Reaching out to county’s Latinos

Luzerne County has the 20th fastest growing minority population in the nation, according to data released last month from the Pew Research Center.

Since 2000, the Hispanic population in Luzerne County has increased 222 percent, the data showed. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The Penn State Cooperative Extension is reaching out to the Latino community members to educate them on several of the services the Extension offers to Luzerne County residents.

The Extension held its annual meeting Saturday at the Catholic Youth Center’s facilities on North Washington Street after partnering with the CYC to provide an educational seminar to reach out to the non-English-speaking population.

“Our purpose is to take the educational programs to the community and if the community requires Spanish-speaking programs, which they do now, that’s part of our mission to fulfill that need. That’s exactly why we are doing it. We are fulfilling a need,” Extension Board President Rodrigo Gereda of Kingston said.

Gereda said he was pleased with the turnout,especially since this was the Extension’s first outreach program targeting a specific demographic group. Usually the Extension just highlights one of its programs, such as childhood obesity or storm water drain runoff, during its annual meetings.

Publications printed in Spanish were handed out explaining food safety, strengthening the family, the ethnic diversity program and the extension’s master gardening program.

People then feasted on Mexican food and were entertained by singers and Hispanic community dance squads performing traditional Latino cultural dances.

Some of the dancers were Hazleton Area Middle and High School students who participate in the after-school Migrant Education Program.

Program Coordinator Sandra Medina Lopez said events like this help the students – some of whom are first- or second-generation Americans – realize that they can both honor their family heritage and embrace the American ways of life, too.

“Something I truly believe (is) if you forget about your past, you will be troubled in your present and your future,” she said.

Latino community advocate Angel Jirau applauded the Extension’s efforts to work with the CYC and the Latino Community. Jirau thinks multi-cultural events like this will expand in the future but said that can be achieved only with time and city leaders’ support.

“An elected official leader needs to come out. If they don’t lead by example, other people will not follow, and I think it’s very important that they set and go out and be spokesperson not only for the Hispanic community, but for everyone,” Jirau said.

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PSU Cooperative Extension seeks to inform Latino community about services.

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