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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 M AY 3 0 , 2 0 2 2 C O R P O R AT E R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y Chamber of Commerce. "e business community won't solve all the problems on its own, but it can help do its part and show support." e ird Place, a coworking and community space for Black entre- preneurs and emerging leaders, and ProsperityME, which helps immigrants and refugees gain financial stability, are among the groups now working with the chamber and business community. "We are trying to change a culture that has existed forever," says Claude Rwaganje, founder and executive direc- tor of ProsperityME. "Most businesses in Maine are family businesses. at does not entice many who are out- siders. e fact that other companies in Maine are trying to change and there is momentum for change, I say 'Hallelujah.'" e business community will hold BIPOC networking events with the ird Place and ProsperityMe so the BIPOC employees of several organiza- tions can get together, find a community and support each other. "We're offering a social safety net that supports people," says Adilah Muhammad, president and founder of the ird Place. "Networking offers a way to organize the community when there's not a strong, obvious cultural infrastructure in place." "BIPOC people leave Maine because of the lack of social opportunities outside of work. ere's no amount of money you can pay to make someone stay if they don't have a community or feel at home," Muhammad says. "Some of the best recruiters of BIPOC employ- ees are the BIPOC employees already in the workforce. e more opportunities there are for networking and socializing, the more people feel at home and want to be here and work here." "Maine is in a unique place. Maine is growing in diversity at a time when people are more accepting of diversity. Maine is at a really good place to make things right. e hope is that with increased levels of dialogue, as the com- munity is emerging, workplaces will be able to receive the shift," Muhammad says. "e fact that the chamber has put top leadership behind this is a significant show of support and strength." Workforce development efforts e business community also is creating more internship opportunities for high school and college students of color. is summer, the pilot program of internships will place about 10 students of color at MEMIC, Unum, MaineHealth, Bangor Savings and others. e goal is to double the num- ber of internships next year. "ere were more internship offers available than there were stu- dents to fill them. e generosity of the business community was over- whelming. We now need to do more outreach to talk to more students and get them to apply," says Tae Chong, director of multicultural markets and strategies for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, which is working with the Portland chamber on the initiative. "It's all about the circle of influ- ence for these students. No one in their community really ever applied for an internship before so they don't know what it means or how it can help," Chong says. "We've got to take a chance and work a little harder to entice these kids because they're going to be the first and the brave go-getters." Chong says he worked with students at Southern Maine Community College and University of Southern Maine to encourage them to apply. e hope is that if a student makes connections at a Maine company, they will want to stay here after graduation. We are trying to change a culture that has existed forever. — Claude Rwaganje Founder and executive director of ProsperityME P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Adilah Muhammad, president and founder of the Third Place, says networking opportunities help BIPOC employees find a community in Maine. There's no amount of money you can pay to make someone stay if they don't have a community or feel at home. — Adilah Muhammad The Third Place F O C U S

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