Getting a Platform overhaul.

Last Saturday, we had our Mrs. Utah pageant orientation. It was nice to meet some of the women I've been corresponding with over the last couple of months and to see what kind of women would be doing the pageant. I was pleasantly surprised. I think I'm going to make some great friends out of this experience. Is it a little scary...most definitely. Is it intimidating...that's for sure. Will it be worth it...You betcha ya. My dear friend Amy is such a champ. She went with me. She is my adopted sister of sorts. She steps in for me when I need her because my family is on the other side of the country. On our way home, we were discussing my platform and I realized it needed some improvement. So here's my new and improved platform:

"Empowering Individuals through the Gift of English"

I am hoping to help create awareness in the Hispanic community of the opportunities available to them to learn English. After talking with many Hispanic members of our community, I found that the most difficult part of moving to the United States, is the language barrier. The children usually end up in ESL programs, but the parents tend to struggle. There is a lack of parental involvement in the school system by these adults, because they can't communicate with their children's teachers and they have trouble assisting their children in their homework. As a result these students will continue to struggle.
Members of this community also have a hard time receiving the medical care they need, because they cannot properly express their needs to their health care providers. They're job opportunities are limited and the American dream is harder to reach.
I hope to be able to give these people a voice and to help them gain confidence by helping them get the education they need in order to speak the language. How am I going to do this you might ask? Well I'm working on that part. There is a pilot program with the LDS Church that I'm involved in called the Daily Dose. It is a free English class offered 3 days a week at various chapels throughout the state of Utah. We teach basic and intermediate lessons that are applicable in their everyday lives. This week I taught a lesson on "Meeting Your Child's Teacher," and next week is on "Opening a Checking Account." You get the idea. I hope to create awareness and get as many people to these classes as possible. There is also a government funded program in Arizona that I would like to have implemented in our schools in Utah. It is called Sed de Saber, or Thirst for Knowledge. The state has provided Leapfrog Learning Systems that teach English to various schools that are then lent out to the parents of students at the school. They see a 33% increase in their speaking skills. It's at their own pace. Once they complete the course they are then offered a more formal type class to continue their learning.
Do I really know how to go about this. Not really, but isn't this whole process a journey. How empowering it will feel if I truly can make a difference for these people. I enjoy watching them learn in my own class and the friendships you make are priceless.

I know this is long, but if you made it this far, please leave me comments on any questions you might have. This would greatly help me in my preparation.