|
!UBICATE!
Educational Film
Depicting Healthy Relationships for Latino Teens
Leer en Español
ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 16, 2003 -- The
complex issues teens face in developing healthy relationships
are portrayed in !UBICATE!™ (Find
Yourself!), the first Spanish language educational film on
Latino teen relationships, that debuted here today. Community
leaders and educators attended a premiere hosted by Verizon
Wireless, a major underwriter of production and marketing for
the film.
Developed by Casa de Esperanza, a local nonprofit domestic
violence agency run by Latinos for Latinos, the film is the
first of its kind to be produced in the United States. The
17-minute film addresses the complex, yet common issues young
Latinos face in developing healthy relationships. "Because of
Verizon Wireless' support, we are able to create awareness
about this project that will begin a dialogue within the
Latino community, and among Latino teens, to improve their
relationships," said Lupe Serrano, executive director of Casa
de Esperanza.
"Our research showed that there is no Spanish-language film
specifically geared to facilitate youth discussion on these
issues," Serrano said. "We developed the film with input from
Latino teens in our local after-school programs about the
issues they face, from dealing with dating violence to
communicating with parents and gender roles within families."
The principal actors represent young Latinos from the Twin
Cities, including students from Casa de Esperanza's
after-school youth programs.
As the Latino population has tripled in the last decade(1),
the unique challenges facing Latino youth also have grown.
Since 1994, nationally Latino teens have had the highest teen
birth rate in the nation at 97.4 per 1,000, nearly double the
national rate of 52.3 per 1,000(2). The Latino dropout rate is
2.5 times the rate for African Americans and 3.5 times the
rate for non- Latino whites(3). Closer to home, more than 40
percent of Latino children in Minnesota live in poverty(4). TOP
Verizon Wireless, a corporate supporter of programs that help
prevent domestic violence, is providing $35,000 through its
exclusive HopeLine(SM) program, to support production and
marketing efforts for !UBICATE!. Verizon Wireless also has
underwritten costs to send the film to 100 Latino
organizations, schools and domestic violence organizations
throughout Minnesota. Casa de Esperanza staff will facilitate
two youth forums, sponsored by Verizon Wireless, where !UBICATE!
will be shown and discussed with Latino youth. The forums will
be held Oct. 23 at El Colegio Charter High School in
Minneapolis and in St. Paul next spring. A grant from the
General Mills Foundation also helped underwrite the production
costs.
"!UBICATE! is designed to reach Latino teenagers with
important messages about their family, peer and dating
relationships," said Viki L. Radden, president -- Great Plains
Region, Verizon Wireless. "Verizon Wireless is fully committed
to combating domestic violence, and we believe that !UBICATE!
will provide a valuable and much-needed tool for educators to
use with Latino teens." TOP
The film begins with a discussion with Latino teens about
relationships in their lives. Four scenes depict the complex,
yet typical issues facing Latino youth: a young Latina teen
who is in an abusive relationship and thinks she might be
pregnant; the conflict between brother and sister in a family
with underlying gender role sexism; the cultural divide
between a Latino teen and his parents; and a teen struggling
with issues at home and at school who turns to friends with
risky behavior. A final scene, "Haz la diferencia!" (Make a
difference!), underscores how teens can help support and
educate one another.
!UBICATE! was created through the leadership of Casa de
Esperanza staff members Patricia Tototzintle, executive
producer, and Carmen Gonzalez and Claudia Pineda, co-producers
and scriptwriters. A student volunteer in Casa de Esperanza's
youth program, Pablo Lopez, served as an associate producer,
scriptwriter and actor. The cast includes professional and
non-professional actors from a variety of Latin American
backgrounds to depict the diversity within Latino cultures. A
student at El Colegio High School, Jessica Guzman, created the
artwork concept used to market !UBICATE! (TM). Original songs
by local musicians Onan Barrera and the team of Nachito and
Mirdalys Herrera are featured in a score overseen by Dr. Bob
Stacke of Augsburg College.
!UBICATE! will be marketed throughout the United States,
Mexico, Central and South America by
Casa de Esperanza. Click on the link to obtain copies of
the film, available for sale in DVD or VHS format.
(1) Hennepin County Census Data, September 25,
2001.
(2) National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1999. "Teen
Pregnancy and Childbearing among Latinos in the United
States,"
www.teenpregnancy.org/fact_latam.htm. Accessed: October 24,
2001.
(3) Secada Walter G., Rudolfo Chavez-Chavez, Eugene Garcia,
Ciprano Munoz, Jannie Oakes, Isaura Santiago-Santiago, and
Robert Slavin. 1998. No More Excuses: The Final Report of the
Hispanic Dropout Project.Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of
Education.
(4) U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000. Current Populations
Survey.
Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office TOP
About HopeLine
Through its exclusive HopeLine(SM) program, Verizon Wireless
puts services and equipment to work to help prevent domestic
violence. The company collects no-longer-used phones to be
refurbished or recycled and/or sold. With the funds raised
from those sales, Verizon Wireless purchases wireless phones
to donate with airtime to victims of domestic violence and
makes monetary contributions to local domestic violence
organizations. Since 1995, Verizon Wireless has collected more
than 1.2 million used wireless phones and from January to June
2003, Verizon Wireless has donated over $1.5 million in
monetary and other contributions to domestic violence shelters
and prevention programs across the country. Learn how you can
help support
HopeLine online
|
