DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL October 19, 2006 Mexican government helps immigrants finish educations PIERSON -- The days of the week. Directions to the bathroom down the hall. A simple sentence with a verb, adjective and noun. To Isreal Bocanegra Olvera, they form the beginning of the English vocabulary he sees as his chance to move ahead. The 19-year-old Mexican immigrant attends two English classes a week at the Plaza Comunitaria, or community center, at the Florida Farmworker Association's office in Pierson. Since he began attending the center last spring, he's learned math and how to use a computer. "For me, the classes are excellent," Bocanegra says in Spanish during a recent English class. "It's a little confusing to learn so much information." The center, which opened in January, enables Mexican immigrants to obtain their elementary, middle and high school education certificates online from the Mexican Secretary of Public Education. The center has six computers open four weekdays and Saturday afternoons. There are also books, CDs and videos in Spanish, provided by the Mexican Consulate in Orlando, on topics like workers' rights, money management and domestic violence. The free programs provide the immigrants drawn to work in the fern fields -- many who began working at a young age and did not complete much schooling -- the educational foundation to succeed here or in their home country if they return, says Lariza Garzon, the program's coordinator and a Stetson student. "Most of the people that migrate to the United States have never completed their basic education," Garzon says. "In order for them to speak English and move forward in life here they need to get skills to survive. They need education and to master their own language, Spanish." Other educational opportunities for Spanish-speaking immigrants are available, but are limited. Daytona Beach Community College provides free courses teaching English to Spanish speakers at satellite centers in Seville and DeLeon Springs, as well as the college's other Volusia and Flagler campuses. Spanish speakers can also earn their general equivalency degree in Spanish, but must pass the test in English to attend college, says Delia Rodriguez, who coordinates DBCC's program. Plaza Comunitarias originated in Mexico and expanded to the United States in 2001. Florida's first center opened in 2002 in Polk County, and there are centers in Quincy and Crescent City. Another will be established at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County, says Rey David Penaflor, the consulate's director of music and culture. All Spanish-speaking immigrants can use the courses and materials, but the Mexican government issues graduation certificates to Mexican immigrants only. Though fewer than a dozen students regularly attend classes, Garzon says there's a strong need for services among Pierson's farmworker community. But the center lacks financial support and volunteers, she says. Stetson University's Latin American Studies program has donated some funding, computers and technical assistance, as well as volunteer instructors. But getting organized has been a struggle, Garzon says as she opens the only metal cabinet the program has so far been able to afford. It houses all of the center's materials and is so tightly packed that removing books is difficult. Already, the center is outgrowing the Farmworker Association's office but the program cannot find enough volunteers to move furniture from one room to another, let alone enough instructors to teach the courses, she says. And most of the center's participants are men or young girls, because many women don't have access to child care. Garzon hopes to add child care to the center's services. Garzon hopes to attract more volunteers to the center, and says the center's benefits extend beyond the immigrant community. "There are so many skills they can acquire at the plaza, that will benefit the whole society in the end," she says.
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