REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT PROGRAM
The B.I.A.S. Project
Building Immigrant Awareness and Support:
a campaign to combat anti-immigrant sentiment

The B.I.A.S. Project (Building Immigrant Awareness and Support) is a campaign to combat anti-immigrant sentiment through providing accurate information about the numbers and impact of immigrants on the U.S. economy, labor market, and society. The Project confronts misinformation and stereotypes in an educational, media and public affairs campaign.

In a climate of economic and social concerns, immigrants often become scapegoats. This type of inaccurate rhetoric fueled public support for two harmful laws passed in 1996 that restrict the rights and benefits historically available to refugees and legal immigrants. Working closely with immigrant and non-immigrant communities, the Project confronts the dangerous misperceptions about immigration and addresses the legislative onslaught by providing workshops, training, informational resources, and strategies to equip organizations and individuals with effective tools with which to advocate and educate.

The B.I.A.S. Project offers:

Youth Education: Curriculum guides and teacher training;

Workshops: Role-playing exercises, informational components, and immigrants personal testimonies address myths and facts of immigration and build awareness of immigrations human dimension;

Videos: Historical, factual, and personal perspectives on immigration;

Speakers Bureau: Experts discuss immigration facts and policy, immigrants tell their own stories;

Poster Campaign: Compelling photographs and artwork on refugees and xenophobia;

Myth/Fact Sheets: The impact of immigrants on the labor market, the economy, and the welfare system;

Personal Profiles: Immigrants and refugees share their stories of fleeing persecution, reuniting with families, and contributing to American society;

Library: Comprehensive collection of studies on immigration facts, law and policy;

Media Projects: Provides communities and reporters with reliable information to ensure objective, accurate coverage;

Consulting: Focus groups, strategy development, and training.

Additional Information:

• Myths and facts about immigration
• Take the "Immigrant Quotient" (I.Q.) Test
• Glossary
• Bibliography of refugee and immigrant materials
• Sample curriculum lesson plan
• Refugee and Immigrant Websites
• We need your feedback - Ideas That Work: Making ESL Students Feel at Home
• Call to Action - What can you do to make a difference?
• Please Join Us as a Volunteer