City of Portland Office of Economic Opportunity

City of Portland Office of Economic Opportunity We are here to foster a strong sense of belonging in all aspects of city life.

Natural Helpers Session 3: Immigration, Legal Services & Community Safety ⚖️During session 3, fellows met with an immigr...
03/25/2026

Natural Helpers Session 3: Immigration, Legal Services & Community Safety ⚖️

During session 3, fellows met with an immigration attorney from International House, members of the Portland Police Department and Behavioral Health Unit, Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and Alpha Legal Foundation to discuss community safety, recent immigration changes and expanded access to legal services for the community.

Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, left us a with wonderful message reminding us of the power our voices have when we use them to stand up for one another.

Key Takeaways from the Day:
⭐️ Education and knowledge is power.
⭐️ Communities have more power than they realize to create meaningful change.
⭐️ Our experiences and journeys can lead us to unexpected paths of leadership and impact- stay the course, as you never know where it may be leading.
⭐️ Sharing information and passing along knowledge is one of the most powerful ways to ease fears and strengthen communities. ✨

Thank you to all our wonderful Speakers!

12/05/2025

NATURAL HELPERS: Where are they now?💫

Carla Muniz: After arriving in Maine from Peru three years ago, Carla worked to understand the needs of her new community, drawing on her background in social impact work.
✅Carla has taken her work from Peru to Maine to launch Wempo USA, a social enterprise focused on empowering underserved communities.
✅She has also started a support group to combat social isolation for elders, and is mentoring others in the Hispanic community.
✅In addition to her community work, Carla has facilitated multiple innovation workshops within the healthcare community to spark creative problem-solving and improve services.
✅She even recieved an award for excellence in innovation teaching from the MITE Institute!

🌿 Applications are OPEN for the 2026 Natural Helpers Cohort! 🌿Our Natural Helpers have made a huge impact statewide:✨ 1,...
11/12/2025

🌿 Applications are OPEN for the 2026 Natural Helpers Cohort! 🌿
Our Natural Helpers have made a huge impact statewide:
✨ 1,700+ community touchpoints
✨ 700+ people at NH events
✨ 880+ reached through digital resources
Now, we’re ready to welcome a new cohort of leaders who are passionate about connection, resource navigation, education, creation, care, and community. 💚

If you haven't heard, OEO is piloting three modules of a contextualized English course that cover common occurrences reg...
08/08/2022

If you haven't heard, OEO is piloting three modules of a contextualized English course that cover common occurrences regarding parking in Portland. This initiative was inspired by We Speak NYC with the goal of providing ready-made lesson plans that serve the dual purpose of English language learning and improved understanding of topics important to everyday life in Portland. This project was created in collaboration with KDK Consulting Group and Portland’s ESOL Collaborative, and made possible by the Sam L. Cohen Foundation.

Check out the link in our bio!

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Portland, ME

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
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