Applications being taken for 2014 TPP-ACE
2013 LAS COMADRES LEGACY PROGRAMS INSTITUTE
2013 TPP-ACE Class
Seated (left to right): Jobi Martinez (Lubbock), Vicky Lara (Austin), Sylvia Mendez (San Antonio), Marissa Marquez (Austin). Standing (left to right): Barbara Hidalgo-Sotelo, Ph.D. (Austin), Noralba De La Rosa (Austin), Patricia Mejia (San Antonio), Christina Ibanez (Austin), Michelle Lopez, Ph.D. (Kyle), Monika Hernandez-Mota (Austin), Monica Rodriguez (McAllen).
2014 TPP-ACE
Texas Public Policy And Civic Engagement Training Program
The small number of Latinas involved in the political process statewide is startling given that Latinos are one of the fastest growing groups in Texas and throughout the country. There are few elected officials to advocate for the needs of this emerging constituency. This is of concern given that many key policy decisions affecting Texas Latinos are made through these entities. While women are emerging at all levels—local, state, and federal—to express their desire to lead, there are few Latinas seeking involvement in the political process. Las Comadres Para Las Americas hopes to change this, one Comadre at a time!†
Servant leadership and civic engagement training encourage people to become agents of change in their communities, while also educating them on the resources and skills to identify the issues they want to effectively address. The vision of the Texas Public Policy And Civic Engagement Training Program (TPP-ACE) is to empower and increase the number of Latina leaders in Texas. Whereas, the mission is to enhance the overall quality and quantity of Latina political leadership in Texas by recruiting and preparing emerging leaders for public office and citizen involvement now and in the future.††
The TTP-ACE, part of Las Comadres Para Las Americas Legacy Programs Institute†††, is a state-level program designed to encourage Comadres in our Texas cities to participate in the political process by being informed on issues, candidates, and voting.
Time Commitment: 2014 trainings will be conducted for 6 months (6 Saturdays). Dates are subject to change based on UT football game schedules.
1st Session: Sat. July 12 (9 am-6 pm)
2nd Session: Sat. August 2 (9 am–6 pm)
3rd Session: Sat. September 13 (9 am–6 pm)
4th Session: Sat. October 11 (9 am–6 pm)
5th Session: Sat. November 1 (9 am–6 pm)
6th Session: Sat. December 6 (9 am–6 pm) GRADUATION DAY
Participants are required to attend all sessions and make a commitment to present to a group in their community valuable information learned from the training. At completion of the program all participants who met the attendance and participation requirements will be awarded a certificate of participation by Las Comadres and signed by Senator Leticia Van de Putte.
Location: Texas State Capitol
Prerequisite: Become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar. All participants accepted into the program must become volunteer deputy registrars and register 10 people to vote, prior to coming to the first class. To become a registrar, please click on the link above.
Costs: Suggested donation is $500.00. A $125.00 donation is requested at the first session and other donations per the schedule below. Participants will:
- Fundraise $100.00 as a minimum, each session through November;
- Fundraise, at a minimum a total of $400.00, in addition to your own contribution. Provide weekly written status reports about their fundraising efforts, as well as monthly oral and written reports at each TPP-ACE Session;
- Cover their own transportation, room and board costs. Home hosting by local comadres may be an option to offset lodging expenses.
Application: Deadline to apply for 2014 has been extended. Use the email link below for more information. Program application and resume are due by May 30, 2014 by 5pm.
Email Gloria Lenoir to request an application. As part of the selection process, potential candidates will be interviewed by phone and contacted by the selection committee of final decision by June 6, 2014.
PROGRAM
Las Comadres Para Las Americas and the Public Policy & Civic Engagement Training are nonpartisan and non-ideological. We seek individuals from a broad range of ideologies and encourage participants to avoid partisanship throughout the duration of the program. The program keeps a careful partisan balance among the presenters. Areas of focus include ethics and public responsibility.
CURRICULUM & ACTIVITIES
The curriculum includes the arenas of public service, servant leadership, policy, and citizenship. A goal is to present the many opportunities for political office, public service, and civic engagement available for consideration in our Texas cities, counties, and state. The training explores the general set of skills required for all positions and then seeks to determine the specific skills required for each position; selection of two or three key positions serve as a model for the other positions.
Our training explores how women can approach the decision to become more involved in the political process. Content focus includes negotiations, conflict resolution, parliamentary procedure, leadership, fundraising, messages and presentation of self, and campaign logistics, such as scheduling, budgeting, and voter targeting. The sessions are a mixture of lectures, panels, readings from books and articles, films, interviews, debates, field trips and evidence from cutting-edge political research about the effects and effectiveness of various campaign techniques. Through case studies and small-group discussions, the curriculum encourages candidates to consider tough choices they are likely to face during an actual campaign so that they can consider how to handle these dilemmas without the pressures of the real campaign.
PRESENTERS
Presenters are primarily Latina community leaders from across the state with expertise in specific areas, as well as individuals who have served or who are presently in office. We also include individuals who have run unsuccessfully to share their experiences and recommendations and family of candidates or incumbents to share the stress of the political process on families.
†This program is intended to be replicated in other states, as needed and requested. Former Texas State representative, Mr. Lauro Cruz’s Innovation Hispanic Leadership Program is a precursor to this program. We are deeply grateful to Mr. Cruz.
††The training is nondiscriminatory and nonpartisan and does not participate in campaigns on behalf of candidates running for office.
†††An international community of Latinas strengthened by actively networking and connecting. Our mission is to create opportunities for Latinas through community, culture, technology, education and monthly comadrazos (sm) in cities around the world.
Each year, the National Book Foundation awards prizes of $2,500 each to individuals and institutions that have developed innovative means of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading. We are honored that Las Comadres para las Americas has been selected as a winner! 
