Supporting Refugees & Immigrants Today: Current Challenges, Policy Updates, and How You Can Help

Adult & Family Programs / Community -

Prescott CC - 2026 PROGRAM CATALOG

The International Institute of New England (IINE) has been helping refugees and immigrants for over 100 years. Under the current administration's policies, this group and their access to essential services are heavily limited. Hear from IINE President and CEO about how changes in federal policy and funding are affecting immigrant communities, what IINE is doing about it, and how you can help.

The Groton-area-based Neighbor-to-Neighbor project collaborates with IINE to offer vital services for recent immigrants and refugees, including English language classes, food distribution, and mentorship. They aim to motivate people to get involved and help others.

The Prescott Community Center, Groton Neighbors, Groton Public Library, Groton Center, and First Parish Church of Groton cosponsor this program.

Instructors

James Nehring

James Nehring loves a good adventure, and he doesn't let his fear of heights, risk, and speed get in the way. Lacking a trust fund, corporate sponsors, and a death-defying disposition, he pursues the kind of adventures available to most people reading this blurb, people who love thrills, uncertainty, physical and mental challenges, but on their own terms. An author of seven previous books, he has appeared on National Public Radio and CNN. A former high school teacher and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, he lives in central Massachusetts with his wife, Laurie, and two cats standing in for three kids who've flown the coop. When he's not teaching, you can find him outdoors on his bike or trekking through the woods just a few steps from his kitchen door.

Jeff Thielman

https://iine.org/

Jeff Thielman is the President and CEO of the International Institute of New England. Since becoming the President and CEO of the International Institute of New England in 2015, Jeff Thielman has been a leader in the effort to preserve the U.S. refugee resettlement program and to protect the rights of immigrants in New England. Under his direction, IINE has expanded services to more refugees and immigrants, reinstated its legal services program, and expanded career services to more cities and towns in the region.
Prior to joining IINE, he co-founded the national Cristo Rey Network and spent nearly two decades creating schools that today serve 13,000 low-income and immigrant students in 24 U.S. states and boast more than 21,000 graduates. Jeff oversaw the start-up of the first 24 Cristo Rey schools and served as President of Cristo Rey Boston High School.
Early in his professional career, Jeff was a trial attorney in Boston and worked in the financial services industry. Between college and law school, he served as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Tacna, Peru, where he was a teacher and founder of a program for street children called the Center for the Working Child, which has been replicated in several cities in Peru. He is a co-author of Volunteer: With the Poor in Peru, holds undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College, and is fluent in Spanish.

January 2026