Our First Post! 5 Effective Roles for Latino Leaders: An Introduction
Posted by gangprevention on May 22, 2007
Welcome to the “Margins to Mainstream” blog!
Below is the Introductory Piece of my new article entitled The 5 Effective Roles for Latino Leaders With an Eye on the Future. Gang prevention-intervention begins by reaching out and recruiting gang members, retaining them through a variety of programs, and building trusting relationships. But it does not end with only helping gang members to become in-active by choosing another lifestyle.
The process of gang intervention is completed through the reproduction of leaders who eventually start the cycle all over again as they reach out, recruit, retain and reproduce other leaders and so forth.
Unless we are reproducing leaders out of the young and talented we take off the streets, gang members will remain marginalized with no voice in mainstream society, and that is a position no longer acceptable for such a courageous choice of transition.
5 Effective Roles for Latino Leaders with an Eye on the Future
By Richard Ramos, Speaker and Published Author of Got Gangs?
www.richardrramos.com
Based on the current literature and 2000 census data, it is widely acknowledged that the Latino people have become the second largest “people group” in America. Given the history of the Hispanic/Latino community as a whole and their plight in the United Sates as a minority population, what will this new status mean and what can be done to maximize the potential positive changes for an historic disenfranchised people?
In my view, the difference will be dependent upon three things:
1.) LEADERSHIP
2.) LEADERSHIP
3.) LEADERSHIP
Today, I suggest, we stand at a turning point for Latino’s. A window of opportunity is before us that we can not allow to close, but it will close, if we do not take care to put ourselves in the position of being the “window monitors”, as well as, the “light monitors” (Churches), “door monitors” (Homes), “chalk board monitors” (Schools), “play ground monitors” (Community) and every other community monitoring position that has a direct influence on the quality of life for Latino youth & families in neighborhoods all over America. If we are not diligent in this, again I say, the window will close and we will have squandered great opportunities. In order to avoid this, it will take leadership. Both old and new.
Although we now have many Latino leaders in every sector of civic life, there still remains a shortfall and a definite need for more. Thus, for those of us in leadership positions today, we must continue to not only lead, but also continue to recruit, train and coach today and tomorrow’s young leaders who can reproduce other leaders and thereby assure future generations with the needed model, direction and leadership legacy to follow in navigating their way in the fast changing environment of the future.
As we look to our future from the margins of society, the issues we face today have not changed “in kind”, but they have changed in “degree”. Therefore, we can not try to approach our current problems with the same level of thought, nor from the same places of thought, in which we have tried to deal with our struggles in the past. Our leadership and offered solutions must be fresh, innovative and relative to those living with the daily issues that we continue to struggle with. Issues such as:
Access to quality Education
Access to quality Housing
Access to quality Health Care
Access to equal economic opportunity
Access to local community decision makers
The Latino Coalition for Community and Faith-Based Initiatives desires to make a significant contribution in helping to provide solutions to the above issues, along with government, business, schools, philanthropy and other community entities interested in addressing the concerns of the Latino community. The Latino Coalition agrees with and applauds recent efforts by the Bush Administration to emphasize the importance of focusing on the areas of Marriage, Head Start programming, and Faith-Based Drug and Alcohol recovery programs as strategic means of getting at “root” causes that help solve some of the above mentioned issues.
In order to accomplish the vital task of helping to resolve Latino community concerns, I suggest there are five effective roles that today’s Latino Leaders need to focus on in weaving together a strong tapestry that will include all segments of the very diverse Latino culture. We must also weave together a strong community net to hold our “catch” of recruited future Latino leaders, and keep them from falling through the cracks that oftentimes leads to a negative lifestyle reflected by drug and alcohol abuse, school drop outs and broken homes, to name a few.
Check back as we discuss the First Effective Role for Latino Leaders in our next post.
