Project SHINE

Launched in 1985, Project SHINE is a national immigrant integration initiative that helps college students, older adult volunteers, and immigrant elders connect and contribute to their communities.  Click here to visit projectshine.org.

Patience Lehrman
Program Director
(215) 204-3212

Hitomi Yoshida
Associate Director
(215) 204-6160

What We Do

Over more than two decades of work, Project SHINE has:

  • engaged 9,000+ students through service-learning opportunties,
  • provided 150,000 hours of service to 40,000 immigrant elders,
  • partnered with 31 colleges and universities and over 200 immigrant-serving organizations,
  • provided national training and technical assistance to colleges and community organizations on replicating SHINE and promoting civic participation among immigrant elders, and
  • conducted research to inform and improve practices in building diverse and inclusive communities.

 

SHINE is built on the philosophy that (1) integration involves a two-way process in which new comers and the receiving society work together and (2) that there are pathways essential to success.  According to the GCIR, these include:

Project SHINE operates initiatives in each of these key areas: ESL & Citizenship, Workforce Development, Health Literacy,  and Civic Engagement.