Major Activities

Cultural. In May, the Association sponsors the annual Festival of Mexican Expression, where groups of dancers, singers, and musicians of all ages displayed their talents to a sold out crowd of more than 1200. Furthermore, during the summer the Association sponsors La Feria del Sol (Fair of the Sun), which emulates celebrations that take place in Mexican villages during the holidays. The Association holds this event for two reasons. First, several members rent booths and sell their crafts to improve their earnings as a first step towards self-sufficiency. Second, the fair is an opportunity to educate the community by providing informational booths on immigrant rights and resources.

Education. The Association housed photography classes in the Spring of 1998. A professional photographer volunteered to teach classes to members of our community. The goal was to foster students’ self-employment.

Immigration. During the past year the Association’s continued presence at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has improved conditions for those detained. Before stepping in detainees were being held for up to 2.5 months. The long detention time humiliated deportees by making them feel like prisoners. This has been reduced to as little as a week. Furthermore, because of the Associations’ involvement there have been fewer documented incidences of violence against women.

Labor. Since its opening, the Association has continually dealt with cases of abuse in the labor market. It is very difficult for undocumented workers who have been victims of such injustices to take action against their employers. With the Association’s help, those filing complaints have been paid back-wages by their former employers.

Community Development. On December 12, 1998, we attained a new height in reaching out to the community. In Mexico, December 12^th is the day of the Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a religious, cultural and national holiday. On that day Mexicans celebrate and honor the apparition of the Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, an indigenous man. To celebrate the day the Association encouraged all Mexicans to take the day off from work which is well within their rights as workers to do so. For many workers it was the first time they exercised their rights. The day was also an attempt to show the city the importance of Mexican workers and to respect their rights as workers. The Association organized "The Antorcha Guadalupana 98" from lower Manhattan to the five boroughs of New York City. La Antorcha Guadalupana is a Mexican tradition where runners carry torches to their hometowns from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Sanctuary in Mexico City. This was an important event for our youth; eight-hundred youth participated in the "Antorcha". The event empowered them because it stressed their identities as members of the Mexican community.

Community Leaders Development. At the end of every month, the Mexican leaders meet to develop leadership skills, plan activities, objectives, goals, a calendar, and the means by which this association must promote and develop a Mexican community on the actual conditions of new immigrants in the United States.

Mexican leaders reach 15,000 Mexicans through our monthly newsletter titled El Popocatépetl, a lack resources has limited us to print only about 5,000. Each Guadalupano committee distributes it in their respective regions through their weekly home visitations and meetings. This newsletter is elaborated on by a group of young teens and adults who are aware of the urgent need to keep our people informed. They are also volunteers.

Our leaders are maintaining good relationships with the priests and are able to use church installations whenever necessary. Mainly it is where we have our monthly meetings and workshops for non leaders in other times. Our tasks are to organize, inform, educated and form new groups with their leaders tackling urgencies, necessities, and human rights. Maintaining a leadership among Mexicans and pushing the development of the Mexican Community in New York State and City. Given the number of people we have reached through our network throughout the city, we need a Community Organizer to continue developing this big network.

Youth Development. We have made small, but significant steps in moving adolescents away from a violent life. During the summer of 1998 an anonymous donor provided funds for 21 adolescent boys to participate in a soccer summer camp. Some of the participants were involved in gangs. The program’s goal was to show the youngsters alternatives to gang life by providing an arena to channel their energy. The boys also participated in workshops emphasizing leadership and conflict resolution skills. Moreover, the program provided funds for the boys to be employed as promoters of our main fundraising event, Feria del Sol.

The Association initiated a pilot project a year ago when committee leaders in East Harlem noticed many youth were joining gangs. Presently, it is the only on-going effort to provide positive activities for them. As part of this pilot project, members of the staff of the Association and local committee leaders have developed positive relationships with gang members. In order to provide them with a safe environment, the leaders petitioned a local parish to open their basement. Every Friday since then, adolescents from the area play soccer and compete with one another other.

In addition, this time is used for holding workshops on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the juvenile detention system, conflict resolution, and communication skills. The workshops are given when participants request on a giver topic. The Association staff and local committee members run the workshop and provide counseling and intervene on their behalf if they have trouble with the authorities.