| Volume 9, No. 12 November 11, 2010 |
Two weeks ago the Community Service Society issued a report on Latino Youth in New York City" that was disturbing as well as heartbreaking. It reported on the high number of Latino young people, particularly Puerto Ricans, who are unemployed, uneducated and living in poverty. While the report's methodology may require fine tuning, its conclusion confirms what many Latino leaders have been pointing out for years - that too many of our public policies, services and programs are not meeting the needs of the Hispanic community. Not only are Latinos facing unacceptable levels of poverty and unemployment in New York City and New York State but ever increasing rates of teenage pregnancy, suicide, and gang violence. The highest incidence and prevalence of suicide attempts in NYC is among Latina adolescents in Brooklyn at 21%. Latina adolescents also have an escalating teenage pregnancy rate in NYC. We only have to read the newspapers to know that our youth are once again the victims and perpetrators of violence. To be sure, we have many accomplished and bright young Latino and Latinas and can share great stories about their academic and social achievements. But, this is not what the CSS report and other important studies reveal about our city. Rather, it points out that once again, we have a significant population of young Latinos who are being forgotten and pushed into a permanent underclass. Some of the root causes are the economic climate, as well as service cuts and reductions in programs targeting youth. Every year, we have fewer programs available for young people - summer youth employment, after-school and mentoring and training opportunities have been severely cut. Attempts to institute more innovative approaches to serving young people are being mitigated by the drastic reductions in available programs for them. But we have two other big issues that have to be tackled specifically by the Latino community and the City at large. Latinos are nearly 30 percent of the overall City population and possibly close to 20 percent of the State population as may be revealed by the 2010 Census numbers, yet as a City and State, we continue to set public policy and design service delivery systems without adequate Latino representation at the decision-making tables. How is it possible to arrive at the best practices and outcomes for one of its largest ethnic communities if the best thought leaders in the Latino community are left without a voice at the table? We must all work aggressively to ensure that pivotal Latinos institutions have a strong voice at the public and charitable systems that are seeking to address these grave and critical needs. As this Report demonstrates, this situation requires extraordinary change - one built upon a foundation of knowledge, strong community involvement and public accountability.
¡Hasta pronto!
Lillian Rodriguez Lopez
President
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Board Dating 2010: A Smashing Success!
Passion and excitement ran high at the Hispanic Federation's (HF) first ever "Board Dating" event last night. HF played matchmaker for over 90 Latino corporate professionals who were looking for a "first love" volunteer experience with HF nonprofits.
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Financial Literacy Program Continues
Hundreds of Latino Seniors get Hands on Banking at the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly's Annual Conference
Through the generous support of Wachovia, A Wells Fargo Company, the Hispanic Federation has expanded its successful Personal Finance Workshop series for adults. Using the Hands on Banking digital platform, the series offers a variety of interactive financial literacy workshops focused on budgeting, the importance of saving, investing and maintaining good credit.
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World AIDS Day 2010
On December 1, people around the world will commemorate the 22nd World AIDS Day with vigils,
HIV testing activities, concerts, educational seminars, and other events. The World AIDS Day theme for 2010 is Universal Access and Human Rights.
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Hispanic Federation joins AARP's Campaign Against Hunger
On November 3rd, AARP and Hispanic Federation held a press conference to bring attention to the issue of hunger among older Latino New Yorkers. This event was held at Davidson Community Center, a member agency in the Bronx that has run a food pantry for several years now and has catered to the needs of seniors in the community suffering from food insecurity. Among topics discussed was access to food stamp benefits, food pantries and volunteer opportunities.
To learn more call at 1-866-432-9832 or click here.
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Funding OpportunityNational Endowment for the Humanities Announces Documentary Film Grant Opportunity
The National Endowment for the Humanities' Bridging Cultures Through Film: International Topics program supports projects that examine international and transnational themes in the humanities through documentary films. The program seeks to support film projects designed to spark Americans' engagement with the broader world by exploring one or more countries and cultures outside the United States. The proposed film must range in length from a stand-alone broadcast hour to a feature-length documentary. Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, matching funds, or a combination of the two. Any U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is eligible, as are state and local governmental agencies. For more information click here.
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Congratulations!!!
We congratulate HF Board Members Gil Casellas and Wayne Keathley on their recent recognition by two member organizations for their outstanding achievements. Gil Casellas was honored by Latino Justice/PRLDEF with the prestigious Lucero Award for his exceptional leadership and contribution to the legal community at their Annual Awards Gala last week. Wayne Keathley was honored with the renowned Corazón award for his longstanding commitment to heath care management and social services at Comunilife's 21st Anniversary "All Lives are Precious" corporate breakfast held in late October. We applaud Wayne Keathley and Gil Casellas for their accomplishments and wish them continued success!
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