Casa de la Esperanza: A Case Study of Service Coordination at Work in Colorado
Author: Franquiz, Maria E.
Date Published: 2004
This chapter describes how a federally funded farmworker housing facility in north Colorado--Casa de la Esperanza-- has changed the lives of migrant students and their families. The history of migrant workers in Colorado is described, as well as the struggle to construct a permanent farmworker housing facility. Casa was built in Boulder County, Colorado, after enforcement of regulations led to the closing of substandard migrant housing. In 1994 an after-school program for migrant youth at Casa was begun that aimed to help students with their homework, but also to build their confidence and expose them to the world and its opportunities. The coordinator of the after-school program and a professor from the University of Colorado School of Education collaborated to provide culturally relevant projects that addressed migrant student's social and academic needs. They also wanted to create cross-cultural experiences that would introduce the migrant youth and White middle-class university students to each other's worlds. University students acted as mentors for the Casa youth, providing tutoring, experiences with the Internet, art activities, and college preparatory activities. As part of a seminar on multicultural education, doctoral students participated in collaborative service-learning projects with an array of community agencies. The doctoral students worked on a variety of projects with Casa youth, focusing on tobacco prevention, leadership, literacy, English as a second language, college preparation, and creation of a mural for the community center.
Date Published: 2004
This chapter describes how a federally funded farmworker housing facility in north Colorado--Casa de la Esperanza-- has changed the lives of migrant students and their families. The history of migrant workers in Colorado is described, as well as the struggle to construct a permanent farmworker housing facility. Casa was built in Boulder County, Colorado, after enforcement of regulations led to the closing of substandard migrant housing. In 1994 an after-school program for migrant youth at Casa was begun that aimed to help students with their homework, but also to build their confidence and expose them to the world and its opportunities. The coordinator of the after-school program and a professor from the University of Colorado School of Education collaborated to provide culturally relevant projects that addressed migrant student's social and academic needs. They also wanted to create cross-cultural experiences that would introduce the migrant youth and White middle-class university students to each other's worlds. University students acted as mentors for the Casa youth, providing tutoring, experiences with the Internet, art activities, and college preparatory activities. As part of a seminar on multicultural education, doctoral students participated in collaborative service-learning projects with an array of community agencies. The doctoral students worked on a variety of projects with Casa youth, focusing on tobacco prevention, leadership, literacy, English as a second language, college preparation, and creation of a mural for the community center.
