Getting to Know the Hispanic Community - Assignment Example

Grant Proposal Presentation Getting to Know the Hispanic Community It would be superfluous to mention that throughout the history of the United s of America many problems in the Hispanic communities have arisen involving the Police Department in Los Angeles, California. There is distrust, insecurities, and lack of support coming from the Police Department and vice versa. There may be many reasons as to why this takes place. At this moment this Planning Officer will focus on how the funds from the philanthropist will be best used and suited to help with the communication between these two groups. The concept of this grant proposal will have various elements. It will be a pilot project. It proposes to teach the Police Department Personnel the Spanish language, idiomatic terms, non-verbal communication, culture, traditions, history, and customs. Pending on the results of this pilot project future funding may be sought through philanthropists, state and federal grants, and corporations. The teachers for this pilot project will be Hispanic from the Hispanic communities that not only know the language but also know the idiosyncrasies that, in general, are pertinent to the Hispanic communities and the countries they come from. The Police Department personnel will be randomly selected given that the Hispanic when in need, when taken to headquarters, when interrogated this personnel will need to be sensitive, sensible, and willing and able to communicate, to obtain the best results. A change in the interaction between these two groups needs to be reinforced positively. The duration of the Project will be an intensive six months. The classes will meet Monday through Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Police Department Personnel will have a reduced workload to support the participants involved in this pilot project. The pilot project will be comprised of the elements discussed previously. A more detailed presentation of these follow: Classes – The Spanish classes will be using a new concept. It will teach the grammar of the Spanish language. The domains for the target language will be: Listening skills, the students will respond to nuances by unfamiliar speakers. The students will also demonstrate comprehension of instructions; Speaking skills, the students will present solutions to problems from a cross cultural perspective. The students, for example, will actively participate in the class and present their given situation (arresting, interrogating, filling out reports, directing people to the accurate places). Reading skills, the students will verify the information that is graphically presented and confirm the information. The students will demonstrate, for example, given a short article to read, that they have understood the information for class discussion. Writing skills, the students will write short critical thinking essays, for example, they will write about experiences in their job place. It will also incorporate the idiomatic terms used in different countries, particularly the countries where the majority of the Hispanic community comes from, non-verbal communication, culture, traditions, history, and customs. Non Verbal Communication – This segment of the class will focus on the non-verbal communication used in each of the identified countries and how this may be obscene and/or an insult to other people from other countries even within the Hispanic countries. Culture – The culture segment will deal with the cultural assets and attributes the Hispanic community has, how they interact with other cultures, and how it is seen by the Hispanic community and how others view them. Traditions – Traditions will be exposed so that the students become familiar with the Hispanic community´s differences from their particular traditions and how the Hispanics may have similarities and differences. History - History will be taught so that the students become familiar with the Hispanic countries´ plight and have a better understanding of why they are living in the United States of America and how they struggle in their own countries. Customs – The customs will try to sensitize the students to the Hispanic community and their similarities/differences in cultures within the variety of Hispanics and with the American societal similarities/differences. Since this is a basic Spanish course, the teachers will use many strategies in the class as to portray the different elements presented in the classroom. They will use but not limited to: films, charts, role play activities, maps, transparencies, newspaper/magazine articles, watch television in Spanish, listen to the radio in Spanish. The students will be evaluated with attendance, using the textbook quizzes, tests, and classroom presentations. They will also be evaluated with teacher made instruments of evaluation (Assessment Resource Centre, 2005). The inclusion of these elements within the Spanish class will help the Police Department members better understand the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community is comprised of people from different countries and continents. They may come from North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean, and Europe. Each one of these countries although influenced by Spain differs from each other due to their idiosyncrasies. They have the influence of the indigenous people that lived there and others that were brought as slaves from another continent, Africa. The students will realize and understand that to lump all of the Hispanics in one basket will deter their objective of safety and security for all. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (1997) had a Los Angeles Police Department Hispanic Outreach El Protector Azul program initiated in 1995 which was a “…program to help reduce the incidence of crash-related injuries and fatalities involving the Hispanic population.” According to the initiatives of the Los Angeles Police Department (2008) they continue to reach out into the Hispanic community. It may be observed that the initiatives to reach the Hispanic communities are not new to the Police Department. They will need to become familiar with all of these elements while dealing with the Hispanic community. They will need to know that while dealing/interrogating a person from Mexico is not the same as dealing/interrogating a person from Honduras. This should not be overlooked or taken for granted. Once this is in place a better understanding and communication will be in effect with the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community on the other hand will be appreciative of the members of a Police Department; to take into consideration all of these elements while performing their duties. They will be seen as members of the Police Department that cares for them and is interested in their welfare and safety. The Police Department on the other hand will have an upper hand in communicating with the Hispanic community. They will not only learn a foreign language but they will also have information to do a better job and service the Hispanic community in a positive way. This is a win-win approach for all of those involved. The students will earn a Spanish as a Second Language certificate from the school that will be accredited by the Board of Education. Executive Summary for the Budget Plan The budget will be the sum of $100,800.00. An itemized budget will be presented in the Budget section that follows. The Police Department is committed to this Pilot Project and will release the personnel involved from their eight hour day, this means that the Police Department personnel will work less hours a day. This will be part of their training in learning a foreign language and developing better strategies while dealing with the Hispanic community. They will continue to receive their normal wages/salaries. This will be reflected in the Budget and there will be matching funds identified as In-kind. The Police Department will also add the $800.00 needed to pay the teachers. Coordination with the After School Community Program in the Hispanic community will allow this locale to become part of the matching funds. The After School Community Program and the Police Department will supply the necessary materials and equipment to fulfill the necessary requirements for the class. Each student will purchase their Spanish packet that will include their Spanish textbook, Spanish Workbook, and Spanish CD-ROM. The Spanish-Spanish Dictionary, English-Spanish/Spanish-English Dictionary, and English-English Dictionary are additional curriculum items needed for the successful implementation of the Spanish class. They will also need a portfolio to maintain their class work and instruments of evaluation answer sheets. At the end of the six months all of the teachers and students will have their work exhibited and invite the community. This will allow for a closeness of the Police Department Personnel and the Hispanic community. It is understood that within the Hispanic community there are other ethnic groups and those will be invited as well. BUDGET Personnel 8 Teachers $35.00hr x 3hr x 5days x 24wks x 8 teachers $100,800.00 Students 10 Managers In-kind 20 Police Officers In-kind 20 Detectives In-kind 10 Secretaries In-kind 10 Clerks In-kind 10 Janitors In-kind After School Community Program In-kind Total $100,800.00 REFERENCES Assessment Resource Centre (2005). About assessment. Retrieved February 28, 2007. Updated February 15, 2007 from http://www.polyu.edu.hk/assessment/arc/assessment/functions.htm National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (1997). Los Angeles Police Department Hispanic Outreach El Protector Azul. Retrieved February 8, 2008 from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/safedige/Summer1997/n4-31.html The Los Angeles Police Department (2008). Gateway neighborhood recovery program. Retrieved February 8, 2008 from http://www.lapdonline.org/harbor_community_police_station/content_basic_view/23552 Read More