GOALS AND STRATEGIES
The Latino Policy Forum is the only Chicago-area organization that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. The Forum strives to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies, and engage diverse sectors of the community. It does this by conducting analysis to inform, influence and lead, all with an understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future.
The Acuerdo model is central to the Latino Policy Forum’s work across all issues. Acuerdo is the Spanish word for ‘agreement’ or ‘accord.’ Acuerdo members are community members and leaders in their fields of expertise. These working groups have one very fundamental and important function: To ensure that information, policy, and advocacy on specific issues represent the Latino perspective and its community needs.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Goal: A Latino community that is strong from the inside out, with thriving organizations able to meet their missions and work in strategic alliance with one another and other groups/coalitions to accomplish larger goals.
Initiatives
• Secure equitable resources for and investment in Latinos while building their power, influence, and leadership through the Illinois Latino Agenda, a strategic alliance nearly 50 nonprofits, co-convened by the Latino Policy Forum and MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
• Develop leadership among executive-level and emerging nonprofit leader with the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy, created with the Center for Leadership Innovation. Currently in its second year, the Academy works with cohorts of 10 Latino nonprofit organizations in the Chicago region as they move to their next levels of excellence and sustainability.
Impact: Increased the capacity of Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations and built a collaborative network of Latino organizations to advocate on issues of importance to the community.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Goal: All Latino children have access to high quality early childhood services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate.
Initiatives:
• Advance a collective agenda on issues that impact young Latino learners with the Early Childhood Education Acuerdo, working with leaders from early childhood education centers and providers.
• Enrich civic understanding and media coverage of Latino children and families with the New Journalism on Latino Children project, a project coordinated in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley and the Education Writer’s Association.
• Promote culturally-relevant parent education programming to Latino-serving organizations throughout the region with the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program.
• Provide recommendations to increase Latino students’ access to quality early childhood education through analysis and policy reports, most recently the Transforming Early Learning: Educational Equity for Young Latinos.
• Advocate for administrative and legislative changes by participating in public policy decision-making processes; train community leaders and parents to participate in the advocacy process.
Impact: Shifted the dialogue in the early childhood education advocacy community to promote greater understanding of the needs of Latino and Spanish-speaking children.
HOUSING
Goal: All Latinos, including low- and mid-income families, have access to safe, quality, affordable housing.
Initiatives:
• Ensure that Latino families have access to quality, affordable housing and other housing resources with the Housing Acuerdo of community leaders.
• Bring attention to the disproportionate impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis in the Latino community through analysis and policy reports.
• Educate consumers and service providers on Fair Housing through events and workshops, particularly those held regularly at Chicago’s Mexican Consulate and in communities with high concentrations of Latino households.
• Develop curricula to provide practical education to help people looking for housing acquire and keep decent housing.
Impact: Documented the impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis in Latino neighborhoods, and empowered housing seekers with resources and tools to educate themselves about their options when faced with limited housing choices.
IMMIGRATION
Goal: All individuals living in the U.S, regardless of their country of origin, are recognized as valuable and contributing members of society and have equal access to equity and prosperity.
Initiatives:
• Promote comprehensive immigration reform and local immigrant integration initiatives through the community leaders of the Immigration Acuerdo.
• Foster equity and prosperity for immigrants through collaborative, Acuerdo-led efforts, most recently by promoting the DREAM Act as a first step towards incremental immigration reform.
• Provide credible, consistent information on the ever-changing landscape of comprehensive immigration reform and policy through regular communications and federal policy analysis.
Impact: Generated greater understanding of immigration policy discourse and increased coordination across organizations advocating for the DREAM Act.
The Acuerdo model is central to the Latino Policy Forum’s work across all issues. Acuerdo is the Spanish word for ‘agreement’ or ‘accord.’ Acuerdo members are community members and leaders in their fields of expertise. These working groups have one very fundamental and important function: To ensure that information, policy, and advocacy on specific issues represent the Latino perspective and its community needs.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Goal: A Latino community that is strong from the inside out, with thriving organizations able to meet their missions and work in strategic alliance with one another and other groups/coalitions to accomplish larger goals.
Initiatives
• Secure equitable resources for and investment in Latinos while building their power, influence, and leadership through the Illinois Latino Agenda, a strategic alliance nearly 50 nonprofits, co-convened by the Latino Policy Forum and MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
• Develop leadership among executive-level and emerging nonprofit leader with the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy, created with the Center for Leadership Innovation. Currently in its second year, the Academy works with cohorts of 10 Latino nonprofit organizations in the Chicago region as they move to their next levels of excellence and sustainability.
Impact: Increased the capacity of Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations and built a collaborative network of Latino organizations to advocate on issues of importance to the community.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Goal: All Latino children have access to high quality early childhood services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate.
Initiatives:
• Advance a collective agenda on issues that impact young Latino learners with the Early Childhood Education Acuerdo, working with leaders from early childhood education centers and providers.
• Enrich civic understanding and media coverage of Latino children and families with the New Journalism on Latino Children project, a project coordinated in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley and the Education Writer’s Association.
• Promote culturally-relevant parent education programming to Latino-serving organizations throughout the region with the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program.
• Provide recommendations to increase Latino students’ access to quality early childhood education through analysis and policy reports, most recently the Transforming Early Learning: Educational Equity for Young Latinos.
• Advocate for administrative and legislative changes by participating in public policy decision-making processes; train community leaders and parents to participate in the advocacy process.
Impact: Shifted the dialogue in the early childhood education advocacy community to promote greater understanding of the needs of Latino and Spanish-speaking children.
HOUSING
Goal: All Latinos, including low- and mid-income families, have access to safe, quality, affordable housing.
Initiatives:
• Ensure that Latino families have access to quality, affordable housing and other housing resources with the Housing Acuerdo of community leaders.
• Bring attention to the disproportionate impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis in the Latino community through analysis and policy reports.
• Educate consumers and service providers on Fair Housing through events and workshops, particularly those held regularly at Chicago’s Mexican Consulate and in communities with high concentrations of Latino households.
• Develop curricula to provide practical education to help people looking for housing acquire and keep decent housing.
Impact: Documented the impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis in Latino neighborhoods, and empowered housing seekers with resources and tools to educate themselves about their options when faced with limited housing choices.
IMMIGRATION
Goal: All individuals living in the U.S, regardless of their country of origin, are recognized as valuable and contributing members of society and have equal access to equity and prosperity.
Initiatives:
• Promote comprehensive immigration reform and local immigrant integration initiatives through the community leaders of the Immigration Acuerdo.
• Foster equity and prosperity for immigrants through collaborative, Acuerdo-led efforts, most recently by promoting the DREAM Act as a first step towards incremental immigration reform.
• Provide credible, consistent information on the ever-changing landscape of comprehensive immigration reform and policy through regular communications and federal policy analysis.
Impact: Generated greater understanding of immigration policy discourse and increased coordination across organizations advocating for the DREAM Act.
