Students creating brochure, DVD to reach Hispanic community

When Shanna Harris returned from her LDS mission to Argentina, she was surprised at the differences she saw between the lives of Hispanics in the southern countries and in the states.

“Since I came back I noticed the inequality and disadvantages they face,” said Harris, senior in liberal arts with a Spanish minor. “I think in varying degrees it’s an issue the whole country is facing in varying degrees. Maybe it’s more in Cache Valley because we haven’t had a Hispanic population here before and now we have such huge growth.”

Harris and nine other students who are part of an independent studies class in the Spanish department at USU decided to use the class as an opportunity to reach out to the Hispanic community in Logan.

Craig Peterson, chair of the Cache Valley Regional Council and a professor of economics at USU, said the council was looking at ways to help the Hispanic community and thought a DVD and brochure for Latino families new to the valley would help them get settled and feel more comfortable. Petersen said some estimates put the number of Hispanic residents of the valley as high as 10 percent, or about 10,000 people.

Some of the things new arrivals need help with include finding medical and legal help, learning where to go to pay bills and have basic services set up for their homes, and learning how to set up a bank account.

“They don’t have a lot of facilities in English,” Petersen said. “We thought we’d go to the students.”

The project is still in its early stages, but the 10 students, most of them return LDS missionaries and all Spanish speakers, have been making contacts in the community with church leaders, educators and typical residents to see what is most needed.

Brandon Syme, junior in nutrition and science, said he thought a project like this was one of the best ways to benefit the Hispanic community. Having also served a mission among Hispanics in California, he said he is familiar with what life can be like being here without papers or support.

“People often are afraid to seek help,” he said. “They don’t speak the language, they don’t know where to go for medical help, for example. They would rather sit and be sick.”

Syme said he sees the project as having a lot of potential to help integrate the community. He said the Hispanic leaders in the community he has spoken to have been enthusiastic about the DVD and brochure as well.

Harris said she thinks there aren’t enough Spanish-speaking contacts for the Hispanic community to rely on. As a parent liaison for Hispanic families at Bridger Elementary, she often meets people who are confused or frustrated. She said when people find out she speaks their language, their relief is evident.

“I look very gringa,” she said, “so people are shy to approach me, but once they know I speak Spanish, they are so much more open, asking question after question. ‘Where to I go to do this? How do I do this?’

“I’m really excited (about this project) because I’ve seen so much frustration from these parents, and they don’t need to feel lost in this country.”

The group has not finished working out how they’re funding the DVDs and brochures, though Petersen said USU Extension has offered some help. The materials will be distributed at several locations Hispanic families are known to go, including schools, the Hispanic Center in the Whittier Center or city offices.

The project is dealing with a touchy subject for some people, but Petersen said it has not met with any resistance

“There are people who really do have a bias against the Hispanic community,” Petersen said. He said he felt the community is somewhat overlooked as a part of the larger population.

“They’re a large segment of the population right now, and they need to be fully integrated into the valley,” he said. “Leaving the group behind doesn’t help the minority, and it doesn’t help the majority. It just causes tensions in the valley.”

Harris said, “English is the language spoken here, and it should be the official language, but we should do what we can in the mean time to help those who don’t have English skills.”

-elizabeth.lawyer@aggiemail.usu.edu