In the Plaza Comunitaria program, the Mexican government providesall the materials to offer primary, secondary and high school educationin Spanish to immigrants in the United States.
The need to further the education of immigrants in the United Statesbrought more than 40 people from across the region to Chattanooga for atwo-day workshop.
The goal of the workshop, held Wednesday and today, was to teachattendees how to operate a Plaza Comunitaria, an educational initiativeof the Mexican government.
“We are starting to open a Plaza (in Nashville) because we foundthat 55 percent (of 100 people surveyed) didn’t have their basiceducation,” said María Guadalupe López, with Catholic Charities ofNashville, who was in town for the workshop.
Marisela Trejo and Nancy Trujillo, from the Migrant Program of theGeorgia Department of Education in Lenox and Bainbridge, Ga., said theycame to the workshop to learn more about the Plaza so they can promoteit in their regions.
“We only have one Plaza in our region (Lenox),” Ms. Trejo said, but the need is much greater.
In the Plaza Comunitaria program, the Mexican government providesall the materials to offer primary, secondary and high school educationin Spanish to immigrants in the United States.
“This program is very important, because it creates opportunitiesnot only for Mexicans but for immigrants of any nationality who want tostart or continue their studies, because many people who come asworkers unfortunately didn’t have an opportunity to study in their homecountry,” said Jorge Carillo, program promoter of the Institute forMexicans Abroad with the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta.
The first Plaza Comunitaria started in California in the 1990s andsince then the program has expanded nationwide and to Canada. Mr.Carillo hopes it will become available worldwide.
In the three states —Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama— covered by theConsulate office in Atlanta, the number of Plazas increased in one yearfrom 11 to 25 signed agreements, Mr. Carillo said.
Chattanooga State Community College’s Plaza Comunitaria, whichcelebrated its fifth anniversary on Thursday, has had between 800 to900 students, according to director Mirtha Jones.
The program not only helps immigrants learn their own languages, it helps them learn English, she said.
“Many of the immigrants may be illiterate or have lower education,and it’s very difficult to learn English when you are not literate inyour own language,” she said.
WHAT IS A PLAZA COMUNITARIA?
A Plaza Comunitaria is an initiative of the Mexican government tooffer primary, secondary and high school education to adults in Mexicoand immigrants in the United States and Canada.
BY THE NUMBERS
*280: Number of Plazas Comunitarias nationwide
*25: Plazas and signed agreements in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee
*2: Number of active Plazas in Tennessee
*15: Number of active Plazas in Georgia
Source: Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta