MANCHESTER — Welcoming America, a weeklong national observance intended to highlight the similarities in immigrant experiences through American history, is being marked in New Hampshire and other states through next weekend.

“The message is that immigrants are a positive change for the country — that this country was founded on immigrant principles,” said Eva Castillo an organizer with the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees. “When we work together, we make a better community.”

Organizers say the objective is to promote mutual respect and recognition that virtually all Americans trace their roots to another country.

Castillo said organizers are trying to help build a climate of welcome in communities that receive immigrants.

Activities will focus on sharing experiences and perspectives.

In Manchester, a Welcoming New Hampshire event is scheduled for Thursday. It will bring together people from families that came to the United States during diverse waves of immigration.

The participants are from families who emigrated from Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan and Sudan.

Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas is scheduled to deliver opening remarks focusing on his experiences as the grandson of Greek immigrants.

“Each of them will speak and take about seven minutes to talk basically about his or her experience as a newcomer to New Hampshire,” said event organizer Nabil Migalli, who was born in Egypt. “Hopefully, we will find similarities and differences, it’s a way for people to get to know each other.”

Castillo, who came to the United States from Venezuela in 1975, said breaking barriers and myths is an objective of the week’s activities.

“There are a lot of assumptions as the immigrant population grows,” she said. “People feel leery about all these people coming and they don’t have much contact with them so they are apprehensive.”

Migalli said the groups hope to conduct similar sessions around the state in the future.

“We want to foster a culture of welcoming based on accepting and appreciating the other nationalities,” Migalli said. “Each of us has something go be proud of in our backgrounds.”

The Manchester event will be held at the Health Department offices at 1528 Elm St. on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Castillo said one goal of the activities in New Hampshire is to break a cycle of ignorance that leads descendants of one wave of immigration to treat successive waves badly.

“Once you are able to connect with somebody on a human level, the differences really melt away, we have more in common that things that are different,” she said. “We all want better communities, a good life and safe neighborhoods for our families.”

wsmith@unionleader.com