OCTOBER 2008

NOW: VOLUNTEER TO BE A MENTOR TO A DESERVING CHILD

The most well-known names in children’s programs - the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Boys & Girls Club - would like to expand their efforts into the Cville Latino community. To do so, they need adult mentors (Latino or bilingual preferred but sometimes not necessary) and referrals of Latino children. Time commitments are very compatible with work or study schedules since they are flexible and require only a few hours each week.

Representatives from these groups, as well as from Computers4Kids and Camping for All, were introduced at last week’s CJ Plenary. Computers4Kids indicated they have several limited English speaking students but not enough mentors. For a brief overview of the plenary and contact information for all of these groups, please visit

http://www.cj-network.org/cjplmin/2008/CJPlenary091008.doc

Think about helping a child who could greatly benefit from a few hours of your time. Sign up as a mentor and also talk to your colleagues, church and other community groups about doing so.

NOW: VOLUNTEER TO REGISTER LATINOS TO VOTE

In Virginia, roughly 149,000 Hispanics are citizens of voting age, making up nearly 3 percent of the state's eligible voters. That makes it the 28th-largest Hispanic voter population in the U.S. ( Pew Hispanic Center, 9/2008).

Join the local Obama campaign, registering Latinos to vote and talking with them about Obama. Our next door to door canvassing effort in Latino neighborhoods will be Saturday, September 20, from 10 am – the afternoon. For information or to volunteer to help out some of all of Saturday, contact Toby Lyons, Latino Outreach Coordinator for Obama in Charlottesville, at (434) 760-0604 or toblerkl@yahoo.com

NOW: BILINGUAL LAWYERS NEEDED TO HELP OUT ON ELECTION DAY

The VA Promote the Vote Program is seeking bilingual lawyers and law students to help protect and promote the vote at polling places on Election Day (and will consider non-lawyers able to provide language assistance). If you are a bilingual lawyer and/or if you have contacts of bilingual lawyers and law students that would be able to help on E-Day please sign up online at: http://my.barackobama.com/counselforchange and contact Rita Aguilar at raguilar@vaobamaforchange.com

NOW: VOLUNTEER TO SURVEY LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS

As part of a state-wide effort, the American Red Cross and Creciendo Juntos are seeking proficient Spanish speakers to serve as community volunteers to conduct a two-part survey in Charlottesville addressing both fire safety and motives behind Latino immigration. Canvassing will occur throughout the fall, and locations include local Charlottesville Latino neighborhoods and community events. In addition to conducting the survey, volunteers will be asked to briefly educate residents on fire safety and to hand out information on community resources that are available to local Latinos. UVA Students and other interested in participating in this effort should contact Amy Frazier Yoder, frazieryoder@virginia.edu or visit http://cville-survey.wikispaces.com The results of the survey, being conducted in Cville, Richmond and elsewhere, will be presented at an all day forum in Richmond on December 5

OCTOBER 2008: ALBEMARLE COUNTY OFFERS AN ARRAY OF ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

With the help of Gloria Rockhold, Coordinator, Latino Career & Community Relations for Albemarle Public Schools, the county is offering several courses in October to Spanish speakers. They include: Academia para Padres de Familia, equipping parents with tools to help their children academically ( Gloria Rockhold); Autores Latinos – Cuentos, reading and discussing a story by a Latin American author ( Gloria Rockhold); Introduccion a la Computadora, introduction to computers for beginners that includes obtaining an email addess (Michael Reagan); Introduccion al Internet, introduction to Internet for those who have a basic knowledge of it; Leer y Escribir en Espanol, focusing on basic reading and writing skills (Marcela Courtade); Maneje su-Presupuesto Familiar , the basics of budgeting and having a savings and checking account (Rusty Carlock); Nutricion - iTenga mas energia, learning how to make good decisions when it comes to feeding your family (Dilcia Colindres); and Salud de la Mujer, tips on improving women’s health (Dilcia Colindres). Classes are held in the evenings and cost between $10 and $35. For more information visit the section La Comunidad Latina on http://www.opendoors1.org/albemarle/ClassCatalog.aspx or contact Gloria at 295-5803 or grockhold@k12albemarle.org

OCTOBER 3 & 4, 2008: FAITH-BASED CONFERENCE ON IMMIGRATION: "A PROMISED LAND, A PERILOUS JOURNEY" - FAITH PERSPECTIVES ON MIGRATION

Father Daniel Groody will lead an Immigration Conference at the Church of the Holy Family at 1279 North Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday evening, October 3rd from 7-9 PM, and Saturday October 4th from 9 AM - 5 PM.

Father Dan Groody is an Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, and is the Director of its Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture. He has recently returned from a Sabbatical where he researched world trends in Immigration. He has spent many years working in Latin America, and along the US-Mexican border. He is the author of many books and articles on the topic and is the executive producer of films and documentaries about the immigration issue.

The Conference is set to accomplish specific objectives focused on immigration including the immigration trend caused by globalization, the ethical components of immigration, myths and misinformation surrounding immigration as well as a comprehensive view of the topic lead by a researcher who has recently spent a significant amount of time researching the topic from information repositories located in London, England.

