Members of the University chapter of MEChA are reaching out to the community by helping young Latinos do better in school and become culturally aware at the same time.
Wednesday night, students involved in Ganas made a presentation to the Eugene District 4J School Board, pushing for continued support of the Ganas program.
MEChA Director Isaac Torres said one of the most important functions of Ganas is to provide positive role models for young Latinos.
Through the Ganas program, MEChA members are becoming mentors for Latino students at Jefferson Middle School.
“We are living examples for these students of what they can achieve,” Torres said.
Ganas coordinator Gerardo Ochoa said the program was developed seven years ago by Jim Garcia and Roscoe Caron to try to meet the needs of Latino students.
“Our main objective is to increase academic performance while maintaining cultural identity,” Ochoa said.
About 25 middle school students are involved in the Ganas
program, and Ochoa estimated that about 10 MEChA volunteers show up every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon to
interact with Jefferson students. The MEChistas, as they are called, help the kids with their homework, educate them about Latino culture and history, and assist those students who are struggling with learning English.
Jefferson student Catherine James Giraldo is a Latino student who has flourished in the Ganas program. Giraldo moved to the United States from Colombia in 1999 and didn’t know any English when she first arrived. She said the MEChistas helped her learn the language and showed her that it’s possible for Latino students to be successful and go on to attend college.
Caron estimated that 15 MEChA students have decided to become teachers and counselors because of their Ganas experience. He said this will ultimately benefit the greater community because there will be more culturally aware teachers and counselors working in schools as a result.
Approximately 50 students from MEChA and Ganas attended the Wednesday meeting to show support for the creation of more programs like Ganas to help students succeed in school. The presenters argued that it is essential for administrators and educators to fulfill the needs of the growing population of Latino students.
“I want (the board) to really see the power and potential of a program that meets the needs of Latino students,” Coran said.
Ochoa said Ganas has been a tremendously successful program. He said one of the best indicators of its success is continuing student participation — because Ganas isn’t a mandatory program.
“These students come because they want to be here,” Ochoa said. “We have eighth-graders who’ve graduated to high school but keep coming back because there aren’t any programs like Ganas available.”
Right now, MEChA doesn’t have the resources or capabilities to go out to other schools and establish more programs like Ganas, he said. However, Ochoa has encouraged student unions at the University to follow MEChA’s lead and develop mentoring programs in other local schools.
Caron said the success of Ganas captured the interest of other schools in the state. He added that he has received numerous calls from educators requesting information on Ganas and asking advice about developing similar programs.
“A lot of schools are scrambling to accommodate the needs of the growing population of Latino students,” Caron said.
Garcia, one of the speakers at Wednesday night’s meeting, said Ganas is helping Latino students at Jefferson to realize they can have a chance at a better life.
“Ganas is providing an environment where bilingual, culturally competent leadership is thriving,” Garcia said.
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