COMMUNITY SCHOLARS 2015

Transcription

1 COMMUNITY SCHOLARS 2015 APPLY NOW! PLANNING FOR IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION IN LOS ANGELES The 2015 UCLA Community Scholars Program is inviting applications to join in this exciting university-community partnership program. The theme for Comunity Scholars 2015 will be Planning for Immigrant Integration in Los Angeles. This year we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of families and unaccompanied children arriving from Central America. The resulting humanitarian crisis highlights the lack of effective city and state policies for immigrant integration in the U.S. Los Angeles a national focal point for immigration policy has an important opportunity to advance public policies to support integration of immigrants and refugees. The 2015 Community Scholars class will engage key stakeholders in analyzing policy and the community resources and needs in areas such as Housing, Healthy Communities, Transportation, Jobs, and Education. Pico-Union, home to the largest Central American community in the nation, will inevitably be heavily affected by this refugee crisis. UCLA graduate students from Urban Planning and Chicana and Chicano Studies will work with community scholars representing immigrant rights organizations, worker centers, labor unions, government agencies, community based organizations, faith-based groups, and public policy leaders to develop best practices, research, and policy initiatives to support immigrant integration Or Fax: in the Pico-Union area. Participants will collaborate with UCLA graduate students in a weekly workshop held on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. beginning in January 2015 through June Classes are held at the UCLA Downtown Labor Center (near MacArthur Park) over the two academic quarters. Community Scholars will: Gain new skills in an applied learning environment Enjoy creative collaboration with graduate students and a diverse cohort Receive free access to selected university resources Receive a certificate of completion from the UCLA Department of Urban Planning and Chicana and Chicano Studies UCLA Graduate Students will: Gain new skills in an applied learning environment Work in creative collaboration with experienced leaders, organizers, and artists Urban Planning graduate students receive comprehensive project capstone credit To Apply: Submit the attached application form to Victor Narro By vnarro@irle.ucla.edu or Fax: (213) DEADLINE: November 1, 2014

2 APPLICATION FORM 1. Please submit this application form, a letter of support from the organization with which you are affiliated (if applicable), and a statement of purpose to Victor Narro by November 1, Applicant Name: By to: By fax: vnarro@irle.ucla.edu (213) Please type or print, and attach as many pages as needed: Applicant Address: Phone: Organization Name (if applicable): Organization Phone: Position in the Organization: 2. YOUR BACKGROUND: Describe your background as an immigrant rights advocate, labor leader, community organizer, public policy leader, or artist. 3. ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION (if applicable): Describe the organization with which you are affiliated. 4. LETTER OF SUPPORT AND REFERENCES: A. Please attach a letter of support from someone who is familiar with your work. B. List the name and contact information of the above letter-writer and one other person who is willing to serve as your reference. Reference Contact Information: Name of Letter-Writer: Additional Reference Contact Information: Name: Phone: Phone: 5. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (no more than two pages): Write a brief description of how you feel the Community Scholars Programs will benefit you and your work, and what you think you have to offer the Program.

3 UCLA Community Scholars Program The Community Scholars Program was created in 1991 as a joint initiative of UCLA s Department of Urban Planning and the Center for Labor Research and Education in recognition of the important role that community and labor leaders, organizers, and artists play in shaping community development policy in Los Angeles. The program provides an opportunity for these key players, regardless of their formal education background, to participate in a special applied research seminar along with graduate students. Here is a link to information about past Community Scholars Projects: UCLA Department of Urban Planning UCLA s Department of Urban Planning has been a leading center of innovation and action for over 40 years and is consistently ranked among the nation s top planning programs. The Department s faculty and students are united by a shared commitment to an applied, action-oriented problem-solving approach toward socially, economically, and politically disadvantaged populations. Urban Planning seeks to promote social justice through critical analyses of public policies, plans, and programs, and the development of institutions that empower people at the grassroots. UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education The UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education is a vital resource for research, education, and policy development to help create jobs that are good for workers and their communities, to improve the quality of existing jobs in the lowwage economy, and to strengthen the process of immigrant integration, especially among students and youth. In 2002, it opened the Downtown Labor Center in MacArthur Park to serve as a bridge between UCLA and the City s union headquarters, worker centers, and diverse community organizations, as well as a centrally located urban classroom for the UCLA Community Scholars Program. UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies The mission of the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies is to train a new generation of scholars to research and analyze the life, history, and culture of Mexican-origin people within the United States, as well as of other Latino/a and indigenous populations in the Americas. Addressing local, national, and transnational contexts, the Chicana/o Studies curriculum at UCLA explores race, class, gender, and sexuality paradigms as they have shaped the history of the field, as well as new directions in the study of Chicana/os and Latina/os. The Department of Chicana/o Studies aims to provide students with the interdisciplinary research tools necessary to advance knowledge in the field, provide academic leadership, and serve community needs with academic resources. Leisy Abrego, Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies Leisy J. Abrego is Assistant Professor in the César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA. Trained as a sociologist, she studies families, Central American migration, and Latino immigrants lived experiences of U.S. immigration laws. Her book, Sacrificing Families: Navigating Laws, Labor, and Love Across Borders (Stanford University Press), examines the economic and emotional well-being of immigrants and their families both in the United States and in the home country as these are shaped by immigration policies and gendered expectations. She also conducts research on the well-being of mixed status Latino families and undocumented youth. Victor Narro, Labor and Workplace Studies, UCLA Labor Center Currently a project director for the UCLA Labor Center, Victor Narro has been involved with immigrant rights and labor issues for the past 30 years. At the UCLA Downtown Labor Center, Victor s focus is to provide leadership programs organizers and immigrant workers and internship opportunities for UCLA students. Victor is also a Guest Lecturer for the Chicano/a Studies Department and a Lecture in Law at UCLA Law School where he teaches classes that focus on low-wage workers, worker centers and the labor movement. Victor is the author of many law review and journal articles. He is co-author of Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America s Cities (2008), and Wage Theft and Workplace Violations in Los Angeles (2010). He is also co-editor of Working for Justice: The L.A. Model of Organizing and Advocacy (Cornell University Press, 2010).

