- Toolkits
- Are You Ready to Talk?
- Beyond the Line
- Blocking Gender Bias
- Edgy Veggies
- First-Gen Ascend
- Fishbowl Discussions
- Measuring Mobility
- Peaceful Politics
- Plot the Me You Want to Be
- RaceWorks
- Rethinking Stress
- Space Reface
- Team Up Against Prejudice
- United States of Immigrants
- Kit Companion: Map Your Identities
- Kit Companion: LARA
- Collections
- Action Areas
- About
unitedstatesofimmigrants-instructions
OPTIONAL: Use these materials to evaluate the impact of this toolkit.
BEFORE doing the toolkit activities, give participants the Pre-toolkit Survey.
Participants will then complete the Post-toolkit Survey AFTER doing the activities.
Toolkit Instructions
Step 1: Either give U.S.-born Americans this short survey… (5 minutes)
This eight-question survey explores the history and contributions of immigrants to the United States. It is one of two activities you can do for the initial step of this toolkit.
If you instead prefer to use a short text about immigrants, go to step 2.
Research shows that taking this survey reduces prejudice toward immigrants. The survey also makes people more than twice as likely to donate money to groups that support immigrants. You can include this survey on your website, in an email, or as part of a course or training.
OPTIONAL: If you want to evaluate the impact of this toolkit, give participants the pre-toolkit survey before doing the toolkit activities and the post-toolkit survey after doing the activities.
Step 2: …Or give U.S.-born Americans this brief reading (5 minutes)
Instead of giving the survey in step 1, you can include the following paragraph in your print or online materials. Research shows that reading this paragraph, which is about how people with diverse backgrounds share a common American identity, can double donations for immigrant aid. (Download the paragraph here.)
Immigration in the United States
The population in the United States is ethnically and culturally diverse, consisting of groups of people that originated or immigrated from cultures and countries all over the world. About 67% of the population is Caucasian, 14% are Latinos, 13% are Black, 4% are Asian, and around 1% are Native Americans (US Census Bureau, 2005). Given such ethnic and cultural diversity, it is important to find ways for members of different ethnic and cultural groups to live peacefully and productively together. Experts from different fields have concluded that emphasizing a category common to all groups could potentially be a great asset for society. We are all members of a shared group – Americans. Social scientists argue that an approach that emphasizes thinking about our common identity as Americans, without emphasizing ethnic/cultural differences, is an essential component of long-term well-being. Recognizing that all of us are Americans can contribute to making America a better nation. Instead of focusing on our particular ethnicity/culture, we should celebrate that we all belong to the same big whole. In other words, while each of us is a member of a certain ethnic or cultural group, we should have the opportunity to define ourselves and celebrate our identity as Americans: We are all American!
OPTIONAL: If you want to evaluate the impact of this toolkit, give participants the pre-toolkit survey before doing the toolkit activities and the post-toolkit survey after doing the activities.
Step 3: Share your story (optional)
Tell us about your experiences using this toolkit. We may feature your story on this site after contacting you.
