Welcoming Week 2024
Welcoming Week is an annual, nation-wide campaign to showcase and celebrate our communities' rich diversity! From September 1th through September 22nd, join us here in our own Gainesville community as we continue building a truly inclusive community that recognizes our many cultures and histories!
We Are Here
We are Here highlights stories from people who speak multiple languages in North Central Florida. Through visual collages that centralize cultural images, We Are Here illustrates the immigration journeys of our North Central Florida community through stories that hold power in multiple languages. These stories include examples of successes, struggles, hopes, injustices, and dreams of a more inclusive and just community. The goal is to showcase these stories, make visible the language diversity present in our community, and advocate for all of our neighbors’ right to access information in their preferred languages.
Collage-Making Interactive Workshop
Language is more than words. Through visuals, we can learn more about our languages and why they matter. In this interactive collage-making workshop, attendees will learn what language access means, why it matters, and how we as a community can better support multilingual speakers. You will hear stories about the value of language and create your own collage illustrating what you learned.
This workshop will be facilitated by Valentina Sierra Niño, Erika Herhández Cuevas, Laura Gonzales, and Robin Lewy. We are partnering with the Rural Women’s Health Project, Language Access Florida, and Intérpretes y Promotores Interculturales to host this program.
The Community That Eats Together, Stays Together
In an effort to bridge the gap between our immigrant and US born neighbors and foster a sense of belonging, GINI worked with Flavorful, Working Food, Florida Heritage Foods, and Florida Organic Growers to organize a culinary experience. Participants learned about different cultures from local chefs Awa Kaba and Aisse Kane (Flavorful), Robert Colon (Working Food), Ivan Perez (Taino Roots), and Daniel Mitchell (Daniel's Dining) through their signature dishes and understanding the food's relevance to their respective cultures. After sampling the delicious foods from the guest chefs, participants were then split into teams to work on the creation of their own "Gainesville Recipe".
Complex Journey
Please join us at Bo Diddley to celebrate and experience the journeys experienced by our many immigrant neighbors! This event will be an interactive experience, where participants can actively engage with Eugene Agyei's piece and share their experience of the exhibition as well as their personal stories and languages. We hope to see you there!
Bo Diddly Plaza
111 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
Click here to see commentary from people who attended the event.
Welcoming Week 2022
Welcoming Week is an annual, nation-wide campaign to showcase and celebrate our communities' rich diversity! From September 8th through September 18th, join us here in our own Gainesville community as we continue building a truly inclusive community that recognizes our many cultures and histories! Whether you celebrate with us at the annual, multicultural Greater Gainesville International Festival or watch the renowned Ifé-Ilé troupe perform, one is sure to find something this upcoming Welcoming Week to both entertain and inspire!
