, she struggled to attract clients to her home-based business. She felt taken advantage of by her employers because they knew she lacked resources and had nowhere else to go.  After hair-braiding in her home temporarily to support herself financially, she saved enough money to lease a space and opened her storefront business. Her clients are like family and keep her motivated to continue what she does everyday with enthusiasm.

Along with the struggles she faced in starting a business of her own, she shared the future aspirations she has for her salon.  This owner wishes to expand her business and offer new services beyond just hair-braiding. As of now, she works on her own. However she plans to hire full-time employees to help grow her business once she earns enough money.  Currently, she is working closely with the University of Hartford on developing a business plan, which she expects to finalize soon.  In addition, she is a member of The Chamber, an organization based in Middletown, Connecticut that works to support small businesses.  When I asked her why she decided to open this type of business she was quick to explain that it was the only thing she knew, but emphasized that an individual should be truly passionate for their business and what they do.  The eagerness she expressed during the interview demonstrates the amount of energy immigrant business owners contribute to the Hartford business district. She is is driven by the love she has for both her clients and career.

Cultural Sensitivity

My grandmother used to always tell me that there are few things in this world like a cultural bond; to always remember my roots. She never elaborated very much on the statement, but as a young girl, I didn’t question it or think much of it. I trusted her words as they slipped to the back of my mind. Recently, I was reminded of my grandmother’s powerful and extremely accurate statement.

My most recent adventure with my roommate who is from Turkey was unlike any experience I have ever had. I had brought her with me because I knew we were visiting Turkish establishments and I thought she might of some help with translating. But, little did I know that she was going to speak to these owners for hours, sharing stories, memories, and essentially gaining two Turkish families here in Hartford.

Prior to that trip, when it came time to speak to the owners, they were extremely hesitant and seemed a bit suspicious to even just briefly talk to us. As an immigrant who is most likely constantly being questioned about legality, documents, ownership, etc., can we blame them for the hesitation? They had no idea who we were, what information we wanted, or what we were going to do with the information. I completely understood their dismissive actions. But, our last attempt to break the barrier and talk to them was bringing my Turkish roommate.

My roommate confidently walked into the first business and immediately began speaking to the owner in their native language. I watched the owner’s face change from a scowl into a huge smile. The past three times I was there, I had never seen that. But, he stopped everything he was doing and immediately engaged in conversation with her. This continued for quite some time as they learned of details about their pasts, the current lives, and just reminisced on stories from back home in Turkey. The same exact thing happened at the next business, with my roommate being introduced to his extended family and engaging in another long conversation. He offered her tea, invited her back to his house, and told her that if she ever needed anything, she had a second family just five minutes away.

Listening to my roommate recollect on her conversations and this experience, I broke into tears. These two men had never met my roommate before, but that cultural bond was so obviously present. Meeting someone who knew their culture and understood this culture was all these men needed; someone who was sensitive, understanding of their culture. Although the United States and Hartford were their new homes and have been for quite some time, there is something comforting about meeting someone else who speaks your native language, that can relate to where and how you grew up, that understands your way of life. As my roommate reinforced my grandmother’s statement, that there are few things in this world like a cultural bond. Cultural sensitivity and understanding make a huge difference in this world.

No Luck

On a rainy afternoon, we, Stephanie, Maggie and I pulled up into the parking lot of a pizza shop on Farmington Avenue in hopes of an interview. Walking in, we ask for the owner of the establishment. Upon realizing that the person at the front of the small store was the owner, we asked if we could get an interview. He looked disheveled, and asked us again what we wanted. Again explaining that we had come to his store before looking for an interview time that best fit his schedule, he said that he was waiting on the police. His delivery driver had apparently been robbed earlier that day. He sounded frustrated saying he had been waiting for over 30 minutes. After figuring out this meant that we wouldn’t be getting an interview we asked if there would be a better time. The owner was vague and we figured we wouldn’t be able to get an answer, and so we said our thanks and left the store. After leaving, we talked about the absurdity of someone getting “robbed” in broad daylight, in the middle of the day. My thoughts wandered to the owner. ‘What is he thinking’ I thought. ‘How often does this happen?’ I wondered how the owner could trust this city.

While lost in my thoughts, we had walked down the street to a supermarket. I quickly caught up with Stephanie and Maggie and squabbled over, who should ask to talk to the owner. As the only guy, I lost and made my way to the counter. The owner was at the counter and unfortunately did not look too pleased with our presence. We didn’t exactly look like the type of people to buy anything from his store. I asked if he could spare some time and perhaps give us an interview for our research. He looked uninterested and said that he was busy.  I didn’t push it. I looked back and gave the “thumbs down” and we left. I thought about the owner of this market and whether an empty store made him nervous or worried that he wouldn’t make rent or something like that. We got back to the car and as we were slowing down next to the Aetna building, a cop car sped past us.

