Global Cleveland

From Cleveland to Eretz Israel, Eretz Beit Shean

By Joe Cimperman, President of Global Cleveland 

There is a story in the Old Testament about the journey to the Promised Land. When Moses and the Israelites were ready to go through the Red Sea, the waters parted and the fleeing community was able to make it through on dry passage. Scholars of the Bible tell us that it was in fact a brave person known as Nahshon who went into the waters first, to test if the thousands of people behind him would be able to make it through safely. We also learn that Nahshon walked in to the water up to his chin and kept going before the mighty waters receded. It was at this point that the Jews fleeing the Egyptians were able to escape, and continue on.

I bring this up because I am reminded of this bravery and determination in a recent Cleveland Jewish Federation trip to the great city of Beit Shean. Along with a group from Cleveland having deep and abiding connections to the St. Clair Superior Community, we travelled together to discuss ways we could do even more as two communities going through so much of the same growth and opportunity quests. For history, Beit Shean is an amazing city in a region called the Valley of the Springs. This once dire landscape filled with swamps and unfarmable land has become a verdant, green, ecologically sustainable, economically powerful area where more and more people are coming to live. The population grew exponentially after World War 2, many survivors of the Holocaust came here along with the many displaced members of the Jewish Community looking to start anew. We visited a museum of the people and lives lived of Beit Shean and saw in those grainy photographs the joys, sorrows, struggles and ultimate triumph of people looking to call a place home. The level of innovation in this community is staggering. From an agrarian research and implementation strategy, to how to make a lasting peace with neighbors cross border, to wind energy and perhaps most difficult: how to keep civil society engaged in these dynamic times with steady and thoughtful local government. I learned a lot here thanks to our hosts in Beit Shean/Valley of Springs. We will be lucky enough to host some of our Friends in a few short weeks here in Cleveland. What we can be sure of is this: the knowledge gleaned by both of our communities (Cleveland and Beit Shean) is absolutely transferable and has applications in Israel and in The U.S.

The late Art Naperstak worked diligently with so many leaders from Cleveland to share best practices from our perspective to our Beit Sheanen family. The lessons our delegation learned from Beit Shean are best practices for us to work toward implementation here. Ultimately what Amy Kaplan and Oren Baratz and the leadership of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland showed us, and what the lives lived on volume 10 in Israel demonstrate, is that in order to cross to what’s better, we all need to channel the Nahshon in ourselves. To be bold enough to risk to fail, to share openly when bonds are established, to innovate and implement change as it comes to us, in real time. For this and for the opportunity to learn, I am so grateful.

by Global Cleveland

Cleveland Public Theatre Presents... American Dreams

American Dreams By Leila Buck. Directed & Developed by Tamilla Woodard.

What if a game show controlled who receives the "ultimate prize:" U.S. citizenship?

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to present the world premiere of American Dreams. The production is onstage from now through  March 3, 2018, in CPT's James Levin Theatre.

About the Play
You are invited into the live studio audience of American Dreams, where you will decide which of three contestants -a Pakistani cartoonist, a Palestinian chef, or a Mexican medic -will receive the ultimate prize: citizenship in "the greatest nation on earth." Weaving playful audience engagement with up-to-the-moment questions about immigration and more, this participatory performance explores how we navigate between fear, security, and freedom; who and what we choose to believe-and how those choices come to shape who we are.

According to CPT's Executive Artistic Director, Raymond Bobgan: "Regardless of whether you're someone who wants to build the wall, or someone who thinks we should throw the doors of America wide open to spur our economy, or anyone in between… it's important that as we think and talk about these issues we remember we are talking about people. This is not a play about policy or Dreamers or "the wall." It's about people who simply want to lead a better life and the inherent desire to protect the life we have."

According to Global Cleveland's President Joe Cimperman: "I'm excited for this production and I am excited for March 4th - the day after American Dreams concludes here in Cleveland as its impact ripples across our city. I'm eager to witness how Cleveland may have fundamentally changed - this is why Global Cleveland encourages people to meet new neighbors that don't look like them and interact with strangers with greater compassion. We look to have volunteers assist us at every Naturalization Ceremony to welcome the New Americans awaiting citizenship and we commit to educating employers on hiring international applicants for jobs with greater appreciation. When we celebrate diverse peoples and cultures, foster collaboration and support, and harness the power of arts to transform our community, Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, and the people of Cleveland, are truly great."

