Students from our English classes at a rally for immigrant rights.The Welcome Project's mission is to strengthen civic and community life in Somerville by diminishing racism and empowering the city's refugee and immigrant groups. We create opportunities for residents of all backgrounds to work together to improve their social, economic, and personal well-being.

We are based at the Mystic Public Housing Development, but we work with immigrants throughout the city. Our efforts combine services and civic engagement -- from our interpreter training program for bilingual youth (Liaison Interpreter Program of Somerville or LIPS) to English classes that teach vocabulary and ways to connect to the community to our Youth Digital Storytelling program. Explore these pages to learn more.

News & NotesNews & Notes

  • YUM Card
    YUM Event Offers Taste of Immigrant City
    Apr 30, 2010

    The Welcome Project celebrated Somerville's immigrant communities with our first-ever YUM: A Taste of Immigrant City event at Center for the Arts at the Armory. Twelve immigrant owned restaurants provided samplings of Somerville's international cuisines from Peru, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Tibet, the Mediterranean, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Portugal.
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  • Zarita Araujo-Lane, President and Director of Cross Cultural Communication Systems at the first LIPS youth training
    The Liaison Interpreters Program of Somerville (LIPS) kicks off a new season with more languages than ever!
    Nov 6, 2009

    This year's 17 LIPS youth, speakers of seven languages, wasted no time getting to work. After a weekend-long intensive training with Zarita Araujo-Lane, president and director of Cross Cultural Communication Systems, the LIPS youth headed out into the community to practice their new interpretation skills. On Wednesday, October 28th the LIPS teens congregated at the Argenziano School in Union Square, Somerville to interpret at a community forum about the Green Line Expansion in Somerville.
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  • 4108190922_7955bb7b89.jpg
    5 English Classes at Welcome Project this Fall
    Oct 28, 2009

    Our ESOL program is growing! This year, we're offering more classes than ever before, including a special series of English classes about the new Green Line extension. More than helping students improve their English language skills, our classes help students navigate an often unfamiliar new culture and provide opportunities to engage in the civic life of the city.

     
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