ENSURING A REALISTIC PATHWAY FOR IMMIGRANTS (Fall 2024). English for New Bostonians (ENB) ensures access to high-quality English classes so that immigrants across race, education and migratory backgrounds can pursue their aspirations and contribute to a Commonwealth that fully values their talents and voices.

ENB is strategically positioned as an ally to English language learners and immigrant communities, a resource to service providers, and a partner to employers, municipalities and government agencies. High caliber English classes are key to ensuring the foreign born – Boston’s and Massachusetts’ fastest growing population – can fully contribute their talents across our workforce, schools and civic institutions. ENB's solutions embrace social and economic justice as the realistic pathway to economic thriving for our great city.

For 23 years, ENB has been the backbone of Boston’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) system, supporting and building capacity among 23 providers citywide to deliver customized ESOL and create realistic employment pathways. ENB programs are designed to serve immigrants across English levels, educational/work backgrounds, migratory backgrounds and aspirations. Through collaboration, ENB avoids funding duplication and injects innovation systemwide.

During the pandemic, ENB launched the Immigrant Economic Recovery and Resilience Initiative (IERRI) with its cornerstone Career Coaching model. Four Coaches with Venezuelan, Brazilian, Puerto Rican and Haitian roots offer workshops on résumés, job searching, U.S. work culture, and interview prep for ESOL classes, and individual coaching for students ready to pursue employment and/or entrepreneurship.

ENB today serves 1,500+ immigrants yearly through: online and in-person English classes customized for jobseekers needing quality jobs; parents seeking to engage in their children’s education; entrepreneurs pursuing broader markets; and workers engaging in ESOL/job training at worksites.

Most recently, ENB has partnered with the Massachusetts Office for Refugees/Immigrants to meet the urgent need for ESOL/job training for new migrants across the state’s emergency shelters; 1,250+ students have been served to date via online and in-person learning. Also, with Massachusetts’ Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, ENB is addressing the critical system-wide ESOL teacher shortage by offering virtual and in-person ESOL training for former students.

Importantly, ENB elevates immigrant voices through all communications and events, sharing successes related to English skills with employers, public officials, funders, donors, and the public. Immigrant voices within the organization are also vital, and many staff and board members are immigrants or children of immigrants, and were English learners themselves.

ENB today is leveraging a tight labor market to bring employers to the table and create English training opportunities for workers, and building capacity across Massachusetts’ ESOL system to meet emerging needs. ENB has successfully advocated for significant ESOL investment increases by the state, city and employers, and participates in research and on panels, such as the recent “Actionable Strategies to Expand and Enhance ESOL Services in Massachusetts,” sponsored by MassINC and UMass Amherst Donahue Institute. ENB is the recipient of $2M Yield Giving grant, awarded following a highly competitive national process.

In the image, outstanding students from more than 20 ENB-funded programs were honored with Rising Stars Award certificates, which were presented by the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) during our annual Raising Our Voices event in 2023.

Clowes Fund Field(s) of Interest: Immigrant Services

Grantees