CHCI AA New York Chapter Workshop "Community Organizing 101"

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, the New York Chapter of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's Alumni Association held its first community organizing workshop entitled "Community Organizing 101: A Day-Long Workshop for Lifelong Change." CHCI alumna Emerita Torres as well as Cristina Sánchez and Francisco Guzman, from the New Latino Movement, trained attendants to enhance their organizing and leadership skills.  Participants began this workshop by sharing their Personal Narratives with the group.  In telling their stories, they explained why they are committed to work for social change. After debriefing and learning about the various aspects of organizing, participants identified their common purpose and accepted their roles and responsibilities towards their communities.  They took their commitment into action by forming teams and going to the streets of New York to advocate for higher education and recruit potential applicants for the CHCI programs.  In the short span of an hour, CHCI alumni were able to gather 17 email addresses of potential applicants.  The training ended with the promise that participants will use these newly acquired tools to lead their communities.   The following alumni took part of this life-changing seminar: Diana Acosta, Fabiola Carrión, Yessica Díaz, Tanya Garzón, Alfonso Lopez, Alex Melendez, and Joseph Puma.