Deportation Relief for Undocumented Young People

As the immigration debate continues in Washington D.C., after a bipartisan group of 8 senators issued an immigration reform plan last week, the President released his plan soon there after, and the House of Representatives hearings began this week a national debate about what is at stake for our communities is ongoing. In the mean time, there is a program set in place that provides temporary deportation relief for many undocumented young people named, "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" (DACA).

In August of 2012, the Department of Homeland Security started accepting applications for DACA, which prevents the deportation of DREAM act eligible immigrants under the age of 31 (more details here).  DACA provides up to 2 years of temporary relief from deportation and eligible individuals are able to apply for a work permit during the period of deferred action. Eligibility for this program is determined on a case by case basis and for more information you can check out the National Immigration and Law Center because they list all of the eligibility criteria here. 

If you or someone you know is an undocumented young person who was born on or after June 16, 1981 and arrived in the US before the age of 16 find out if they qualify for this program.  If you need more information and would like to receive assistance the Long BeachImmigration Rights Coalition is hosting information sessions at the Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Center.  These information sessions start today (Wednesday, February 6th) and tomorrow (Thursday, February 7th) from 1 PM to 5:30 PM and welcome everyone! The details of the event are below in both English and Spanish:

Have you attended an informational forum on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and would like some help putting your application together? Are you having second thoughts about your supporting documents? Would you like an attorney to look over your application before you send it? If so, then join us! We will have trained DACA application screeners and those that attend will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment with a qualified immigration attorney. 

Wednesday Feb. 6 2012; 1:00-5:30PM
Thursday Feb. 7 2012; 1:00-5:30PMEmail: lbimmigrantrights@gmail.com Call (562) 204-6333
The Center of Long Beach2017 E. 4th St. Long Beach, CAPlease RSVP at: www.lbirc.org/daca (Book your appointment today!)

~~~~~~~~~~Spanish~~~~~~~~~~~~
¿Ha asistido a un evento informativo sobre el programa de Acción Diferida (DACA) y le gustaría recibir ayuda con su aplicación? ¿Tiene dudas sobre sus documentos suplementarios? ¿Le gustaría que un abogado revise su aplicación antes de que la entregue? ¿O tiene más preguntas sobre el programa? Entonces acompáñenos! Tendremos voluntarios entrenados que le podrán contestar sus preguntas y también tendrá la oportunidad de hacer una cita individual con un abogado de inmigración GRATIS! 
Miércoles Febrero 6 2012; 1:00-5:30PMJueves Febrero 7 2012; 1:00-5:30PMEmail: lbimmigrantrights@gmail.comTeléfono (562) 204-6333
The Center of Long Beach2017 E. 4th St. Long Beach, CACitas: www.lbirc.org/daca (Haga su cita HOY!)


Here is the event on facebook: DACA Workshop Information

The Wilmington Wire: Making the connections in our community more visible

Information about events, organizations, and resources in Wilmington are available from various sources. The purpose of this blog is to try and put that information in a single place. This will make it easier to find services available to residents in Wilmington. Community involvement is an important part of this blog. We would appreciate readers sending us information on events, groups, resources, etc. to our email at thewilmingtonwire@gmail.com (In case we miss anything).

This is also about helping create a better sense of community. Many people are proud of our town but may not be informed about what is going on in Wilmington. Communication can be difficult since we do not have a Wilmington newspaper or a single source of information. People that want to be active may not know where to start. We will be creating a list of groups and non-profits in Wilmington. We will also be creating a monthly calendar of meetings and events. This will all take a lot of work. So if you think this is something you are interested in doing, join our team!

I know that many of our community members do not use the Internet, but I hope we can reach the ones that do. Eventually I hope to figure out the dilemma of the digital divide and reach everyone. Please share this blog with everyone you know. We are also on Facebook!

The Wilmington Wire will profile community members that have created a difference or are creating a difference now: teachers, activists, group organizers, artist, etc. Many people may know the work of Connie Calderon and Avelardo de la Pena, and it's important that the community knows about the history of activism in our town. Their knowledge and wisdom will also help younger folks who are trying to organize today. Mr. Yamaguchi, a teacher at Banning High School, has also created a difference in our town. It is because of him that many of our community members went on to pursue a higher education in mathematics. If there are any other community members that have made an impact and you'd like us to write about them, email us and share their story.
 
We want a variety of representatives. The Wilmington Wire needs at least one student from Banning High School and Wilmington Middle school to be part of our team, along with community organizers and community members. If you are interested in being part of this community blog, please email us at thewilmingtonwire@gmail.com and tell us a little bit about yourself.

Community Projects with DoSomething.org

Do Something is a nonprofit organization that focuses on giving young people, age 25 or under, the ability to create change in their community. They offer useful information and resources to get young people involved. Community Action Grants ($500 every week!) help turn ideas into reality.  The also offer exclusive grants and opportunities when you start a Do Something Club.

Past grantees have used the money to create a community-run organic farm, publish a youth-written literary magazine for women of color, and even create an organization that teaches sick kids how to fly.

Not only do they offer grants to create and sustain community projects, but they also have important information about issues that affect a community. These issues include Environmental Racism, Hunger, Violence Against Women, Education Inequalities, and Arts in Education. There is also how-to information available, such as how to host a school supply drive. 

Grant Eligibility Rules:

• The applicant must be 25 OR UNDER.
• The applicant must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen (You will be asked to prove citizenship and age if you win).
• You can APPLY for as many grants as you'd like, but you can only win ONE grant from Do Something in a twelve month period (excluding the Do Something Award or unless otherwise noted).

 Check out the website and grant FAQ for more information.