MyCity ATL

MyCity ATL

MyCity ATL started in 2016 as one of the community engagement programs organized by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs for Atlanta’s foreign-born.  MyCity ATL is designed to inform and empower the immigrant and refugee population in Atlanta to directly engage and interact with city services on topics that are important to New Americans.

Once a month over the course of six months, MyCity participants from the Atlanta Public Schools Adult ESOL program hear from City departments, gain a better understanding of how City agencies work, and learn how to resolve issues. Through these sessions, participants learn and become ambassadors who build strong communities by not only using the gained knowledge but sharing it as well.  

In 2021, we also expanded MyCity to include Career Pathway Guides for foreign trained professionals. Click here to access the Georgia Career Pathways Guide for Nurses. 

Interested in participating? Contact Valerie Mills at vmills@atlantaga.gov. 

Pre-COVID, MyCity ATL was held monthly at the St. Marks United Methodist Church, with average class sizes of thirty-eight comprised of participants from at least twenty-four countries. Over the years, two graduates have been employed by the APS ESOL program, one graduate was a prominent volunteer at City events especially the Census 2020, and one graduate is a business owner with plans to export her African couture and accessories outside Atlanta.  

Click the image above to access the career guide

In addition to empowering New Americans to interact with City Government, MyCity ATL helps Welcoming Atlanta and Metro officials to identify immigrant and refugee issues of concern.

Major topics participants discussed include:

  • Immigration Law: Immigrant Family Preparedness
  • Driving Rules, Violations and Police Stops 
  • Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness
  • Community Resources and Social Services 
  • Domestic Violence and Emotional Well-being
  • Credit Worthiness and the US Banking System
  • US Job Readiness
  • To introduce New Americans to Atlanta City Services
  • To develop new leaders who embrace their relationship with the City and take an active role in shaping it for the better
  • To build networks between different communities to strengthen the fabric of Atlanta as a whole

Some comments of MyCity ATL participants are:

  • “Useful and relevant information from great and kind speakers”
  • “Learning about city resources I did not know were available”
  • “Presentations are very practical”
  • “Provides me with yet another opportunity to improve my English”
  • “Visiting City Hall and experiencing how approachable government can be”
  • “Learning about how to thrive in Atlanta”

As part of the 2020 World Education Services (WES) Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) cohort, Atlanta created the Career Pathways Guide for Nurses in Georgia to address the existing barriers to workforce integration for nurses in Georgia. This toolkit spotlights the work being done by the Mayor’s Office of International & Immigrant Affairs – Welcoming Atlanta to support New Americans in their pursuit of employment commensurate with their skills and experience.

SOME COUNTRIES RESPRESENTED IN MYCITY ATL SESSIONS

Mexico, Venezuela, Senegal, Japan, Hungary, Namibia, Germany, South Korea, China, Russia, Armenia, Italy, Finland, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Gabon, Cuba, Italy, Guinea 

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