Affiliate Digest – December 10, 2020

Dear UnidosUS Affiliates,

The Affiliate Digest is here with the latest webinars, resources, and publications from UnidosUS to support Affiliate organizations.

Have good news or openings on your team to share with the network? Let us know!

Best,

Affiliate Engagement Team 

In this week’s issue

·          UnidosUS Affiliate Events and Webinars, On Demand

·          Join the UnidosUS Financial Empowerment Network

·          UnidosUS Workforce Development: Outreach and Recruitment Toolkit

·          Call to Action: Opposing the Changes to the Naturalization Test

·          Early Childhood Education Amid COVID-19

·          UnidosUS Publication: Preparing Latinx Workers for Success

·          DefineCrowd: Seeking Spanish Speaking Participants for Paid Survey!

·          This Week’s Congressional & Legislative Outlook: November 30, 2020

·          Support the Esperanza Hope Fund with your Cheerios!

·          2021 ACA Open Enrollment Campaign: #GetCovered Digital Tool Kit for Affiliates

·          COVID-19 Resources: Bilingual information and toolkits for Affiliates

·          Affiliate Spotlight: Affiliates in the news, hiring, and featured in UnidosUS publications.

UnidosUS Events

On Demand: UnidosUS Affiliate Events and Webinars

Visit the Affiliate Portal for recordings of webinars from:

• Affiliate only webinars: Best practices delivering services by phone, building a virtual presence, Maintaining connection, trust, accountability and service virtually.
• Affiliate Technology Series: Serving clients remotely, low cost hardware and software, collecting data remotely.
• Fall Affiliate Convenings: Latino leadership in a time of crisis, the road ahead: policy priorities for Latino communities post-election.

UnidosUS Programs

Interested in Joining the UnidosUS Financial Empowerment Network? Complete this Survey

The Financial Empowerment Network (FEN) is a financial capability program that connects families and individuals to expert financial coaching. Affiliate clients receive one-on-one coaching through telephone or virtual meetings, available in English or Spanish. FEN also provides capacity building and training to Affiliates, to increase the confidence and knowledge of frontline staff on financial capability topics and to facilitate the referral of clients to the financial coach.

A new program cycle of the Financial Empowerment Network will begin January 2021 and continue through December 2021.Please complete this survey to express your interest in joining our Financial Empowerment Network  and someone from the UnidosUS team will reach out to you.

Outreach and Recruitment Toolkit:  UnidosUS Workforce Development Programs Publication

UnidosUS Workforce Development team designed an Outreach and Recruitment toolkit with general guidance of the ways nonprofit organizations can outreach to prospective adult participants for enrollment in job readiness and workforce development training programs.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way that programs are implemented. A “COVID-19 Considerations” section is included at the end of the document to capture specific strategies that can be put in place during the pandemic.

To read the publication developed by compiling information from UnidosUS Affiliates and other grantees, click here.

Affiliate Opportunities & Resources

Early Childhood Education Amid COVID-19: Rebuilding Better for Black Latinx Children

The early childhood education (ECE) workforce has been in and at the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. UnidosUS and the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), have developed a joint policy document in support of Black and Latina ECE educators, containing recommendations based on qualitative research efforts.

The recommendations address three key issues: 1) ensuring equal access to resources and funding; 2) prioritizing the development and implementation of culturally and linguistically responsive policies, practices, and classroom environments; and 3) increasing the compensation and professional development opportunities for advancement of the ECE workforce.  Read the report here.

Call to Action: Opposing the Changes to the Naturalization Test

We ask that Affiliates consider joining us in opposing these changes, as they are expected to dramatically increase the backlog of naturalization applications (already over 300,000), decrease approval rates, and have a chilling effect on future applicants for naturalization. You can do this two ways: (1) sign-on to and share CLINIC’s “click-to-comment” campaign; and (2) submit an organizational comment in opposition to USCIS. Comments on this change are due by Dec. 14.

1. Use and share this link to CLINIC’s “click-to-comment” campaign in opposition. The campaign is intended to engage a broad array of advocates, so we are hoping that you may help by amplifying and sharing with your networks. This click-to-comment campaign will close at 3 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. https://p2a.co/efN3MiC
2. You can also learn more about submitting a comment on the policy change here:https://www.uscis.gov/outreach/feedback-opportunities

Background on the new barriers to naturalization:

The announcement of the new test roll out was made by USCIS on Nov. 13. In summary, the new test:

• Doubles the number of questions an applicant must answer (from 10 to 20)
• Substantially increases the number of questions an applicant must study for (from 100 to 128)
• Increases the complexity and requires a higher level of English proficiency

Further, the process used by the Trump administration to develop and pilot the new test significantly differs from past practices such as the most recent process in 2007. A few key differences between then and now:

• USCIS failed to meaningfully engage stakeholders in the process, such as ESL teachers, civics educators, and organizations that provide citizenship test preparation services
• As we understand only 250 applicants engaged in the pilot text process, as compared to over 6,000 applicants that participated in the 2007 pilot
• The pilot was conducted over a period of 5 weeks, as compared to a four-month long process in 2007

UnidosUS Publication: Preparing Latinx Workers for Success

In June 2020, UnidosUS, in partnership with nine Affiliates and grantees, launched a research project that aimed to understand the hiring needs of local and national employers and how UnidosUS and its Affiliates could best be responsive to their talent needs in the rapidly evolving environment created by the pandemic. UnidosUS interviewed 12 partners who are members of the UnidosUS Corporate Board of Advisors (CBA) and Affiliates conducted interviews or focus groups with 71 local employer partners in order to better understand:

• Hiring projections for 2020 and 2021

• Skills needed for entry-level positions during and post-pandemic

• The role of UnidosUS and its Affiliates in preparing Latinx jobseekers to access these jobs

Click here to access the report.

