USA Funds Early Awareness Program Focuses on Latino students

Working with the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, USA Funds^® has developed an early awareness curriculum geared to Latino students and their families. USA Funds Consejos is designed to provide Latino students and their families more-complete information about the value of a postsecondary education, the education options available to them, and the availability of financial aid.

“Parent and family involvement are crucial to young people’s educational success, but often barriers, such as language and culture, can stand in the way of the family’s full engagement in education,” says Henry Fernandez, USA Funds executive director, access and outreach. “The USA Funds Consejos materials help to overcome some of these barriers and provide Latino students and their families information they need to help them pursue a postsecondary education.”

The program, presented in the popular telenovela format, features the characters of brothers Robbie and David Chavez and their family as they plan for their future. Their experiences provide a springboard for discussion and activities designed to help students and their families along the path to higher education. The flexible program allows presenters to customize the presentation to the particular audience that they are trying to reach – whether that includes middle-school students, parents or entire families.

The complete USA Funds Consejos kit includes:

• A 40-minute DVD presenting the story of Robbie and David Chavez.
• A meeting-planning guide to assist in planning, preparing and facilitating the program.
• Workbooks for students and their families.

Latinos are the nation’s largest minority group and the fastest-growing segment of the population. Unfortunately, Latinos also have the lowest high-school- and college-completion rates of any racial or ethnic group.

“As we work to promote access to higher education for every deserving student, it’s important to reach segments of the community that traditionally have not enjoyed the benefits of higher education,” says Fernandez, “USA Funds provides this early awareness program in keeping with our nonprofit mission and to help Latino students reap the rewards of a college degree.”

USA Funds Consejos will be released in fall 2007, and will be available without charge to schools, community agencies and faith-based organizations, with priority consideration given to the following:

• Those located in states where USA Funds is the designated guarantor – Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming – as well as those in California, Florida and Texas. 
• Those connected with minority-serving postsecondary institutions or with local, state and national educational organizations that help prepare students and families for postsecondary education.