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When
it Comes to the Well-being of Children,
LAA and Family Connection Speak the Same Language The Latin American Association (LAA) has empowered Latinos since its inception in 1972 by providing transitional services and development programs that make a difference in the lives of Latinos, their families, neighborhoods, and the larger community. The LAA takes an integrated approach to providing services and programs that are focused on increasing family stability, developing skills, promoting the development of youth, building cultural bridges, and promoting community involvement. By responding to our community's needs, we help its members gain knowledge and skills necessary to fully participate in the larger society. At the LAA we believe in strong families. For this reason, our Family Services Department provides the highest quality of support through programs such as our Program against Domestic Violence, our Parenting Program, and legal assistance and health screenings in partnership with other organizations. These services represent only a fraction of our Families Services Department's scope. As an integral part of the development of strong, healthy communities, LAA's Youth Services Department nurtures today's youth with the necessary tools to excel in life and reach their full potential. Through our after-school and summer program children get a chance to become fully engaged and active in their communities. Our "Mommy and Me" program—an interactive group for moms and their children ages infant to 4—focuses on early childhood development and socialization. In addition, our annual Latino Youth Leadership Conference offers middle- and high-school students an opportunity to spend a day talking with community leaders and speakers on topics such as leadership development, higher education, cultural awareness, and challenges facing today's youth. Empowering Latinos to attain their goals through placement and employment/career counseling is the LAA Career Services Department's mission. This department connects qualified, bilingual staff with diverse metro Atlanta companies. It also offers educational and referral services relating to unemployment, wage and hour disputes, discrimination, and worker's compensation. Language is a vital component to achieving self-sufficiency and building cross-cultural bridges. The Education Services Department provides English and Spanish classes taught by exceptional teachers, offering, among others, the "Amiguitos" program, a Spanish language summer program for kids, and the Spanish ~ English coffee hour, providing an outlet where people can practice conversational Spanish and English with other language learners in an informal setting. Education Services also provides citizenship classes, computer classes, and translation services. Assisting Latino families secure affordable housing, offering helpful information and guidance on general housing topics is the Housing Services Department's initiative. Other services include landlord-tenant mediation, homeownership: pre- and post-purchase, equal opportunity housing assistance, low-cost housing, and housing seminars such as "Path to Homeownership," the 11th annual housing fair, which occured this month. Finally, the department of immigration and legal services offers affordable immigration assistance to the community. It provides consultation, referral, and legal representation services for those who meet the requirements based on family income, legal eligibility and available resources. Our lawyers and legal aides can help clients with family petitions, domestic violence cases, citizenship, and other immigration applications. For more information about The LAA and all its services and programs, visit www.latinamericanassoc.org. A native of Venezuela, Mariana Piñango serves as Communications and Public Relations manager for the Latin American Association. Back to Index |
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