NE Ohio Intercultural Organizations
Northeast Ohio has a number of internationally oriented community organizations with which students may involve themselves. Below is a brief list:
Global Ties Akron
Global Ties Akron’s mission is to “[strengthen] academic, corporate, organizational and personal links between Northeast Ohio and the world” and seeks for its volunteers to be “citizen diplomats”. Among Global Ties Akron’s many activities are hosting international visitors and organizing such events as meet and greet receptions, interfaith and multicultural discussions, and pot luck meals.
Asian Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA)
Asian Services in Action’s mission is “to empower and advocate for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs); and to provide AAPIs access to quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate information and services”. It provides low or no-cost services in a number of areas, including translation, community health promotion and youth programming.
Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF)
Held in March, CIFF “promotes artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition to enrich the life of the community” and “[presents] the newest and best films from around the world, [doing] everything in [their] power to make sure that [the] audience learns something along the way, about other cultures, about the topic at hand, [and] about the experience from the filmmakers themselves.”
International Institute of Akron (IIA)
“Founded in 1916, the International Institute of Akron (IIA) is a non-profit agency that provides services to the foreign-born in Akron and the Summit County…community. [Their] mission is to contribute to the well-being of our community by creating and implementing programs and services to assist the foreign born to integrate into our society, to promote public awareness of the value of ethnic diversity, and to encourage international communication.”