tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14671747172818399372012-01-25T04:30:34.862-05:00PA SLADnoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-68997926347546818012009-09-17T16:19:00.002-04:002009-09-17T16:29:48.111-04:00

For those of you new to Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Advocacy Day (PA SLAD) is a coalition of non-profit organizations that serve Latino communities across the state:Congreso de Latinos Unidos(PALO)Pennsylvania Association of Latino Organizations(PANO)Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit OrganizationsDemocracia USAENPYSC (Eastern North Philadelphia Youth Services CoalitionOur goal is to

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-85994771466493192132009-09-17T15:27:00.002-04:002009-09-17T15:28:14.446-04:00

“Pennsylvania lawmakers announced agreement Friday on a budget ‘framework’ that could end an impasse that has made the state the last to pass a spending plan,” said news reports on Friday, September 11thThis sparked confusion and even outrage among non-profits organizations who are implementing contingency plans to prevent internal budget cuts. Some non-profits have already closed due to lack of

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-71550974511515640342009-09-17T15:00:00.002-04:002009-09-17T16:18:21.246-04:00

Pennsylvania has high state standards for the academic achievement of students in public schools. These standards are mandatory for all students and schools. The results of the recent costing-out study suggest that the state does not currently provide the resources needed for all students to receive a quality education and reach the state standards. In short, the state’s education funding system

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-47991932567641492092008-07-14T19:03:00.006-04:002008-07-14T19:20:12.007-04:00

Lisa Cordeiro Kricun (above) and Sarah Cortes (below), from Congreso, presented at NCLR's national conference in San Diego - The Pennsylvania Experience in Organizing for a Statewide Latino Advocacy Day. They provided reflections and tools regarding how to organize a successful Statewide Latino Advocacy Day based on their experiences in January. Stay tuned for a link to the full powerpoint

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-91333963831609683612008-03-28T09:30:00.000-04:002008-03-31T09:33:02.155-04:00

According to a recent New York Times article, up to ten states will be allowed more discretion on determining which local schools to target additional efforts on.“The rising number of failing schools is overwhelming states’ capacities to turn them around, and states have complained that the law imposes the same set of sanctions, which can escalate to a school’s closing, on the nation’s worst

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-27642250685608862922008-03-14T13:55:00.006-04:002008-03-14T15:14:03.716-04:00

On March 6th, 2008, a delegation from Congreso visited Washington, DC, to participate in NCLR's National Advocacy Day and to speak with Pennsylvania congressmen Robert Casey, Arlen Specter, Robert Brady, and Chaka Fattah. Read below the reactions and comments from our Congreso advocates:Congreso advocates greet senator Robert Casey. Congreso advocates Rafael Arismendi, Edward Garcia, and Ben

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-63693250585020482322008-03-04T17:49:00.002-05:002008-03-04T18:00:19.179-05:00

NCLR AFFILIATES FROM ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA ARE TRAVELING TO WASHINGTON, DC, TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL ISSUE BRIEFING AND ADVOCACY DAYMarch 5-6, 2008Hundreds of Latino advocates from across the nation will journey to Washington, DC tomorrow to discuss issues of the utmost importance to the Latino community with their federal legislators. You can find more information on NCLR's National Advocacy

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-11201200208960052252008-02-20T21:17:00.001-05:002008-02-20T21:20:28.494-05:00

March 26, 2008 from 7:00-9:00 pm Southern Market Center (Council Chambers) 100 South Queen Street, Lancaster, PA Come to a community discussion about immigration issues in Lancaster and York counties. Learn about and discuss:Experiences of immigrants in our areaRecent proposed legislation in PennsylvaniaReform of the federal immigration systemFor more information contact: J.P. Fox at 717-299-

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-74765890118125624912008-02-20T13:59:00.002-05:002008-02-20T14:31:00.556-05:00

While Statewide Latino Advocacy Day focused on issues of education and immigration, we know that access to health care and health insurance are also important topics that many of you care about. We thought that we would pass on some information that was provided by the Philadelphia Health Department regarding Governor Rendell's Covering All Pennsylvanians (CAP) health insurance program.With CAP,

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-62783182033752428652008-02-20T13:13:00.003-05:002008-02-20T13:18:51.937-05:00

The issues that were being addressed were about education, immigration, and urban affairs. It took place in Harrisburg in the Capitol. We discussed the issues in the Representatives and Senators offices. Plenty of people attended. There were people from Congreso, ENPYSC, and PALO. In my opinion this event was very effective. Many of the Representatives were very cooperative. They were intrigued