The contest takes place in four rounds and culminates in an audience-wide vote. "Round I / How America Works!" is a buzzer-style quiz taken directly from the U.S. citizenship test. "Round II / America's Favorites!" invites three audience members to volunteer to help contestants answer questions from national surveys about American cultural preferences and norms. "Round III / Aliens with Extraordinary Skills!" is what is commonly known as "the talent round." Contestants showcase skills and share their dreams and beliefs in ours. "Round IV / The Hot Seat!" heats up the competition as audience members ask tough questions of each contestant. Within "The Vote!," the audience decides the lucky winner, thus determining the fate of the losing contestants.

The show transforms abstract political debates into person¬al, tangible questions: What shifts when we aren't talking about distant borders but potential neighbors? What kinds and levels of bias do we bring to the conversation? Who would you take a chance on? How far would you go to advo¬cate for your choice? Do you trust the system? If not, why and how do you continue to participate in it?

FOUR POST-SHOW PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Presented by Global Cleveland 

Moderated by Chris Hoey, Immigrant Community Organizer, Global Cleveland

SATURDAY, 2/10: RACE & IMMIGRATION

Panelists:
Kayla Griffin, Chair of the NAACP Yps
Jazmin Long, Deputy Director, Global Cleveland
Tracey Winbush, Treasurer, Ohio Republican Party; President, Ohio Black Republicans Association

THURSDAY, 2/22: REFUGEES IN CLEVELAND

Panelists:
Thomas Kate, Employment Coordinator, The Refugee Response
Patrick Kearns, Executive Director, The Refugee Response
Tom Mrosko, Director, Catholic Charities

MONDAY, 2/26: JEWISH-MUSLIM RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION

Panelists:
Murat Gurer, Salaam Cleveland and Muslim American Community
Rabbi Stephen Weiss, B’nai Jeshurun Congregation

FRIDAY, 3/2: IMMIGRATION ACROSS THE ATLANTIC FROM IRELAND TO AMERICA

Panelists:
Kathleen Brennan, Program Associate, The Cleveland Foundation
Joe Cimperman, President, Global Cleveland
Mark Owens, Executive Committee President, Irish Network Cleveland

CAST and CREW of American Dreams
The cast includes Ali Andre Ali, Josh Brown, Leila Buck,* India Nicole Burton, Christopher Hisey, Lynna Metrisin, Jens Rasmussen,* Imran Sheikh,* Brenton Sullivan, and Andrew Aaron Valdez. *Actor appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

American Dreams was written by Leila Buck, and directed and developed by Tamilla Woodard. The creative production team includes Raymond Bobgan - Producer; India Nicole Burton - Assistant Director; Colleen McCaughey - Stage Manager; Wes Calkin - Lighting Designer; Sam Kusnetz & T. Paul Lowry - Sound Design; T. Paul Lowry - Video Designer; Kerry McCarthy - Costume Designer; Ryan T. Patterson - Scenic Designer.

American Dreams was developed in collaboration with Ali Andre Ali, Osh Ghanimah, Jens Rasmussen, Imran Sheikh, and Andrew Aaron Valdez.

TICKET & SHOW INFORMATION
American Dreams previews February 8, 9, 10, & 15 (no show February 12). Press Night is Friday, February 16 and the show runs through March 3. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday nights at 7:00pm in CPT's James Levin Theatre, located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102, in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District.

Tickets are $12-30. Students/Seniors receive $3 off on Friday and Saturday nights. All Thursdays and Mondays are $12. Friday/Saturday previews are $20.

PURCHASE TICKETS at www.cptonline.org or call the CPT Box Office at (216) 631-2727 x 501 use code GLOBAL to receive a discount! 

The James Levin Theatre is ADA compliant, featuring a patron elevator and an all gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.

Every Friday is Free Beer Friday at CPT. Mingle with the artists after the show and discuss the performance in a lively, social atmosphere - your drinks are on CPT.

