About
Connecting research, practice, and policy to support the flourishing, thriving, and belonging of immigrant-origin children, youth, and adults—their families and communities—across the lifespan and in the institutions where they learn, work, and live.
To advance research, understanding, and practices that foster the flourishing, thriving, and belonging of immigrant-origin children, youth, and adults—and their families and communities—across the lifespan and in the settings where they learn, live, work, and participate in civic life.
The Immigrant Flourishing and Belonging Initiative advances academic research, public understanding, and professional practice related to immigrant-origin communities across the lifespan. IFB brings together scholars across disciplines to understand how immigrant-origin children, youth, adults, and families grow, learn, work, participate in civic life, and come to feel that they belong.
The Initiative seeks to identify and elevate promising practices and policies that foster flourishing, thriving, and belonging in the institutions where immigrant-origin communities learn, live, work, and receive services.
What We Do
Learn from faculty, students, practitioners, community partners, and immigrant-origin communities while creating opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and shared learning.
Make scholarship, programs, centers, institutes, projects, and partnerships easier to discover through the IFB Connector.
Produce accessible IFB Briefs that bring research into education, health, social-service, community, and policy settings.
Host speaker series, films, exhibits, and immersive opportunities that deepen empathy, understanding, and cross-disciplinary engagement.
Support interdisciplinary partnerships and grant development that advance research, practice, and policy on immigrant flourishing and belonging.
Shape priorities, activities, and partnerships across Boston College. The IFB Initiative is led by Carola Suárez-Orozco and guided by a small steering committee during the Initiative’s inaugural phase.
Our Principles
Areas of Inquiry
Comparative and International Perspectives
Community Organizations and Civic Institutions
Families and Intergenerational Belonging
Migration and Exclusionary Policies
Mental Health, Well-Being, and Access to Care
Schools, School Climate, and Belonging
Our Leadership
The IFB Initiative is led by Senior Fellow Carola Suárez-Orozco, whose scholarship focuses on immigrant-origin children, youth, and families and the contexts that shape their development, flourishing, and belonging.
Meet the Steering Committee
The committee provides guidance in the initiative's inaugural phase, helping to shape priorities, activities, and partnerships across Boston College.
Interested in learning more about the IFB Initiative?
As we continue to build a community of inquiry and practice across Boston College and beyond, we welcome connections with faculty, students, practitioners, community organizations, and others whose work engages immigrant-origin individuals, families, and communities.