Civic Engagement

There is great power in having a community that understands the way our local and federal government works. UVA hopes to have someone representing the Latino community in every level of leadership in Mendocino County. UVA Vecinos en Acción brings civic engagement to the Latino community by having information nights with topics on how to register to vote, reading the ballot, how to run for public office, and bilingual candidate forums. With this work we hope to inspire Latinos and monolingual Spanish speakers to take part in their community, when possible, to aid in making decisions that directly affect our county. UVA wants people to understand how and why it is important to get involved.

This work ties into our plan to bring more equity in our county by assisting the Latino community to share their views when it comes to local policies. Latinos make up 25% of Mendocino County and often the Latino voice is not taken into account when decisions are made. By working with the Latino community we are able to begin to bridge that gap to allow Latinos to feel more comfortable voicing their opinions.