La Casa de Esperanza, Inc.

Public Policy and Advocacy Initiative

La Casa de Esperanza has a long history of advocating on behalf of immigrants, Latinos, and low-income families in Waukesha County. Recognizing that civic participation is an essential component of fully participating in society and our mission, La Casa incorporated public policy and advocacy as a Key Result of our 2007 Strategic Plan.

Strategic Plan Key Result: Increased civic participation resulting in public policies that advance the mission and vision of La Casa.

La Casa´s Public Policy and Advocacy Activities include:

• Voter Registration – over 300 voters were registered in the months leading up to the 2006 Fall Elections.
• Civic Education – La Casa has partnered with other local organizations to host candidate forums and conduct other civic education activities.
• Information and data gathering – monitoring legislation and local and national demographic trends that are used for educational purposes.
• Community Organizing – developing an action network of staff, clients, and community members.
• Position Statements - developing positions on issues important to the community served.
  • Education Positions
  • Inmigration Positions
• Policy Analysis – analyzing the potential impacts of proposed or existing legislation and developing recommendations.
• Coalitions and Memberships – La Casa is a member of Sophia, a congregation-based coalition united for positive social change, the Alliance for Children and Families, and the National Council of La Raza.

La Casa, Sophia, and parents host "Meet the Candidates" event.

La Casa de Esperanza partnered with Sophia (Stewards of Prophetic Hope In Action) and a Parent Committee comprised of Latino parent leaders to sponsor a "Meet the Candidates" event on Monday, March 17. The event provided the Waukesha community with the only public opportunity to meet the three candidates running for re-election to the Waukesha School Board on April 1 st . School Board members and candidates for re-election, Joseph Como, Jr., Barbara Brzenk, and Kurt O'Bryan, participated in the event. Using translation equipment and a volunteer interpreter, the event was presented in both English and Spanish.

The event was led by seven parent leaders with children in Waukesha´s elementary, middle, and high schools. These parent leaders came together out of their mutual desire to be more involved with their children's education. Based on these meetings and a common goal, a Parents Committee was formed. The parents have met regularly over the past few months to discuss their concerns about the schools, learn about the powers of the school board, and gather information. The Meet the Candidates event marked the culmination of their efforts, which was to learn the candidates' positions on important issues facing the public schools. At the event, candidates were asked about their views on after school programs, cultural awareness and staff professional development, and budget cuts affecting bilingual education.

As part of its Advocacy and Public Policy Initiative, La Casa is dedicated to increasing civic engagement and providing opportunities for civic education. "We see advocacy as mission-based work. La Casa's mission is to increase social and economic participation in society, and civic participation is a critical part of fulfilling our mission," said Anselmo Villarreal, Executive Director of La Casa. "We look forward to working with the parent leaders and Sophia in the future to continue building leadership and promoting civic engagement."