Spanish Ambassadors club assists Latino community
The Spanish Ambassadors club’s goal is to reach out to the Latin population with skilled bilingual volunteers to create cross-cultural bonds with the university and the community. It is based out of the Val R. Christensen Service Center.
Those who participate in the club translate for members of the Spanish community and have partnerships with several organizations in carrying out activities to integrate Latinos in the valley into the community.
The ambassadors visit Latino families. They help them adjust to life in the United States and help them get resources like driver’s licenses and health insurance. They also invite parents to attend Parent Teacher Conferences and translate for them.
The Halloween Carnival on Oct. 26 is an opportunity for Latino families to mix with other members of the community. At the carnival, the Spanish ambassadors run booths that help the Spanish community connect to different community resources.
The ambassadors work closely with the Hyrum City Strength in Diversity Committee, which has the same objective – to welcome and integrate the Spanish population into the community and schools, said Chairwoman Barbara Shidler of the committee. Whenever another organization has the same objective as the ambassadors, they work together so they can be stronger and more unified, Shidler said.
The Spanish Ambassadors club has been a great help to her organization, she said. It has been especially helpful to have translators at Parent Teacher Conferences, she said. At the beginning of last year, the attendance of Latino parents during a conference at Willow Valley Middle School was virtually nonexistent because they didn’t feel comfortable in the schools, she said.
By the end of the year, however, 90 percent of Spanish parents with English as their second language attended. Shidler said it was the college students who provided the services and made them feel welcome.
She said one woman came in with a translator and was able to find out about important school programs like after-school activities and the school lunch program.
One student who was known as a “trouble maker” and usually only negative attention in school became involved with the carnival because of the ambassadors, Shidler said. He gave suggestions for the event, assisted with the activities and was able to actively participate and have fun in a safe environment. He was later recognized by Hyrum for his help and assistance at the event.
Shidler said the Spanish Ambassador program is also a great benefit to the volunteers. Many know the language from serving Spanish-speaking missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the club is a really worthwhile way to keep up on their language, she said.
“Keeping up on their language will help them in the future with employment, and at the same time they are giving service. That is a double-positive whammy,” Shidler said.
The club also works closely with the Multicultural Center at Utah State. Juan Carlos Vazquez, the Outreach coordinator of the center, said their group works in different schools to help students prepare to come to the university. They have problems with the lack of parental involvement because of the language barrier, he said. The center asks the Spanish ambassadors to translate for the parents at every activity they have, he said.
The Spanish ambassadors are in their second year and has a committee that meets once a week. This year, they are going to try and set up monthly meetings with the volunteers in the program to get to know them and get their feedback, Shidler said.
The Spanish ambassadors currently have about 20 volunteers and are eager for more, Shidler said.
For more information, students may e-mail Aaron Brown, the club president, at aaronb@cc.usu.edu. Sign-ups for the program are in the Taggart Student Center, Room 332.
Brown said he hopes students will come and attend the Halloween party on Oct. 26 at Lincoln Elementary in Hyrum.
“It is a great thing that the university and the country as a whole is focused on unity through diversity. It is nice to get involved with a service that is at the essence of unity,” he said.
Volunteers Abby Olsen and Tim Cannon translate a poster for a local school. (Photo by Michael Sharp)