“Stories from Our Twin Ports' New American Neighbors” is the subject of a free event from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 16, in Somers Lounge on The College of St. Scholastica campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The session is the fourth in the “Getting to Know Our New American Neighbors” training series offered by St. Scholastica’s Social Work Program.

“The goal of this series has been to enhance knowledge and understanding of new Americans’ cultures in our own community,” said Marcia Runnberg, Social Work Program coordinator and assistant professor at St. Scholastica. “I encourage community members to attend the May 16 training, so they can talk with panel members and get to know more about their new American neighbors.”

The training begins at 12:30 p.m. with an art and photography display by Hmong children and adults. The artwork depicts their refugee journeys. The project was organized by Dr. Glenn Nordehn, assistant professor, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, and Annmarie Barta, ESL (English as a Second Language) elementary and secondary teacher with Duluth Public Schools.

Three panel discussions follow at 1 p.m.:

--Discussion of the Hmong artwork with Nordehn and Barta; Cher Pao Vang, Duluth Public Schools ESL program assistant; Chong Moua, a volunteer bilingual assistant for adult ESL classes; the artists; and other Hmong neighbors;

--“Latino Immigration in Minnesota” with Patrick Ness, public policy director, Office of Social Justice, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis; and Mariano Espinoza, Director of the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network. They will discuss the reasons immigrants come to Minnesota, what life is like for the undocumented, and the need for humane and comprehensive federal reform; and

--“Immigrant Neighbor Transitions” with Professor Njoki Kamau (Kenya), Women’s Studies department head and associate professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Norliza Tarnowski (Malaysia), Asian/Pacific Cultural Center specialist with Duluth Public Schools; and Horst Blumerich (Germany) and Ina Cusick (Bylerus/Ukraine), recent immigrants and community members. The panel members will share their experiences coming to America and becoming part of the Duluth community.

Participants are encouraged to pre-register for training sessions online at http://www2.css.edu/app/depts/swk/. Three CEU credits are available at the door for $15 (cash or check only).

The New American Training Project is funded by The College of St. Scholastica Social Work Department and the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. Additional community sponsors include the National Association of Social Workers - MN Chapter, Duluth East Hillside PATCH, Duluth Adult Learning Center ESL Class and ESL Civic Involvement Project, and CHUM.

For more information contact newamericans@css.edu or visit http://resources.css.edu/academics/swk/newamericans/.