Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Interns on Forefront of "Saber es Poder" Knowledge is Power Festival Benefiting DC Latino Community 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation’s premier Hispanic educational and youth leadership development organization, announced its congressional interns will host “Saber es Poder: Celebrando Nuestra Comunidad,” (Knowledge is Power: Celebrating our Community), a festival providing free, educational information on: AIDS screenings, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, GED Programs, associate and vocational degrees, higher education, Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA), and legal information on immigration, criminal justice, family law, and voting rights.

Saber es Poder will be held at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights, Washington DC, on July 29, 2006 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Food and drinks will be provided by Kraft Foods and PepsiCo. Foundation.

“As interns, we realize we are in Washington, D.C. primarily because of the support of our communities,” said Laura De Castro, an intern from North Carolina placed with the Hon. James E. Clyburn (SC-6).  “This educational event is an opportunity to utilize what we have learned in D.C. and, in a small way, give back and say ‘thank you’ to our community.”  The event is the brain-child of CHCI’s 2006 Congressional Interns, 34 university students from across the nation, with the support of the Comcast Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation and Toyota Motor Company, USA.

CHCI’s Congressional Internship Program, first established in 1986, this year celebrates its 20^th anniversary. 

Interns are assigned to Congressional Offices on Capitol Hill, for a period of eight weeks from June to August, to learn first-hand about our nation’s legislative making process and issues pending before the U.S. House of Representatives. 

CHCI’s internship program provides all participants with housing, roundtrip transportation to and from Washington, D.C. and a $2,000 stipend.  To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents with leadership potential and a vast history of community and public service.

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders.  The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit leaders and corporate executives.  For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit www.chci.org.

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