The Digital Landscape

I decided to start my digital landscape search by researching different International Institutes in RI, my search was not as successful as I would have hope. As I was researching online, I discovered a few things about the International institute of RI. First of all, the IIRI has partnered with the Dorcas Place Adult and Family learning Center, which is now called the Dorcas International Institute of RI (DIIRI), and this located just a few streets away, in 220 Elmwood Ave. The IIRI is referred to as the south campus, while the DIIRI is referred to as the north campus. I also found out that the IIRI doesn’t have its own website, as they share a website with the DIIRI.  Interestingly, they do have their own blogger site. With this said, I decided to take a look at the DIIRI website first. As I was expecting their site is not fancy, nor colorful, but that’s is ok because its fill with tons of information to help people, not just immigrants and refugees. They also help people who didn’t get to graduate High school and are looking to get their GED, or people who want to gain computer skill, ESL classes for people who want to start learning or become fluent in English, and they also prepared people to continue to college. Even the green color they used on the top of the site is forgiven with all the helpful information offer in the site.  Their website shows some pictures of different people, some are in a class, other are outside planting plants, and they are all from different ethnicities. This shows the multicultural variety of the DIIRI and the IIRI. The website is divided in to four categories: education / workforce, support services, our impact, and how you can help. Like I mention the website is simple but filled with important information. When you click in “our impact”, you will find “stories of success”, not only they offer life changing opportunities, but also inspire the people to keep working hard. The fact that they took time to ask, and write down these people stories shows a real interest and care for the community they are creating. On the “how can you help section” I found a volunteering application, and a description of the different positions needed help with. This made me realized that most of the people volunteering at the DIIRI and IIRI are Rhode Island or out of state residents who care enough to help this community and are attracted by a new subculture. I think that people whom volunteer for the International institutes do it because they want to incorporate people into the overall culture, not just seclude them from the rest.

The blogger page of the IIRI is more colorful and bright as its background color is yellow, and the top the name “International Institute of RI” is written on top of a blue section. Now that I remember those are the colors of the inside of the IIRI, but instead of a bright yellows the walls are more of a pale cream yellow, and the floors are a dark blue, but its close enough. Their blog is as simple as my blog. It seems like the blog purposed is to inform people of what’s going on, there was a post warning of possible immigration scams, and other was informing Japanese immigrants of their benefits, there also a post about immigration fees going up, there was one where they were asking for volunteers. They keep the immigrant community updated. Upsettingly enough at the end I realized the last post had been made on June 21, 2011. The year that they posted the most was the 2010.Now this leaves me wondering why did they stopped posting information. Was it because not many people cared to check their blog, or because the DIIRI website is enough to provide information.

Lastly I found the DIIRI Facebook page, and I'm happy to see that they are up to date  and informing people of what's going on in the country, events in RI, events in the institute itself, promoting products made by their students, and promoting local places. Its a page full of pictures, and information. It has 880 likes, so we know there is 880 people following them. Because most people are connected to Facebook nowadays, its the most efficient way to inform people of what's going on. Our society revolves and depends on the internet, its our most useful tool to finding information.

Regardless of the whys they stop blogging, we can concentrate on the fact that they are helping many people living throughout RI, and people coming to RI from other countries, and it shows in the DIIRI website and Facebook page. Along my search I inferred that people who volunteer care, and want to integrate refugees, immigrants, and other members of the community whom somehow seem to be secluded from the USA culture, and even learn new things themselves. Now whether every immigrant and refugees are aware of this low cost services is a different story. When you first come to USA everything is new and unknown, so it takes time, and someone who will inform you about the services out there. As we come from countries that are not as develop as the USA.