For more information contact Tim McCarthy at Mccarthyt@aol.com

OCTOBER 9, 2008: PANEL - IMMIGRATION RAIDS & THEIR IMPACT ON LATINO CHILDREN

Increasingly, immigration raids are occurring in Virginia and elsewhere at places of work, study, play and at private homes. Recent surveillance tactics include watching children and their parents outside of Head Start centers and schools during pick up and drop off times and following school buses. These actions by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") agents, or rumors about them, traumatize Latino children and have been tied to increased absenteeism, lower grades, and emotional problems.

When undocumented adults are tracked down and deported their children are stranded at day-care centers and schools, taken in custody by social services agencies lacking cultural sensitivity, and handed over to ill-equipped relatives or non-Latino foster care parents. Siblings are suddenly separated or the older ones take charge of younger brothers and sisters. Other U.S. born Latino children, many who speak little Spanish, accompany their deported parents to Mexico or elsewhere.

This panel will address the impact of immigration raids on Latino children. Sociologist Linda Hemby will moderate, providing an overview of the problem and showing 15 minutes of a March 2008 documentary by journalist Linda Ellerbee, featuring Latino children who describe their lives after immigration raids deported their parents. Courtney Stewart, ESL Coordinator for Albemarle Schools, will share County experiences. Michael Garcia, a bilingual/bicultural Charlottesville mental health provider, will expand on children’s behavioral and emotional responses to separation from their caregiver. And Immigration attorney Eddie Summers will answer related legal questions and encourage schools, social services, and other agencies to prepare for raids.

Registration will begin at the door at 9:45 am. This Creciendo Juntos (CJ) event is free, open to the public, and in English (interpreters are available to translate into Spanish or English). Time: 10 am – 11:30 am, Place: Albemarle County Office Building (COB), 1600 5th Street Extended, Meeting Room A (Interstate 64, Exit 120, or from the downtown COB, take McIntyre for 4 miles - the street changes names several times -, the 5th Street Office is ½ mile from Interstate 64, on the left. From UVA, the 5th Street COB is 5 minutes from the stadium via JPA and Old Lynchburg Road, across the street from College Park apartments). For more information about this plenary, visit: www.cj-network.org

OCTOBER 15, 2008: SPANISH CLASSES BEGIN

Spain on Main is now enrolling for the second fall session of the following two adv. beginner and intermediate courses with dynamic morning instructor, Lyn Cooke.

Que' Tal Uno B: Conversational Spanish for Advanced Beginners
with Lyn Cooke
Mondays and Wednesdays, 9-10:15am
Oct 15 – Nov 19 ($250 6 week course; $225 returning SOM students)

Que Tal Dos – Conversational Spanish, Intermediate Level
with Lyn Cooke
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10:15am
Oct 16 - Nov 20 ($250 6 weeks; $225 returning SOM students)

For more information contact: lyn@spainonmain.com

Don’t forget about our free Spanish conversation hour every Saturday morning (during City Market season) from 9-10am. (Italian follows from 10-11am). http://spainonmain.com/courses

OCTOBER 23, 2008: IMMIGRATION: MORE THAN A BORDERLINE ISSUE

This event, sponsored by Legal Aid Justice Center, to celebrate its 10 anniversary, will include a public screening of the film 9500Liberty, about Prince William County, Virginia, and its controversial reaction to immigration. Following it, there will be a panel discussion on the impact of that county’s actions and immigrant advocacy. John Grisham will facilitate the event at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, October 23, 2008, starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at the Paramount: $25 ($15 for students).

OCTOBER 25, 2008: CJ ANNUAL HELP FAIR

The Help Fair will be held from 2:00 – 5:00 pm at the Word of Faith Church, next to Albemarle High School, on the corner of Lambs & Hydraulic Roads.

The annual CJ Help Fair offers outreach and networking opportunities to service providers working in the areas of health, housing, education, employment, mentoring, and legal and social services. If you are a service provider and would like to participate, and/or are interested in donating funds, food or door prizes, or being an interpreter, please contact Martha Trujillo at (434) 972-1703 or mtrujillo@unitedwaytja.org

OCTOBER 30, 2008: CVILLE FILM FESTIVAL OFFERINGS

This year’s film festival focuses on “aliens”, including Latin American immigrants. On Thursday, October 30, the offerings include:

Calavera Highway
with director Renee Tajima-Peña
7:15 PM, Regal Downtown #3
Renee Tajima-Peña’s road trip documentary follows her Mexican-American husband and his brother across the American west and into Mexico, where they hope to bring together their siblings in the wake of their mother’s death. Tajima-Peña presents an internationally resonant discourse on the New American Family.

Los Olvidados
10:15 PM, Regal Downtown #3
Perhaps the best known film of Luis Buñuel's Mexican period, Los Olvidados (The Forgotten Ones) follows a band of poverty-stricken children living in a Mexican slum. Although infused with many of Buñuel's trademark surrealist fetishes (including disturbing dream sequences, a girl bathing her legs in milk, and a rooster staring down a blind man), Los Olvidados features stylistic choices comparable to those of the Italian Neo-realists of the same period. Buñuel used mostly non-professional actors for the film and shot almost entirely on location. Upon its release in 1950, Los Olvidados received a storm of criticism for its focus on controversial themes including rape, murder, and pedophilia. Nevertheless, it was, and is, a heartbreakingly truthful account of localized, highly personal experiences.

For more information visit http://www.vafilm.com