Reaching Out to Your Community
To ‘get the word out’ about how Latino and
Latina youth are treated by the justice system and publicize the latest
research from the report, “¿DÓNDE ESTÁ LA JUSTICIA?” that reveals
that Latino and Latina youth are over-represented in the U.S. justice
system, and receive harsher treatment than White youth for the
same types of offenses, here are some ideas for you to consider:
Work with Faith-based Groups
Faith-based organizations are a great way to
involve families and communities already organized around similar
beliefs and values. Here are some ways to involve this already organized
group.
- Identify a familiar congregation or group
of congregations.
- Contact the leadership of the congregation
and share information and reasons for why you want to involve
them.
- Brainstorm on ways to use the congregation’s
ties to community involvement.
- Post flyers, posters and outreach
information.
- Encourage the leadership to focus a message
on juvenile justice issues and their affect on Latino and Latina
youth in your community
- Request a small amount of time to speak on
the issue during the announcements.
- Include information and resources in the
weekly bulletin or handout.
- Reserve space in the lobby to offer
information to families and other interested persons.
- Ask to present information at congregation
sponsored classes (i.e. Bible study).
Work with Schools
Schools are one of the best ways to contact
children and families about issues in their communities. Schools contact
parents everyday in a variety of ways and host several events providing
information to groups of parents. Here are some ways to involve this
already organized group.
- Contact local school leadership about the
possibility of distributing information to children and families.
- Ask for time at PTA or staff meetings,
student assemblies or other school organized events, to present
information and resources about Latino and Latina youth in the
justice system.
- Post flyers, posters, and resources where
parents are accessible to them (hallways, main offices, nurses’
office).
- Speak to team coaches about discussing
juvenile justice issues and their impact on Latino and Latina
youth, with their athletes.
Work with After School Programs
After school programs offer a wealth of
opportunities for informing and organizing children and parents.
Programs serve many families daily and have direct contact with
communities and other community based programs. Here are some ways to
involve this already organized group.
- Contact program director about sending home
information.
- Set up a station in the building where
parents can receive information and ask questions.
- Ask to speak at program sponsored events.
- Ask to use the site as a meeting place for
parents and program directors to receive information about
juvenile justice issues affecting Latino and Latina youth in your
community.
- Post flyers and distribute handouts and
other outreach materials.
- Encourage programs to organize their
affiliates and ask to speak at their meetings.
Work with Local Colleges and Universities
College and University student organizations
often look for community projects to become involved in. Students offer
a lot of resources, organization, and ENERGY! Here are some ways to
involve this already organized group.
- Contact the Office of Student Organizations
at you local college or university.
- Acquire a mailing list of all Latino,
Latina, and other community service based organizations at the
school.
- Mail each organization out reach materials
and encourage them to get involved in Latino and Latina juvenile
justice issues.
- Invite each organization to all of the
gatherings taking place.
Maintain contact with the leadership of each
organization.