DefineCrowd: Seeking Spanish Speaking Participants for Paid Survey!

With the hope of diversifying their surveys for Machine Learning, DefinedCrowd® - AI Training Data Services and Solutions invites Spanish speakers to complete their survey for a chance to receive $20 USD. Below are instructions in Spanish to share with your networks and clients:

Danos tu opinión y recibe $20 USD por tu participación

Para esta encuesta evaluarás la calidad de audios cortos.Estos audios son generados por computadora para asistentes de voz como Alexa, Bixby, entre otras. El fin es que mejore la calidad para español. Tiempo total de la encuesta es de 20 a 30 minutos. Si quieres saber más información, puedes ver un video (haz click aquí)

Requisitos:

1. Ser hispanohablante viviendo en Estados Unidos
2. Tener cuenta de paypal para pago
3. Abrir cuenta enNeevo.ai

Report Hate Crimes: Communities Against Hate

If you or a member of your community has been a victim or witnessed an incident of hate or intimidation, please call1-844-9-NO-HATEorReport it here.

This Week’s Congressional & Legislative Outlook: November 30, 2020

Read the Congressional and Legislative Outlook put together by the UnidosUS Policy Team with all you need to know and watch for this week.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Have you had your Cheerio's today? Your Purchase Supports the Esperanza Hope Fund

When you purchase a "Family Size" Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros at Walmart, General Mills will make a $1 donation to the UnidosUS Esperanza/Hope Fund!

To ensure the donation happens, simply submit your receipt on familyfeedsfamily.com before 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 20, 2020. Also please share the promotion with your family, friends, and on your social media.

#COVIDHelpforHome Campaign We Need Your Help to Spread the Word

UnidosUS joined the COVID Help For Campaign  to ensure that homeowners in our community struggling with mortgage payments understand that help is available and how to get it. We also want to make sure that homeowners who are in a payment relief program  understand their options when this relief ends. We need your help to spread the word in your neighborhood and community: To start, log in to Home (covidhelpforhome.org), and download a toolkit of messages, resources, and information. For more information about housing assistance, please visit:  Mortgage and housing assistance | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov)

2021 ACA Open Enrollment Campaign : #GetCovered Digital Tool Kit for Affiliates

For the eighth year now, UnidosUS is executing a bilingual open enrollment awareness campaign to encourage all eligible Latinos to enroll in a health care plan during the 2021 ACA Open Enrollment period, November 1 to December 15, 2020.

Please help us spread the word about open enrollment and ensure members of our community #GetCovered!To get started visithealthcare.govorcuidadodesalud.gov.

The toolkit provides resources and suggested messaging to help our community understand their options and help them #GetCovered before the December 15 deadline.

Ready to share graphics can be found in the toolkit, post them with hashtags #GetCovered #NuestraSalud #EnrollByDec15 to spread the word in both English and Spanish!

Visit the UnidosUS ACA Landing Page available in English and  Spanish

COVID-19 Resources: Bilingual information and toolkits for Affiliates

UnidosUS Bilingual Information on the COVID-19 Vaccine & Clinical Trials Participation

We have new information in our webpage about the COVID-19 vaccine and the importance of our participation in vaccine clinical trials. For information in English, please click here:https://bit.ly/3pUlwYd.For information in Spanish, visit:https://bit.ly/3kY7fGe.

UnidosUS COVID-19 Bilingual Digital Toolkit

UnidosUS has created a COVID-19 Bilingual Digital Toolkit with graphics and a list of simple and general messages to keep our community informed. Sharing reliable and accurate public health and COVID-19 information is important and we are counting on you to help us amplify this messaging. Please share these actionable messages using your social media channels. To access the UnidosUS COVID-19 Bilingual Digital Toolkit, click here:https://bit.ly/34sGi8s.

COVID-19 Testing Communications Toolkit: Free, Public Resource for #takethetest Campaign

UnidosUS funder and partner, the Rockefeller Foundation, released a communications toolkit in partnership with the Brown School of Public Health and the Harvard Global Health Institute. TheCovid-19 Testing Communications Toolkit will support public health professionals, community leaders and other trusted messengers in their efforts to educate and communicate about asymptomatic spread and COVID-19 testing. Start your #takethetest Campaign with the toolkit available in English and in Spanish.

Affiliate Spotlight

Progress Report: Affiliate, East Coast Migrant Head Start Project to Serve Children of Farmworkers in Indiana and Oklahoma

ECMHSP serves farmworker communities on the east coast through their early childhood education centers. Late next spring, ECMHSP will serve families in Oklahoma and Indiana made possible by a $5 million federal grant.Read the full article on the Progress Report powered by UnidosUS.

Chicago wins $7.2 million in affordable housing funds: UnidosUS Affiliate, The Resurrection Project, will Oversee the Project

Read the full Chicago Tribune article by Ariel Cheung on the $7.2 million that will be used to preserve more than 150 affordable housing residences in Chicago.

The Resurrection Project, a Pilsen-based affordable housing organization that also provides financial education and immigration legal services, will oversee the project. It will work with six other groups to focus efforts on majority Black and Latino neighborhoods: Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, Peace and Education Coalition of the Back of the Yards, Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, Capital Good Fund, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, and Southwest Organizing Project.

Position Listing: Chicago Affiliate, Latino Policy Forum seeks Chief of Operations

Latino Policy Forum is looking to hire a Chief of Operations, read the full position description here.

If your organization would like to be featured in the UnidosUS Blog, let us know by responding to this email!

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