4 PLANNING FOR IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION IN LOS ANGELES Instructors: Leisy Abrego, Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies Victor Narro, Labor and Workplace Studies, UCLA Labor Center This year we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of families and unaccompanied children arriving from Central America. The resulting humanitarian crisis highlights the lack of effective city and state policies for immigrant integration in the U.S. Los Angeles a national focal point for immigration policy has an important opportunity to advance public policies to support integration of immigrants and refugees. The 2015 Community Scholars class will engage key stakeholders in analyzing policy and the community resources and needs in areas such as Housing, Healthy Communities, Transportation, Jobs, and Education. Pico-Union, home to the largest Central American community in the nation, will inevitably be heavily affected by this refugee crisis. UCLA graduate students from Urban Planning and Chicana and Chicano Studies will work with community scholars representing immigrant rights organizations, worker centers, labor unions, government agencies, community based organizations, faith-based groups, and public policy leaders to develop best practices to support immigrant integration in the Pico-Union area. Goal: Community scholars will focus on three significant projects that would contribute to research and policy initiatives affecting the integration of immigrants in Los Angeles and their ability to fully participate in our society. 1. Create and implement a Pico Union Community Needs Assessment to inform city and state officials and community members about existing needs and resources in the Pico-Union area. 2. Develop a Community Asset/GIS Map to identify the spatial location of needs and resources. 3. Work with the Los Angeles Unified School District leaders to create recommendations to integrate newly-arrived migrant children and their parents that address their immediate, transitional, and long term needs. Working directly with the offices of Councilmember Gil Cedillo, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and State Senate Majority Leader Kevin De Leon, the recommendations will serve as a model for the rest of Los Angeles and California. References/Readings: We will be using articles and books that focus on topics relating to immigrant integration, labor, immigrant rights, service learning, field observation, and popular education. Guest Lecturers and Group Presentations: We will have guest lecturers, including academics and community activists from worker centers, immigrant rights organizations, and labor. We will also ask the community scholars to lead class discussions.

5 Winter Quarter COMMUNITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM 2015 COURSE OVERVIEW Learning about the issues affecting children and immigrant families in Los Angeles and laying the foundation for project development. Students will be required to submit a literature review in preparation for their data collection and documentation. 1) Housing and Neighborhoods Gentrification and its impact on immigrant neighborhoods Lack of affordable housing Overcrowded living conditions and neighborhoods and its impact on residents Lack of parks, gardens, and other green space 2) Transportation Access to Driver s Licenses Checkpoints and Vehicle Impound Public transportation and rising fares Unregulated taxi cabs Bicycle access and safety 3) Labor Low-wage jobs and the underground economy Access to training and skill-building for youth and adults 4) Healthy Communities Community clinics (such as St. Johns) providing group health care for immigrants (carwash workers and restaurant workers) Lack of access for undocumented immigrants to health care, including Affordable Care Act (Connect with research of Dream Resource Center on access to health) Sen. Ricardo Lara s bill - funding source for healthcare for undocumented immigrants Environmental justice: air quality, toxics Access to healthy food 5) Education Welcome immigrant and refugee parents and students Make schools safe spaces for undocumented parents to access information about integration into the city Engage LAUSD as an institutional resource linking the City of Los Angeles, and refugee students and families Psychological and transitional services Quality education for immigrant children and curriculum development on immigration and immigrant youth Spring Quarter Project Implementation and Documentation 1) Create project work plan, including a mid-project critique and final project review; 2) Assign faculty and community leaders to coach group projects and recruit resource people; 3) Final project presentations and documentation.

6 COURSE INFORMATION 217A. Comprehensive Planning Project (4) Seminar, three hours. Designed for second-year students. Comprehensive project brings together students of varying backgrounds and interests in joint solution of urban planning problem. Each project spans two terms. Successful completion of project meets requirements of Comprehensive Examination Plan A of M.A. program. S/U grading. 217B. Comprehensive Planning Project (4) Seminar, three hours. Designed for second-year students. Comprehensive project brings together students of varying backgrounds and interests in joint solution of urban planning problem. Each project spans two terms. Successful completion of project meets requirements of Comprehensive Examination Plan A of M.A. program. S/U grading.