A very interesting story; hometown/homestate associations that were started to help people back in the towns the members originally came from and actually help the members become better, more active American citizens. DP
By DIANNE SOLÍS / The Dallas Morning News
dallasnews.com: Roberto Chavarría cut his teeth as a community organizer in a group the likes of which many Americans probably are unaware: a home state association.
Such groups are made up of immigrants from a certain country, state or city who work together to help out back home with development projects such as parks and school additions.
Mexicans have formed more than 600 clubs around the country, and they played a role in the $25 billion that was sent to Mexico last year by migrants abroad.
But there are unexpected benefits as groups become more active locally and their members move toward what's being called active citizenship.
Mr. Chavarría's group, made up of people from the central Mexican state of Michoacán, worked on getting high school diplomas for its members via Internet classes in Mexico. His next move is to shift those immigrants into high school equivalency tests in Texas.
"I feel more American than many Americans," says Mr. Chavarría, a 48-year-old legal permanent resident. "I don't think being an American is a piece of paper. It is the way you do things and think. I like freedom and free enterprise and what this country stands for."
Mr. Chavarría and his activism illustrate the conclusions of a report released this week by the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute. It says the associations can support civic life in the U.S. as much as they do in their home countries.
Such groups can serve as the first step toward active citizenship in the U.S. and merit attention by American nonprofits and government agencies, says the report, "Hometown Associations: An Untapped Resource for Immigrant Integration."
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment