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Support Latinas with Cancer in Washington DC Area

In Their Boots - Military Families affected by Immigration System

CNN Reports on High Suicide Rate of Latina Youth

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute offering Scholarships, Internships and Fellowship Opportunities

Saving the Forest from your Bathroom

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Support Latinas with Cancer in Washington DC Area

Support Latinas with Cancer in Washington DC area during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and cut off traffic, save on gas, reduce pollution and look stylish!

Get your tickets at the Nueva Vida office, send a check or pay over the phone. Tickets are only $10 and the odds of winning are 1/500.

For more information log on:

www.nueva-vida.org/VespaUSA.htm
i...@nueva-vida.org

2000 P St. NW Suite 620, Washington, DC 20036

202-223-9100 or 1-866-98N-VIDA

Proceeds will support our programs to benefit Latinas affected by or at risk of breast cancer in Washington DC area.

1 VESPA LX 50 PINK Raffle

In Their Boots - Military Families affected by Immigration System

In keeping with the recent spate of independent films coming out about our broken immigration system, the folks over at Brave New Foundation (a great organization focusing on making media to raise awareness for social justice) have released a revealing documentary about two military families being torn apart by our immigration laws. “Second Battle” chronicles the struggles of Francis Barrio and Hota Ferschke, both immigrants and the wives of servicemen that fought in Iraq, now facing removal from the United States, despite their husbands’ service.

The film is part of the IN THEIR BOOTS documentary series, a BNF project that seeks to raise awareness of the sacrifices of American service members and their families. It’s a worthy project, and it’s great to see a film like “Second Battle,” which incorporates the struggle of many immigrants into that narrative. As the film points out, the likelihood of falling in love with and marrying a non-US citizen is a common scenario for many military members.

The inherent arduousness of life as one of today’s military families is clear enough, but when families like the Barrios and the Ferschkes also have to fight against antiquated and plainly illogical immigration laws, they are being torn apart. It’s a powerful film–heartbreaking, but also inspiring for all of us working for immigration reform that will keep families like the Barrios and the Ferschkes together. Check out the trailer above, then head over to the IN THEIR BOOTS page, to view the episode in its entirety.

Source: www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org

CNN Reports on High Suicide Rate of Latina Youth

Trapped between two worlds, Francisca Abreu became depressed. At 12, she says she wanted to kill herself.

“I was crying; I was very depressed. I had written a note to myself,” Francisca remembers. “I just said I can’t do this anymore. I want to kill myself.”

Francisca’s school called home, and her mother, Isabel Valdez, learned for the first time that her daughter was in serious trouble.

“I never told her,” says Francisca. “I never bothered her; she probably never bothered to notice.”

Such a disconnect between mothers and daughters is what Dr. Luis Zayas, a psychologist at Washington University, suspects is leading an alarming number of Latina teenagers to want to end their lives.

One out of every seven Latina teens, or 14 percent, attempts suicide according to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of high school students. And Latina high school students have higher attempted suicide rates than white non-Hispanic (7.7 percent) or black non-Hispanic (9.9 percent) girls their age, the CDC reports.

Zayas has spent the last 25 years trying to find out why. He says the typical Latina teen who attempts suicide is 14 or 15, the daughter of immigrant parents, lives in a low-income setting and is caught in an intense battle with her mother over Latino and American cultures.

Research conducted by Zayas has found the girls’ parents hold strictly to traditional Latino values, while teens who grow up in America learn “very different models about what girls should do, can do and are permitted to do.”

Zayas is nearing completion of a five-year study of more than 200 Latina teenagers who live in New York City. More than half of those studied have attempted suicide, including Francisca Abreu, who is now 15.

Francisca says life with her mother in the Bronx wasn’t what she thought it would be. Her mother worked three jobs, and Francisca barely saw her.

As she spent time with her new American friends, the distance grew between Francisca and her mother. When her mother wasn’t at work, Francisca says they were fighting.

“There are many girls who are well-behaved,” Isabel says. “But there are others who are on the wrong path. They like to flirt. They like hanging out. They like to stay out late. These are not the friends I like for my kids.”

Francisca says her mother wanted her to stay home, learn how to cook and clean the house. She says she wasn’t allowed to hang out with her friends.

The conflict between mothers and daughters is what Zayas says is driving many of the Latinas he has studied to the brink.

“Teenagers have certain freedoms; they don’t need to consult with their parents to make certain decisions,” Zayas says. “That’s the culture that’s here, and inserted in that is the Latino family that says the family is much more important than the individual.”

Trapped between two worlds, Francisca says she fell into a deep depression.

“I would cry about my dad, not being with him. How I missed my country.

Trying to escape the pain, Francisca made a desperate choice and decided to take some of her mother’s pills.

“I was tired of being another burden in my mom’s life,” Francisca says.

But the pain didn’t go away. A year later, Francisca was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after a teacher found the note she wrote at school. Three days later she was released and started counseling.

Today with the help of therapy Francisca says she’s learning to cope with her depression. In June, she shared her experiences about growing up Latina at a fundraising gala for her counseling center. Before hundreds of people, she thanked her mother.

“All she did was be a good mother, sacrifice her life for us,” Francisca says. “That’s all she did.”

To read the full article click here.

Source CNN.com

Author: Courtney Yager

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute offering Scholarships, Internships and Fellowship Opportunities

CHCI, the nation’s premier Hispanic educational and youth leadership development organization, launched a national campaign to recruit Hispanic students - college-bound, undergraduate and graduate - for its nationally recognized leadership development programs and scholarships.

The Congressional Internship Program provides college students with Congressional work placements on Capitol Hill to learn first-hand about our nation’s legislative processes. Interns are responsible for conducting extensive legislative research, monitoring day-to-day hearings, managing constituent communications and assisting with general office matters.

The Congressional Internship Program application deadlines are:
Spring 2010 semester: November 13, 2009
Summer 2010 semester: February 5, 2010
Fall 2010 semester: April 30, 2010

The twelve (fall and spring) and ten (summer) week summer internships include housing, roundtrip transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and a stipend of $3750 for semester participants and $2500 for summer interns.

The Graduate & Young Professional Fellowship Program offers exceptional Latino graduates and young professionals unparalleled exposure to experience in the underserved public policy areas of health, housing, law, international affairs, and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

CHCI’s Public Policy Fellowship Program, conducted from September to May, provides college graduates with national hands-on public policy experience in a congressional office, federal agency, nonprofit sector, or corporate setting.

With more than $2 million in need-based scholarships awarded to Hispanic students since 2001, CHCI’s Scholarship Program is available to students enrolled in a two or four year accredited college or university. Keep in mind that, Scholarship Program application deadline is April 16, 2010.

To be eligible, all program applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, have remarkable leadership potential, and have a demonstrated history and commitment to community and public service.

For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit www.chci.org

Saving the Forest from your Bathroom

Did you know? Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper- just once.

Click here to download the tissue guide to your iPhone or to get a paper version.  The Guide makes it quick and easy to find out which brands of facial tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins are truly green and which should be avoided.

Greenpeace and countless activists have asked Kimberly-Clark (K-C) to help save the Boreal forest since 2004, when the Kleercut campaign was launched. In a tremendous victory for ancient forests, including the Boreal, the company that makes popular brands like Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle has announced a new policy that places it among the industry leaders in sustainability, bringing the Kleercut campaign to a successful completion.

Kimberly-Clark has set a goal of obtaining 100 percent of the wood fiber used in its products – including the flagship brand Kleenex – from environmentally responsible sources. By 2011, Kimberly-Clark will ensure that 40 percent of its North American fiber is either recycled or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – a 71 percent increase from 2007 levels, representing over 600,000 tonnes of fiber. Also by 2011, Kimberly-Clark will eliminate any fiber from the North American Boreal Forest that is not FSC-certified.

“The revised standards are proof that when responsible companies and environmental advocates come together, the results can be good for business and good for the planet,” said Scott Paul, Greenpeace USA Forest Campaign Director. “Kimberly-Clark’s efforts are a challenge to its competitors. I hope they pay close attention.”

K-C’s sustainability policy: Not just about protecting the Boreal

The Canadian Boreal Forest is North America’s largest ancient forest, providing habitat for threatened wildlife such as woodland caribou and over 1 billion migratory birds.

But clearcutting doesn’t just wipe out the biodiversity of a forest – it wipes out an essential carbon storehouse. Canada’s Boreal Forest stores an estimate 186 billion tones of carbon, 27 times the world’s annual fossil fuel emissions — meaning that a victory for the Boreal is also a victory for the climate.
While protecting the North American Boreal Forest has been a focus of the Kleercut campaign, K-C’s policy is about protecting Endangered Forests the world over. Greenpeace would not have agreed to anything less.

Because of K-C’s place in the paper products market, the company’s new policy will send a strong signal to its competitors, Procter & Gamble and Georgia Pacific, that creating a policy that protects ancient forests is a key element of sustainable business.