ABOUT LEILA BUCK, PLAYWRIGHT
Leila Buck is a Lebanese American writer, actor, and intercultural educator who has lived and worked across the U.S. and in 22 countries. She has performed and developed her plays with/at the Public Theater, Culture Project, Brooklyn Museum, Arena Stage (Best Performances, DC Metro Theater Arts 2016), New York Theatre Workshop (Drama League nomination), and the Wilma Theater (Barrymore Award). A State Department Speaker Specialist and Cultural Envoy, Leila has worked with UN teams to craft and perform stories of refugees and led workshops and dialogues on theatrical tools for cross-cultural communication with youth, aid workers, UN delegates, and educators in Denmark, Geneva, Istanbul, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Lebanon. She received the Edgar Beckham Social Justice award for her work as artist-in-residence for Wesleyan University's Doris Duke Foundation Building Bridges grant, teaching and creating interactive theatrical dialogues with students, faculty, and community about the (mis)representation of Muslims in the U.S. She has taught storytelling and theatre for literacy, conflict resolution, and intercultural engagement with New York Theatre Workshop and Lincoln Center and at cultural, educational, and community-based institutions across the U.S. and around the world. Her work is featured in/on TCG's Finding Home Essay Salon; Lark's Stages of Resistance blog; Innovation in Five Acts; Etching Our Own Image: Voices from the Arab American Art Movement, and Four Arab-American Plays. She is a member of the Public Theater's inaugural Emerging Writers Group, a Usual Suspect with New York Theatre Workshop, and teaches Participatory Performance and Civic Engagement and Representation of Arabs and Muslims in U.S. Theater at NYU. www.leilabuck.com

ABOUT TAMILLA WOODARD, DIRECTOR & DEVELOPER
Tamilla is co-founder of PopUP Theatrics, a partnership creating site-specific theatrical events internationally, and the Artistic Director of The Five Boroughs/One City Project, a multi-year initiative of The Working Theater. She is a past Time Warner Directing Fellow at the Women's Project Theater, a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, alumnus of The Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and artistic affiliate with New Georges. She graduated from The Yale School of Drama's Acting program and is the recipient of The Josephine Abady Award from The League of Professional Theatre Women. Recent work includes: James Scruggs' 3/Fifths at 3LD, PolkaDots: The Cool Kids Musical with The Atlantic Theatre Company, Harbur Gate by Kathleen Cahill at Salt Lake Acting, Melisa Tien's Yellow Card Red Card at the New Ohio, Beto O'Byrne's Loving and Loving at Stella Adler, Miami Motel Stories, a site-specific immersive currently running in Miami's Historic Little Havana, and a workshop of At Buffalo, a new musical about the 1901 World Fair.

*American Dreams has received special production support from: Deborah & Ron Ratner, The Bennett Family, & Global Cleveland

by Global Cleveland

Refugee Improv Among 25 Civic Ideas at Accelerate 2018

Audience to vote on winner TONIGHT!

A creative plan to use interactive improv to educate people about the global refugee crisis is one of 25 civic pitches that will be presented at Accelerate 2018: Citizens Make Change, tonight Wednesday, February 21, 2018. The civic pitch event is presented by the Cleveland Leadership Center and Citizens Bank. Tickets are no longer available online, but you can register at the event! For additional details visit  www.cleveleads.org/Accelerate  The event begins tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Global Center for Health Innovation.

Nearly 80 people applied to pitch at this fourth annual competition. The 25 individuals who were each have unique visions of creating positive change in Cleveland. The improv theater idea, presented by Sean Seibert, is to have audience members experience displacement as they are directed to change seats, split up from their companions and make other choices during the interactive theater piece.

Another idea, from Kelley Hynds, would create dynamic educational videos to help people understand and better engage in pressing social and civic issues. Several other ideas involve websites or apps to reach under-served populations across Cuyahoga County. 

Panels of prominent community members will judge category competitions to select one finalist in each of five categories: Community Change, Economic and Workforce Development, Educating for Tomorrow, Health & Wellness, and Quality of Life. The finalists will make their pitches to a combined audience, which will vote to select the overall winner. The winning pitch receives $5,000, and the four runners-up each receive $2,000. 

Since Accelerate launched in 2015, it has been a catalyst for dozens of ideas to take flight and directly impact everyone from pre-kindergarteners to senior citizens (updates on past pitches are at www.cleveleads.org/AccelerateUpdates).

“Citizens Bank is committed to helping our communities reach their potential, and what better way than to provide a platform like Accelerate where individual citizens can share visionary ideas to make our region a better place,” said Ursula Cottone, Accelerate Co-Chair and an Executive Vice President of Citizens Bank, Ohio.

In addition to Citizens, the event is offered by Cleveland Leadership Center in partnership with Oswald Companies and Westfield Insurance Foundation presenting the Community Change category, Oatey Co. presenting the Economic and Workforce Development category, Nordson Corporation Foundation presenting the Educating for Tomorrow category, Cleveland Clinic presenting the Health & Wellness category, and Cuyahoga Community College and Thompson Hine LLP presenting the Quality of Life category. JumpStart is sponsoring a showcase of past Accelerate pitches that are being implemented and making a difference in Cleveland.