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-66375219682947308922008-02-20T12:23:00.004-05:002008-02-20T13:19:47.932-05:00

I believe that Statewide Latino Advocacy Day was effective and very well organized. The event had around 200 people attending, which is a great number for a new event. I also felt that it was organized and everyone met with most of the representatives and were on time.Some of the things that stuck out to me were how most representatives showed true concern and interest in the issues that Latinos

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-12457073161628341572008-02-14T11:23:00.004-05:002008-02-14T11:28:07.602-05:00

Hello everyone: The Senate State Government Committee has voted on SB9 and passed it 6-4. The vote was along party lines. SB9 would require proof of citizenship in order to receive any public benefits or services provided by agencies receiving government funding. This includes programs for job training, healthcare, education and food assistance from state government agencies or any

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-66162552340187609832008-02-11T13:28:00.000-05:002008-02-11T14:34:20.515-05:00

Tomorrow, February 12, 2008, the Pennsylvania Senate will be voting on SB 9, a bill requiring identification of lawful presence in the United States as a prerequisite to the receipt of public benefits. On Statewide Latino Advocacy Day we urged our legislators to view immigration as a federal issue. Now we are urging you to contact your senators and voice your opposition to this bill.

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-75578405167932147882008-02-09T18:01:00.000-05:002008-02-09T18:08:05.343-05:00

One Week LaterBegin to build a relationship with your elected official by sending a simple thank you letter.If the Congressperson has asked for additional information about your organization, don't forget to send this information to his/her office.Make calls to other Latino organizations you connected with on Advocacy Day and discuss how you can work together.One Month LaterSubscribe the Staffer

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-9229702710307711052008-02-07T11:07:00.000-05:002008-02-07T11:16:58.175-05:00

Our morning was action packed as we found our way through the very metaphoric maze that is the Pennsylvania Capitol building to the Irvis Building. The group I was with was made up three people from Nueva Esperanza, two people from Lighthouse and me. It was a tight schedule so we hurried over to our first appointment only to find out that the Legislator was still in the Education

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-79484545805970496212008-02-07T09:32:00.000-05:002008-02-07T18:23:20.029-05:00

Hello advocates!As I am sure many of you are already aware, Governor Rendell has proposed his new budget for the coming fiscal year - you can access the full budget at the following link:http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt? (scroll toward the bottom of the page and you will see a link for the 2008-2009 proposed executive budget).The Governor has been listening to the results of the

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-28859806077811294082008-02-01T16:49:00.000-05:002008-02-01T16:50:23.633-05:00

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of those who made the first annual Statewide Latino Advocacy Day possible.First, I want to extend my thanks to all of the participants who came from across the state of Pennsylvania to join us in educating our legislators about how immigration and education issues impact the Latino communities – some of whom traveled a great distance to join us. I

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-37056477070291554142008-02-01T10:30:00.000-05:002008-02-01T12:18:22.766-05:00

Life is back to normal, we have all returned to our schools, our offices and our normal day to day. In some ways it seems like Advocacy Day was forever ago, but there are traces of it still lingering. Today we got a cover story in El Impacto, a Philadelphia spanish paper entitled: "Armadas de razones, Jovenes se tomaron Harrisburg." But still it feels like ... it's over.And then I remind

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-63835659925668985822008-01-31T15:54:00.000-05:002008-01-31T20:41:03.460-05:00

Advocacy day had been a large mystery in my mind even after it had been explained to me several times; even the very night before I went to bed. Little did I know that it would be a day to jar the status quo of my viscera. I resigned myself to do what I’ve always done…go with the flow. The foggy morning that followed was filled with adrenaline and grunted phrases consisting of the words “need”, “

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-22746944612007018972008-01-31T14:45:00.000-05:002008-01-31T14:48:37.953-05:00

To see more pictures of Statewide Latino Advocacy Day, click on the link below.http://www.flickr.com/photos/23368074@N06/If you have pictures that you would like to submit from Statewide Latino Advocacy Day, please send them to Christine Bare at barec@congreso.net for posting.

