News

April 26, 2010 Duplex Open House

Join us on May 28th as we showcase our eco-friendly and energy-efficient apartments made with compressed earth blocks, adobes. Click here for more information.

January 31, 2010 Organizing Update

National Latino Congreso

The Colonias Development Council joined over 100 other organizations to participate in the fourth annual National Latino Congreso, held in El Paso, Texas. Over 1,000 delegates, observers and guests participated in the three day event. The Congreso passed a number of resolutions regarding policies and issues that affect Latino communities. Chief among these was the resolution calling for Congress and the President to swiftly enact the Comprehensive and Just Immigration Reform Act (CIR ASAP) currently in the House of Representatives.

Despite the excitement for these resolutions, all those in participation agreed that Latino communities will only be respected through grassroots organizing. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, sponsor of the bill, urged all Latinos to call their legislators and march in favor of the bill. “We can no longer allow our neighbors to be invisible,” he said.

January 6, 2010 Garden Update

For the second year in a row, the Colonias Development Council has been awarded a New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) grant for the project Pathways to Conservation, Culture, and Celebration. Through the project, fourteen youth from Anthony and Chaparral will build garden-lined pathways that reflect New Mexico's rich cultural heritage leading to a place for celebration--an adobe structure and traditional oven constructed by the youth.

The Colonias Development Council in now accepting applications for YCC positions through January 19 at 4pm from youth who meet the following elegibility requirements: 14-24 years old, New Mexico residents, and currently unemployed.

Job descriptions and applications are available on the Garden Projects page of this website and at the community garden sites in Anthony and Chaparral.

Anthony Community Garden (414 St. Anthony St., Anthony, NM)

Salud y Vida Community Garden (250 S. County Line, Chaparral, NM)

October 28, 2009 Garden Update

This month's Southwest Marketing Network Newsletter features the Cultivando Tradicion program. Click here to read it!

Also, check out the Cultivando Tradicion fall newsletter on the Garden Projects page of this site.

September 13, 2009 Organizing Update

16 de septiembre

The CDC, in collaboration with the Vecinos Unidos program in Chaparral, organized and participated in another well-attended and successful intercolonias exchange on Sunday, September 13th. Over fifty people attended the “Dieciséis de septiembre” celebration, including members of the nearby communities of Vado and Del Cerro. The celebration of Mexico’s independence included traditional music and dress. Two representatives of the Mexican consulate attended the celebration and led the group in the traditional “grito” of independence. New Mexico state representative Nathan Cote also made an appearance, graciously thanking the community for the invitation and promising continued work in this area. The celebration concluded with a dinner of traditional Mexican dishes prepared by members of the community. As Vado resident Dora Dorado said during the program, “My hope is that, through events like this one, we would all truly become united neighbors.”

August 27, 2009 Garden News Update

Santa Fe Visit

Farm to Table, a Santa Fe-based non-profit, has assisted in planning a visit for Cultivando Tradicion staff and Anthony and Chaparral youth to the Santa Fe area. Our objective is to learn about local economies based in sustainable agriculture through visits to the Camino de Paz School and Farm in Santa Cruz (www.caminodepaz.net), meeting with Tim Voss, Director of the Santa Fe Farmer's Market, and visiting with representatives from La Montanita Coop.

August 26th, 2009 Organizing Update

On August 25th, a group from the CDC traveled to Albuquerque to attend a press conference in support of a lawsuit filed against the state of New Mexico. The suit, filed by two farm workers injured on the job, HELP New Mexico, and the Sin Fronteras Organizing Project, posits that the current laws that prevent workers’ compensation to farm workers are unconstitutional. Also in attendance was Dolores Huerta, who, along with César Chávez, founded the United Farm Workers of America. Ms. Huerta expressed hope that this lawsuit could help bring about the justice that farm workers deserve. http://newmexicoindependent.com/34903/state-sued-for-not-providing-farmworker-worker-compensation

July 30, 2009 Garden News Update

Garden Tour
Thanks to everyone who joined us on July 18th for our garden tour! It was wonderful to celebrate with everyone all the hard work that’s been put in this year. Thanks to all the community garden members from Salud y Vida, Anthony Community Garden, Vado Community Garden, and Fairlight Community garden for sharing the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor with the group. We enjoyed the opportunity to exchange gardening tips, projects ideas and fresh produce. Hope you’ll join us again next year!

YCC Project
This month we also celebrated the youth that participated in our “Cultivating Colonia Youth” program funded by the Youth Conservation Corps. Although the program ended at the beginning of this month, youth in Anthony and Chaparral continue to meet at the community garden sites to volunteer and harvest produce. Last weekend, Chaparral youth sold produce at the local farmers’ market.

At the end of August, youth will have the opportunity to travel to Santa Fe to visit Farm to Table, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, and Camino de Paz High School.

June 20, 2009

The Rhino in the Colonia: How Colonias Development Council v. Rhino Environmental Services, Inc. Set a Substantive State Standard for Environmental Justice

1/29/09 - Inter-colonias Exchange/Equal Voices for American Families

More than 200 families from Dona Ana County, N.M., were involved in the Equal Voices for American Families Campaign. Colonias Development Council in collaboration with Department of Health and Human Service from the Dona Ana County, and other local organizations and community leaders as well, worked hard to mobilize entire families to the National Convention in Los Angeles during October 5th, 2008.
After the Convention in LA, all participants returned motivated, with energy to encourage other members from their communities looking for the next steps.

On September 20th, 2008, CDC convened the first meeting after the trip with the team leaders that went to the convention.  The purpose of this meeting was to evaluate and talk about possible next steps of the campaign.
The turnout was good, 11 members of different communities attended including youth shared their ideas and comments, and the most important, their commitment.

Evaluation and/or perception of the event and of the participants  

Next Steps
Commitments             

1. Create spaces for youth organizing and coordinate with those that already exist.
2. Dona Ana County, Youth Action, Lulac, Independents, CDC, Peer Educators among others.
3. Promote the development of leadership among the youth.
4. Encourage more youth promoters in the different communities.
5. Look for resources.
6. Local Forum (before or after the elections)

1st part.- Exchange and dialog between the communities, including space for the youth.
2nd part.-Dialog with politicians to introduce them to the political platform of the communities

February 25th. Colonias Day in Santa Fe, Legislative Session. Mobilize families to meet with their legislators and address their community priorities.

Second meeting, November 8th, 2008
Inter-colonias Exchange

This time, as a follow-up to the first inter-colonias exchange meeting, representatives from 5 communities came together. We continued dialogue and analyzed the platform that came out of the Equal Voices for American Families campaign.

One of the principal aspects that we have advanced in these meetings is the conviction of unity to achieve common objectives. The characteristics of the communities are very similar. Nevertheless, each community has its own priorities. We have agreed that the platform, in spite of being broad, is exactly the feeling of all the needs and priorities of each community.

For this reason, the agreement has been that, from this second meeting on, a permanent calendar of monthly meetings has been established, following an agenda that will include the study and training of a collective leadership, in order to better understand the legislative procedures and go to the next level of mobilization that is to encourage policy change in favor of our communities. 

Unity, empowerment, future, believes, strengthens, values, Justice, Family, Intergenerational, interexchange,  

Inter-generation communication, unlearn to relearn, rebuild, fresh, new age, present,

Dialogue, discussion, agree to disagree, approaches, diverse, strategy, timeline, prioritize, credibility,
Self-development, citizenship, integrity, holistic, Human Rights, responsibilities, community,
Collective leadership, Policy Change, Social Change, Social Justice