Event details         

• What: Accelerate 2018: Citizens Make Change, presented by Cleveland Leadership Center and Citizens Bank
• When: Wednesday, February 21, 2018
  5:30 p.m., Pitch category competition; 6:30 p.m., Networking reception; 7:00 p.m., Final competition
• Where: Global Center for Health Innovation, 1 St. Clair Avenue NE, Cleveland, OH 44114
• Cost: Advance sales - $35 public, $30 CLC Members, $20 Students. All tickets at the door are $40.
• Information: cleveleads.org/Accelerate. Direct questions to (216) 592-2276 or [email protected]
• Twitter: #AccelerateNEO, @CitizensBank, @cleveleads
• Facebook: @CitizensBank, @Cleveland Leadership Center

Media contact

Michael E. Bennett, VP of External Affairs, O: (216) 591-2426, C: (216) 408-3874, [email protected]

by Global Cleveland

Explore and Learn About the Latest Opportunities for Doing Business with India

The Consulate Generale of India, NY, India Ohio Chamber of Commerce,  and Ariel International Center invite you to explore and learn about the latest opportunities for Doing Business with India. 

Join us Thursday, February 22, 2018 • 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Ariel International Center this event is free, but registration is required.

Click here to register!

Ariel International Center, Skyline Lake Room

1163 East 40th Street, 4th floor, Cleveland OH 44114

For questions contact Radhika Reddy, C: 216-577-2420 • Fax: 216-373-7356 [email protected]

by Global Cleveland

Immigrant Business Spotlight: Walker's Meats

Adding Asian flavors to the West Side Market, One tasty morsel at a Time

Change comes slowly to the West Side Market-one of the largest and oldest public markets in America-- but at a pace Jungsoon An can abide. She's one of only a handful of Asian vendors at the bustling arcade, so you might expect her to offer foods from her homeland, South Korea. She does--but precious few.

Instead of Korean staples like kalbi (short ribs) and brisket, the butcher case at Walker's Meats brims with Eastern European-style hams, sausages, wieners and cold cuts. That's what the Walker family and a later vendor sold for years before An arrived in 2006. For the most part, she's carried on the tradition-right down to working beneath the Walker name.

"It's what my customers expect," Ahn says, adding, "Business is good."

Why change a winning formula-when you can tweak it?

On a recent afternoon, a sizzling pan of shaved beef cooled atop her stainless-steel counter, sending off a sweet aroma. A young man speared a sample with a toothpick, murmured "Mm mm," and asked his companion to try it.

"Can you tell us how to make this?" she asked.

Yes she can.

An has been introducing Korean Bool Kogi, literally "fire meat," marinated slices of grilled beef and pork that are a Korean classic. This fall, she added kimchi, a spicy cabbage dish essential at Korean meals.

She's also tinkering with American staples. The trimmings from her Christmas Ale bacon are combined into a savory spread she calls Bacon Jam, a hot seller.

"My customers like bacon in everything," An explained.

To succeed at the market, An, who is known to her cusomers as "Jay," faced a special challenge. Most of her colleagues grew up eating the products they sell. But there's nothing like lunch meat in Korea. She had to learn about Slovenian klobasa, Polish keilbosi, Chicago hot dogs, turkey tails and beef bacon.

"Slowly, slowly," I learned," said An, a soft-spoken woman with a kind smile. "Ham hocks? I asked my customers, 'What do you eat with that?'
They make a soup! My customers teach me a lot."

For An, as for many immigrants, the market has been a gateway to the American dream.

She emigrated from Seoul in 2003 with her husband, Doosik, and their 12-year-old daughter, sponsored by a sister in Maryland. Her husband found work in the construction industry in Cleveland. An took training to become a dental hygienist but could only find part-time work in a fitness center. She looked for a job that would offer a better income and allow her to be a devoted mom, too.

The market, then open four days a week, seemed to offer flexibility. She scouted the maze-like aisles for three years, looking for a stand, before a friend in the vendor ranks alerted her that Walker's Meats coming available.

The menu was a mystery but the price was manageable. An bought the stand and became a purveyor of Cleveland-style meats and sausages.

Other vendors helped her to learn the trade. Many have become friends. For advisors, she turns to her customers, who are growing more diverse and adventuresome.