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-89269253323081395592008-01-31T14:18:00.000-05:002008-01-31T16:10:01.032-05:00

We wanted to extend our thanks to the legislators who took the time to meet with us during Statewide Latino Advocacy Day:Senator Gibson ArmstrongSenator Mike FolmerSenator Robert MellowSenator Jeffrey PicoolaSenator Terry PuntSenator Patricia VanceSenator Michael WaughSenator Sean LoganSenator Jane Clare OrieSenator Lisa M. BoscolaSenator Patrick M. BrowneSenator Wayne D. FontanaSenator Jake

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-15340739965022437502008-01-31T12:47:00.000-05:002008-01-31T13:04:39.585-05:00

Alida, Deputy Secretary Diaz, Bianca, and MichelleWe made history at the Capitol! I feel that we were very successful in getting PA state-wide Latino communities involved in coming together to support one another in our endless task of advocacy. At the end of the day, I felt so empowered and proud! I feel that our effort made a difference in the lives of our community members, and our

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-31057277024025876052008-01-31T10:31:00.001-05:002008-01-31T10:34:17.270-05:00

Continue the momentum of Statewide Latino Advocacy DayParticipate in NCLR's 2008 National Issue Briefing and Advocacy Day.WHEN: March 5-6, 2008WHERE: NEA Headquarters, 1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DCFOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit http://www.nclr.org/section/events/advocacy_day/

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-48790957116871822042008-01-30T14:45:00.000-05:002008-01-30T14:48:50.633-05:00

The head of appropriations committee, Dwight Evans, is interested in pushing healthy foods (in schools, farmer markets, etc) and in getting a state earned income credit approved as an option for working families. Don't know the details yet but I will learn more and hopefully move on something that affects our low income families.Ricardo

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-55468682932678160312008-01-30T14:24:00.000-05:002008-01-30T14:44:46.592-05:00

But it should be more than luck.Meeting legislators in their own turf can be fun but that's not the only reason one travels to the offices in the capitol. While many of us visited with smiles on our faces (because it's polite) and frowns in our hearts (because one must be sad about the state of education and immigration), the truth is that legislators and their aides must have us leave with a

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-1270647621903579502008-01-30T12:55:00.000-05:002008-01-31T16:14:50.433-05:00

Bianca16 years oldI attended Statewide Latino Advocacy Day with the members of the Youth Advocacy Council from North Philadelphia. Our goal was to talk to state representatives about Immigration and education in Pennsylvania. We felt Immigration and Education should be a federal issue and the education system should be funded a lot more since the problem is that schools are underspent. We

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-86458535376019922552008-01-30T12:45:00.000-05:002008-01-31T11:41:58.930-05:00

Deputy Secretary Sara Manzano-Diaz gave a fantastic speach in the rotunda about her life, how she got where she is and how important the advocacy process is for all of us to be a part of. It was very inspirational. Her main example was how government affected her life when a decision was made about public housing that allowed her family of six living in one room to move into a 3 bedroom apt.

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-19400380067207804292008-01-30T12:19:00.000-05:002008-01-30T12:42:45.539-05:00

Gabriella, Victor and Alan are in high school at Esperanza Academy in Philadelphia. They spoke with Kalisha Devan, a staffer from Senator Kitchens' office and were incredibly hopeful that their visit would be remembered. Alan spoke about the discrepancies in funding per student throughout the state of Philadelphia. He said that for Philadelphia, schools would have to increase their funding by

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-49201438030556327032008-01-30T12:09:00.000-05:002008-01-30T14:12:35.362-05:00

Congratulations to everyone on successfully communicating the critical message about education: Money Matters or El Dinero nos afecta. Students, Parents, Community Members, Advocates, and everyone has done a wonderful job representing themselves and their community.We have a lot of work to do, but SLAD has been a fantastic first step on the way to implementing a long-term, sustainable, and fair

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-89804366443026508632008-01-30T11:35:00.000-05:002008-01-30T13:34:09.230-05:00

Rosa y Norma de Lehigh Valley (Allentown) han venido a Harrisburg para apoyar a la gente que no han podido venir - los que tienen miedo o los que no podian dejar el trabajo por un dia. Rosa tiene dos hijos de 18 y 20 anos y el tema de educacion es muy importante para ella. Se han reunido con los senadores y representates de Lehigh Valley para hablar sobre educacion e imigracion y los efectos que

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-63081862290063482162008-01-30T11:32:00.000-05:002008-01-30T11:35:20.245-05:00

So far so good...everyone is scattered now in individual meetings with their legislators. It was great to gather earlier this morning this morning with so many people from all over the state - Bethlehem, Allentown, York, Adams County, Pittsburg, Reading, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, and Philadelphia, just to name a few. Throughout the halls of the Senate and the House of Representatives are

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-1300829339940630582008-01-30T11:25:00.000-05:002008-01-30T11:32:18.052-05:00

When people decide to make changes, change happens. Si Se puede...yes we the people can make changes if we put our minds and bodies into action.--Brad Gebhart

