Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

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Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003The first two trainings were for people who had not previously received leadership training. Thethird training was an advanced program designed so the project could continue working with theleaders who were trained during the first two years of the project. Advanced topics covered in thethird training included civic participation, naturalization, public speaking, combating antiimmigrantmyths and teaching leadership skills to others in the community.A major focus of the advanced training was to provide significant training on civic participation.The training concentrated on making presentations to local city councils and boards around issuesaffecting immigrants as well as learning how to channel issues to the appropriate city and countygovernment committees and follow the current and appropriate local government procedures. Theleaders went to city council, committee and board meetings to observe, analyze and developstrategies for approaching these institutions.A second focus of the advanced training project was the development of civic action projects(CAPs) on various issues that the leaders identified as being important to their community. CAPsentail small group advocacy work on issues of particular significance to local immigrantcommunities. The leaders chose to work on particular projects, developing strategies, formulatingplans of action and implement those plans together with the other members of their small groups.Because the advanced leaders had already received some training on some of these subjects, thisprogram was even more detailed and more practice-oriented than earlier trainings. The CAPsallowed the advanced leaders more opportunity to gain confidence in their skills and become moresuccessful leaders.A third focus of the advanced training was to train the leaders to teach leadership skills in theircommunities. The advanced leaders attended a training on how to train others. Then theyparticipated as co-trainers in the training of new leaders. This design not only allowed theadvanced leaders the opportunity to teach the skills they learned, and thus expand their influence, italso provided the opportunity for them to serve as wonderful role models for the new group ofleaders, further developing their skills, confidence and commitment.As part of the leadership training program, the newly trained leaders and the advanced leadersdesigned plans to educate their communities on the issues covered in the trainings. Each leader wasresponsible for organizing and leading several outreach meetings once the initial series of trainingswas complete. Usually a pair of leaders led each of these outreach events and a staff person helpedwith some of the organization details and often attended the event. These events took place in avariety of places including churches, jobsites, homes, community centers, schools and parks. Theevents ranged from meetings with immigrant parents about a school issue and a subsequentpresentation at the school board, to meetings with a church group about the benefits ofnaturalization and organizing a naturalization workshop for those interested in becoming citizens.As part of the outreach program, many of the leaders were involved with various CAPs includingRedwood City 2000, community policing and safety issues, youth issues and school issues. Theleaders planned or participated in over 170 community events, reaching nearly 2,700 people.9-3
Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003§ 9.3 Case Example Two: El Comite De Padres UnidosEl Comite de Padres Unidos 1 (Padres) is a mutual assistance organization that focuses onimmigration policies. The organization was formed in 1988 largely through the leadership of anILRC attorney, who sought to help immigrants organize grassroots attention on federalimmigration policies, and who continues to work with the group. Padres provides information onpublic policies to the larger Latino immigrant community and coordinates its activities with otherimmigrant rights groups in an effort to influence public policies. These activities includemeetings with elected representatives, press conferences, informational meetings for the largerimmigrant community and the formation of coalitions with other immigrant rights’ groups.The ILRC attorney provides formal and informal training to the core membership of Padres.Most of the training has centered on how to conduct media work, outreach to other immigrantsabout issues important to their communities, public speaking skills and advocacy work withdecision-makers such as members of Congress. Although there has been some formal training,much of the training has occurred during the monthly meetings.Padres core membership ranges from 20-40 individuals. During 2000 nine individuals emergedas leaders. Up to 80 individuals may attend informational meetings, depending on the issue underdiscussion. The membership is drawn primarily from the San Francisco Latino community, butindividuals from other cities throughout the Bay Area are often in attendance. While the Latinocommunity in San Francisco is roughly divided between Mexicans and Central Americans, mostof the core members and leaders are Mexican.Padres’ members differ in nationality, education and class. However, these differences are mutedor leveled in the United States because as immigrants most Padres members start at the bottom ofthe economic ladder and share working class status as a common denominator. Consequently,cross-class social relations that might have been more difficult in their countries of origin formmore easily in the United States.Padres leadership can be divided into three areas over its 13-year history:• a group of women who are no longer active in Padres but are known as founders andcontinue to attend holiday gatherings with the group• an individual who led the group for a number of years• the current group composed of some of the longer-term middle-age women leaders aswell as a newer group of young educated women and men from Mexico.The current leadership group, by virtue of being educated and bilingual, promises Padressignificant potential in its development as an organization. A recent example is a religiousservice memorializing the victims of September 11 that was spearheaded by Padres and involvedother immigrant rights group. This action signaled Padres’ solidarity with the broadermainstream community and its desire to receive wider recognition in the community’s civicaffairs.1 This section is based on a summary of Padres Unidos authored by Elise and Walther Haas Foundation programofficer Herb Castillo based on an interview with ILRC attorney Mark Silverman.9-4
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