"Now I have Asian customers, too," Ahn said, flashing a smile. "The Chinese watch the Korean (TV) dramas. They come up and the say, 'Bool Kogi!'"

So will she be changing the name-maybe to An's, or Jungsoon's Meats?

No time soon.

"Now, everybody knows me," she said. "I'm the Korean. I have Asian food. The name, it doesn't matter."

Our Immigrant Business series: Immigrants punch above their weight as entrepreneurs and job creators. They are nearly twice as likely as native-born Americans to launch a business. While we cheer their hustle and success, we also want to learn from it. So we are running a series of stories examining immigrant businesses and the founders who launched them. If there is a business you would suggest for this series, please email [email protected]

by Global Cleveland

Guest Blog: Belfast, A City Under Construction

Written by Alexa Fedynsky 

With my love of the Titanic I knew I had to go to Belfast. After finding a cheap flight on Google Flights, I knew that had to be the first international destination of my trip. I spent the weeks before reading about what to see—I knew about the Titanic and the Troubles, but needed to do some research about what specifically to see and where. In regular fashion I packed my bags an hour before having to leave to Paris, and rushed to the Angers train station for this surprising city.

A little kid sat behind us on the train, trying to play with us as her mother told her in English and French to stop. I think she understand both languages but also ignored both—funny kid. We arrived in Montparnasse, and I was so happy to see the Paris metro again, one of my favorite places in the world. The rest of the travel time was quite boring—I had gone to a music festival the night before at the theater on the river in Angers, so I just slept for most of the trip.

However I managed to wake up just before landing, where out the window I saw so much green. We landed shortly afterward, and got into the shortest customs line I have ever seen. Like normal, they divided the lines between EU citizens and everyone else, and we were the only non-EU citizens. He asked us quite a few questions about what/why we were doing there, and finally I got my Belfast stamp in my passport!

We found the bus to take us to the city center, which took around 45 minutes. Across from us sat this adorable family with a three year old, who just played around the entire ride. It’s always nice to see cute babies, and this time we could actually understand everything they said. After arriving at the central bus station we quickly found the hostel, put our stuff down and asked the staff where to go to dinner. The hostel is right by the main university, so she recommended Botanic Street, where all the students go. Instead of getting cheap student food, we decided to sit down in this tiny and crowded diner, Maggie Mae’s. All the plates looked delicious, so we knew we made the right choice. I had a pitta (not exactly sure how to pronounce that in a Northern-Irish accent) with garlic sauce and garlic chips (fries), and was quite satisfied, it was so much hearty food, a welcome change from France. Originally I had planned on getting a dessert, but there was absolutely no way, so instead we hopped over to a neighboring pub for a pint and to watch the end of a rugby and football match.

Back in the hostel I went to the back room, which had a pool table and was quite noisy, so I knew it would be a good place to get to know the other guests. I talked with some students from Dublin, who were in Belfast for a scuba diving class since they were Trinity’s scuba team. Everyone then decided to go out, so we went to a sort of billiards bar, where the top floor had some 20 pool tables—more than I have ever seen! My new Irish friend and I won the match we played, and thought it would be best to quit while ahead, so we all went back to get some sleep.

Too excited to sleep, we woke up in the morning for the free breakfast, which included peanut butter—finally! I slopped a healthy amount on my bread. Then it was time to start the day. Unsurprisingly it was cloudy, but thankfully no rain. We picked St. George’s Market as our first stop, but on the way walked past the beautiful city hall. I found the first façade we saw absolutely beautiful, but as we continued walking around the building each angle became more and more extravagant. 

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On the opposite side was a Titanic memorial garden, with a statue and a dedication written on the base. A woman came up to us and said to go onto the grounds of the City Hall to see the rest of the garden, where the names of all the people from Belfast lost aboard were listed on the wall. My friend and I commented on how familiar it felt to have someone simply approach us on the street, a rarity in France.

Finally we reached St. George’s Market and were immediately engulfed with the scent of baked goods and frying meats. It’s a huge Victorian era covered market, with a food section, jewelry, clothing, paintings, handicrafts, and everything else in between. First we walked all the way around the market, admiring some of the beautiful things on sale. After seeing everything I decided the pair of earrings I had seen at the beginning were worth it, so I went back to get them and now wear them all the time. But then came the hard part—trying to decide what to get to eat. While walking around the man behind the ice cream stand gave me a free sample, which was absolutely delicious. However I was unfortunately not hungry enough for both lunch and a dessert, so I decided to try a non-West Side Market falafel. It was actually pretty good, I was impressed, but not the same thing. Then I tried some hot chocolate made from melted chocolate shavings—even better than a Waddick’s hot chocolate! While enjoying our meal, we stood around a table as a live band played right beside us. Such a fun ambience! We decided it was finally time to leave before spending all our money and eating our weight in food, and headed off to the Titanic Museum.