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-19788702701606454412008-01-30T11:05:00.000-05:002008-01-30T11:13:55.836-05:00

The second legislator we visited, Rosita Youngblood, was so sweet. She made us feel comfortable and really made us feel that our opinions mattered. At one point she even stated something we were hoping to tell us, we were informing her, and she was informing us as well. It really went smoothly and I enjoyed it.Lache MarcusPhiladelphia, PANueva Esperanza Academy

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-23841205539291636952008-01-30T10:30:00.000-05:002008-01-30T10:39:09.195-05:00

Jalessa is one of the many youth who made the trip to Harrisburg from Philadelphia. She attends Esperanza Academy and was quite excited to be a part of this day. She said that during her meeting with Representative Manderino she didn't speak as she was one of the shy ones in her group, but she was sure that she was going to speak up in the next meeting with another legislator. Nicolette from

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-36236390345656242842008-01-30T10:24:00.000-05:002008-01-31T16:15:42.052-05:00

It's been an exciting start to the day. Group 6 - Alida, Lorena, Bianca, Dinorah, and I met with Speaker O'Brien. Nick Torres, from Congreso, joined us as a surprise and we had a great talk. The Representative seemed to really be concerned with our issues and really seemed to listen. Alida did a fantastic job leading the team - go group 6 and all of the groups supporting the first Statewide

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-82895473433514654652008-01-30T10:08:00.000-05:002008-01-30T14:05:21.148-05:00

What a blur! It's 10 am and all of my groups are out the door and on their way to their meetings! After weeks of preparation and training and reviewing and creating talking points about how to be an advocate, it's finally time to put it into action! I'm so excited, but a little nervous too. I want everyone to have a positive experience here and understand the importance of their presence in

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-89556605027390122282008-01-30T08:59:00.000-05:002008-01-30T19:10:31.292-05:00

Nick Torres, President of Congreso, and Margaret Barajas, President & CEO of PALOAndrea Morató-Lara from PALO and Sarah Cortes from Congreso provide instructions regarding the day of advocacyConstituents from around Pennsylvania gathered at the State Capitol building this morning to begin Statewide Latino Advocacy Day. Nick Torres, President of Congreso, and Margaret Barajas, President and CEO

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-39556832860787384362008-01-30T08:40:00.000-05:002008-01-31T17:17:04.088-05:00

Here is our Education Brief, created with the assistance of the Education Law Center:WHAT IS THE COSTING OUT STUDY?--The Education Law Center, Good Schools PA, and many other education advocacy organizations, pressured the General Assembly to finally answer the question, "How much does it actually cost to educate students adequately?" In response, the General Assembly financed a comprehensive

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-37096151426025095372008-01-30T08:34:00.000-05:002008-01-31T17:04:07.117-05:00

The immigrant population is a small but growing part of the population that is critical and beneficial to Pennsylvania's struggling workforce.PA has one of the oldest and slowest growing populations in the country. Immigrant labor is PA's largest source of new job growth.From 1996-2000, 90% of the new job growth in PA was due to immigrants.IMMIGRANTS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-75539219405244196412008-01-29T23:20:00.000-05:002008-01-30T01:04:29.370-05:00

Saludos Friends,We've got our info packets, our tropical colored t-shirts that say "Si se puede", our maps of the capitol, and we are ready to go. Appointments with legislators have been made and groups and individuals across the state have been mobilized.Thanks to everyone who has helped us get here and who has wished us luck! Please keep checking on our progress - we will keep you informed!

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-78668494617118101832008-01-28T17:12:00.001-05:002008-01-28T17:19:38.216-05:00

Training for SLAD:WHEN: Tuesday, January 29thTIME: 7:00 pm to 10:00 pmWHERE: The YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, 1101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17103Here is a link for directions to the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg http://www.ywcahbg.org/directions.htmContact Andrea at PALO at 717.497.2956 for more information.Hosted by the PA Association of Latino Organizations (PALO) and the YWCA of Greater

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1467174717281839937.post-11485755196610945022008-01-26T09:06:00.000-05:002008-01-26T11:03:54.179-05:00

ON JANUARY 30th MORE THAN 200 PENNSYLVANIANS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST ANNUAL STATEWIDE LATINO ADVOCACY DAY IN HARRISBURGMore than 200 Pennsylvanians will visit their state legislators in Harrisburg on Wednesday, January 30th, for the first annual Statewide Latino Advocacy Day (SLAD). Latino leaders have joined together from all parts of the state and across political parties to call

PA SLADnoreply@blogger.com1