Father and Son Relations

Many stores on Park Street are family run. While Yosa and I were out doing our field research we noticed that many of the stores owners had their daughters and sons working for them. These kids were very instrumental in the prosperity of their parents’ businesses.  The reason I say this is that in many of the shops we visited the parents did not speak English but rather Spanish. The owners depend upon their sons and daughters to translate for the parents.   On more than one occasion when we visited these stores, we saw kids hanging around with parents and one time a son was filling  in for the father while he was away on a business trip.

We found that some stores started by parents have been taken on by the children inadvertently. One storeowner told us that it was out of respect for his father that he took on the business not because he wanted to. This gentleman is now running a jewelry store on Park Street. When you walk into his store you don’t see that much jewelry for sale or many clients. What is important to note is that there are many jewelry stores on Park Street so there is a lot of competition. I compared this gentleman’s jewelry store to another one up the block. The other store had a wider selection of jewelry and more clients when we visited. The daughter of the second jewelry store owner told us that the father started this business and built a personal connection with his clients. That is why they have been in business for 30 plus years. What this jewelry store seems to do differently than other jewelry stores in the area is running radio advertisements and building a loyal client base. These stores are built from the ground up and bring pride to the family. Thus the kids want to keep these businesses going for these reasons.

Learning Business in the Family

We went to Park Street in Frog Hollow of Hartford to interview a woman and her son.  The woman, owns a party supply business.  She moved to Hartford from Puerto Rico and started this store because there was a demand for the items she sells and no supply nearby.  She sells everything you could think of that one would need for a party–be it a wedding, a baby shower, or a quinceañera (15th birthday celebration in Hispanic Culture).

She began her business without borrowing money or taking loans, just using capital she had acquired from her previous jobs. This is an important note for future business owners, as it proves that taking out heavy loans is not always necessary to have a successful business. She did say, however, that she felt support from the Spanish American Merchants Association that operates in Hartford, as she took courses that helped her in her startup.

Her son, born in Hartford, worked for her when he was younger–for  about 14 years.  He gained a lot of business experience from her, and decided to open up his own clothing business.  Like many business owners, the idea of having ones own business was attractive because he could be his own boss and not have a salary cap. Starting as a street vendor with 100 dollars in his pocket, he built a customer base in the area.

His business soon flourished enough for him to get a space on Park Street just a block away from his mother’s business.  He likes Park Street because there is a lot of demand for his product–clothing and some accessories such as hats.  There is also a lot of foot traffic in the area, so he said it was an ideal place to open a business.

His mother’s advice to prospective business owners was two fold, both practical and personal. She encouraged good treatment of customers to build a solid clientele base, citing that “that’s why I’ve been here for 26 years!” On a more personal level, she advised people to ensure that business ownership was a field they really want to get into before they made the decision to begin a business.

How Changing Consumer Cultures May Affect Business

Briana Chang and I visited a hair supplies shop on North Main Street in Hartford Connecticut. We met with a woman by the name of Jeanie (a pseudonym), who is the store manager. She spoke on behalf of the Korean business owner who was also present in the store at the time. The store specializes in the sale of hair products, and hair weaves/wigs. Many of the customers who visit the store are women of color. I asked Jeanie about some of the difficulties she faced as a manager of the store. She mentioned that many of her customers have begun wearing their natural hair in their natural textures instead of wearing straighter hair weaves or chemically processing their hair. It is no secret that because of societal pressures, women of color have historically spent a great deal of money on their hair in order to conform to the European standard of beauty. This means that they must straighten and chemically process their naturally curly/kinky hair. Women can purchase many of the products for this process, or additional alternatives to achieve these styles at this store. Recently, women of color have developed a consciousness around, and greater appreciation for their natural hair texture and have refrained from relying on many of these products. There is no doubt that this transition is most beneficial for these women because it saves them a great deal of money and the stress of always manipulating and damaging their natural hair.

This does however have the opposite affect on the businesses that depend on these women for the majority of their profit. This is a common trend among many types of businesses. Our cultural norms are ever changing, and with that, our cultural capital also changes. The things that we claim to be a significant part of our lives today may be thing of the past in just a few years. The way that we wear our hair, or the kinds of clothes we wear, and even the things that we eat can change drastically from generation to generation, and businesses must be able to conform to these changes in order to remain profitable. This hair supply shop that we visited might benefit from incorporating more “natural hair” products and information for women of color who may not be very knowledgeable about how to care for their natural hair, especially if they have never had to deal with caring for kinky/curly hair in the past. They might even want to sell hair extensions that are available in kinky/curly forms so that these women could purchase products that better resemble their own natural hair textures. These ideas are sight specific, and may not work for many businesses, but there are ways to adapt to cultural changes depending on the customer demographic, availability of resources, and willingness of business owners to discover and meet the demands of their customers.