Latina Volunteerism Often Manifests Off The Beaten Path
By Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, co-founder Latinitas
I run a Latina-led and based non-profit focused on empowering Hispanic girls and teens using media and technology. I hire 20-25 Hispanic women between the ages of 20 and 25 every year for a four-to-eight-month appointment to lead after school programs for younger Latinas focused on digital media education and cultural and media literacy. They are given a modest school scholarship for their work, but must churn out over 100 volunteer hours a semester in order to receive it.
I find this interesting particularly in the face of reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that whites continued to volunteer at a higher rate, 27.8%, than did blacks, 19.4%, and Asians, 19.6%. Among Hispanics or Latinos, 14.7% volunteered in 2010, the same rate as in 2009. My suspicions are that the Bureau is not calculating “undocumented” volunteering going on amongst folks in my community who in some cases have to skirt, in others, just want to skirt the Census and offer a unique skill set that no other volunteers can and are.
Because what I find remarkable every year is how the Latinas who work for me exceed their quotas.
They do so while contributing to their education, or paying for it wholly. Therefore, they work a part-time job in addition to the internship, are dedicated to their academics and are most likely the first in their families who will graduate college. They stand out in contrast to their Central Texas university peers who are subsidized by home, driving a nicer car than I’ll ever have and maybe engage in a very generic philanthropy through an expensive sorority. They are manifesting a cultural martyrdom adult Latinas can certainly identify with, and have the energy to do so. As a result, they are catapulting the next generation of Hispanic females to success.
These young women are outstanding because they are cultivating a much-needed legacy of high school graduating and college-bound Latinas. They are working in Title 1 schools where over 90% of the club attendees are receiving free or reduced lunch, meaning they are living at or, more likely, below the national poverty level. They are a living, breathing example of, “I am just like you and look where I am now.”
Aside from the certificate they will receive at the end of the year from Latinitas, their commitment falls under the radar of more publicized charity work. And, their example and mentorship are not their only gifts.
They are translating materials for non-profits that the average American cannot. They never come alone — when volunteering, they always bring their mothers, their nieces and nephews, their friends etc. This happens thankfully at every event. And, finally, they know how to work. You may attribute it to being from big families, a cultural steadfastness, or a stereotype, but young Latinas get the bake sale/car wash/photo show/culmination event done.
Which is to say that, despite what the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds during its statistical gathering, Latinas working with Latinitas — and I would venture to say in many places across the country — not only “get” volunteerism, but have taken ownership of their volunteerism in ways that will immensely benefit the U.S.
Latinitas is a non-profit organization focused on informing, entertaining, and inspiring young Latinas to grow into healthy, confident, and successful Latinas.