On the way we walked along the riverfront, where we saw a giant fish sculpture with scenes of Belfast’s history as the scales.

Then a giant yellow crane appeared on the horizon with a huge, blue H&W symbol on it—the shipyard! The crane could be seen from actually most parts of the city, highlighting its importance to Belfast. The Titanic Museum is very modern, a huge grey building on the dock, built on the diagonal.

We headed inside (I ran), bought our tickets, and went upstairs to the first exhibit, about the history of Belfast and shipbuilding (One interesting detail—people are clearly very proud of Belfast and for good reason. The exhibit was quite long and appreciative of Belfast, however there was no mention of the Troubles). We continued wandering—through the history of Harland and Wolff, the designing of the Titanic—until we reached the “building ride.” We got onto a roller coaster type car, which moved us through the exhibit of how the ship was built, complete with dialogue of testimonies of shipbuilders from the era. Unfortunately we had to eventually get off the ride, but then saw examples of the interior of the ship, passenger profiles, and crew responsibilities. Finally came the sinking, rescue, and aftermath, with lots of modern features like screens of passenger lists. I also appreciated that they didn’t have any recovered artifacts from the wreck, instead what was donated to them by families of people from the time period or recovered archival pieces. Next was the exploration section, with a model of the Nautilus’s control room (I’ve been there!) and video of Ballard talking about the discovery and of course the importance of ocean exploration. All in all a very impressive museum.

 Next I wanted to see the more recent history of Belfast, so we consulted the map briefly to find the direction of the peace wall. We were clearly headed away from the classic tourist areas—no new buildings, instead old ones with damage from shelling or still entwined with barbed wire. But the farther we got, the more murals we saw painted just on regular buildings. And they weren’t all necessarily dated to the Troubles, some related to Palestine, current British rule, and police brutality. Finally we turned on some more residential streets and saw a huge wall. Easily 20 feet tall, this divided to streets, one nationalist/Catholic the other unionist/Protestant, to try and stop the violence between the two. People have been painting all over it since its beginning, with more politic graffiti, murals, and well-wishes from people for peace. This wall extended quite far down this street, and finally we reached the end to return back to the city center.

The main square has many new buildings, lots of glass and metal in comparison with the brick of the older part of town. You could also see various buildings covered with scaffolding or roped off, about to begin construction. An interesting juxtaposition of brand new and old/damaged. Clearly Belfast is trying to recover from its period of violence, with various monuments and statues placed around the city promoting peace.

 That night we headed out again with our new hostel friends, joined with various extras/workers for Game of Thrones, which is filmed right outside of Belfast. Lots of very large, very bearded men. The next morning we had to head back to the airport unfortunately. But I am very glad I finally managed to go to Belfast, especially after all the reading I have done about the Titanic. Definitely a living and evolving city, and I hope to go back again to see how it’s developed.

by Global Cleveland

Meet Our Community Navigator: Eunice Cabrera

My name is Eunice Cabrera, Transitions Assistant- Aspire Program at Cuyahoga Community College. Our program serve approximately 1, 200 immigrants and refugees with English classes and Transition Services. My main responsibility as Transition Assistant is to assist students who are interested in attending college, find employment and/or get information about resources and services in the community. The most important is to help the students to reach their persona, educational and career goals. As an immigrant, born and raised in Puerto Rico, it is an honor and a blessing to help other immigrants succeed in life.

I joined the team of Community Navigators because is a wonderful way to give back to the community and a great way to help immigrants in such big accomplishment.

A Community Navigator is a member of the immigrant and ethnic community who is well-known and well-respected by their peers. He or she will be trained by Global Cleveland staff in a one-day long training session to provide accurate information about their rights as immigrants or refugees and to guide eligible immigrants toward citizenship, often through workshops or other outreach initiatives. A Community Navigator is meant to be a mentor who can help to empower others to lead more confident lives.

Interested in becoming a Community Navigator or learning more? Email Chris Hoey at [email protected] 

by Global Cleveland