Service Learning in the Chicano Latino Community
Central Coast Citizenship Project
The Central Coast Citizenship Project is a program designed to help Latinos obtain their American citizenship. People from the community are invited to take part of these free classes. The program also helps with any paperwork needed at a cost much lower than most lawyers. I got to volunteer at the Salinas location. If a person is above a certain age and has a certain amount of years as a legal resident, they qualify to take the test in their native language. I was able to tutor men and women over 55 yrs old. They came into the program everyday in hopes to memorize all 100 questions. Working at this institution was quite enjoyable. Many of the students were illiterate and still went to class everyday; a true inspiration. Their way of being reminded me a lot of my aunts and uncles back home, this helped me not be so homesick. It was truly a rewarding experience when we got the news that another students had become an American citizen.