Even
though the United States takes great pride in introducing
the first complete, written national constitution to
the world, so many Americans understand little about
how our country is governed, and do not actively participate
in our democratic processes. For example, while the
2004 elections saw a record voter turn-out rate of approximately
60 percent, this figure still places us well below other
countries; western European nations, by contrast, typically
command voter turn-out rates above the 80th percentile.
As the Hispanic population continues to grow, especially
in non-traditional states such as Arkansas and Minnesota
, so does the need to encourage and understand their
participation in civic processes. For example, there
are 6.6 million registered Hispanic voters, 20% of which
are Republican, and 63% Democrat. Of al Hispanics voters
under the age of 25, one in four say that education
is their most important issue, and often decides their
vote.
The
Self Reliance Foundation consequently makes a continual
effort to integrate civic awareness and education into
our ongoing programming:
Bienvenidos
a America
As
one of our most influential programs,
Bienvenidos
a America (Welcome to America), focuses
on helping Hispanic immigrants understand and
navigate the challenging system of naturalization
in the United States . Launched in 2004, Bienvenidos
takes immigration out of the political arena,
and into the lives of real people who are struggling
with the immigration process. Latinos across the
nation have the ability to call into the program
and receive personal advice from renowned immigration
atto-
rney,
Jay Marks. Very few immigration resources are as honest
and accessible as Bienvenidos , so it continues
to have a powerful impact on the Latino community in
the United States . Additionally, offering Latino immigrants
assistance via radio, the media outlet most utilized
by Latino populations, has allowed the show to develop
a respected and trusted reputation within Latino audiences.
Epicentro Politico
Epicentro Politico (Political Epicenter) is the nation’s only Spanish-language radio program focusing on news analysis and political debate, seeking to respond to the programming vacuum for in-depth Spanish-language public affairs news and information coverage. Produced and supported by the Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) and the
Self Reliance Foundation (SRF), Epicentro aims to
help Latino audiences better understand the nation's
political process, and significantly improve their
knowledge of the laws being debated in the halls of
Congress.
Focusing
on news analysis and political debate, this one-hour
weekly show features interviews with members of Congress;
roundtable discussions with prominent Latino journalists
and commentators; and on-location reports from correspondents
based in U.S. cities. Since the program's premiere,
interview guests have included such members of Congress
such as Senator Bob Menendez, Congresswomen Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, and Congressmen Lincoln Díaz-Balart.
To extend Epicentro's educational mission and to increase
the number of Hispanics registering to vote, HCN and
SRF plan to develop and air a supplemental series
of radio capsules about practical civic engagement
and participation that will air on HCN's 200 radio
affiliates in advance of the 2008 Presidential elections,
and cover such topics as How Congress Works,
The Importance of Local Elections, and
How to Register to Vote.
1126 16th Street, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 360-4131 Fax: (202) 637-8801
Epicentro Politico