Social Work Students Host Event

Social Work Students Host Event: Family H.E.L.P. Community Forum on Health and Education for the Latino Population

 
Aida McCammonStudents in professor Frances Kominkiewicz’s Human Behavior and the Social Environment II class aren’t just setting back and taking notes. They are making a difference. On March 1 they will be hosting a community forum on issues facing the Latino population. Aida McCammon, MSW, Co-Founder and President/CEO of the Indiana Latino Institute (ILI) will be speaking at “Family H.E.L.P Community Forum: Health and Education for the Latino Population from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in Carroll Auditorium in Madeleva Hall on Saint Mary’s campus.

“We chose this topic because there has been a 117% increase in the Latino population in Indiana between 1990 and 2000,” says social work student Jennifer Leakakos, citing information from the Indiana Latino Institute. “Due to this dramatic increase, our class thought that education and health care were pressing issues that would help Latinos in the community become better educated on how they can help themselves.”

McCammon founded the ILI with a mission to, “provide advocacy, leadership and collaboration addressing evolving issues and essential needs that affect Latino communities.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named ILI the lead agency for the National Latino Tobacco Control Network. Additionally, McCammon founded the Hispanic Health Project. Students are looking to McCammon to lead a dialogue with the community at large that will empower them to look into issues of health care and education as it affects the Latino community.

McCammon’s visit is a part of Saint Mary’s Cross Current’s Program’s Collegiate Speakers Series, funded by the Lilly Endowment’s Initiative to Promote Opportunities through Educational Collaborations. It is co-sponsored by Cross Currents and the College’s Department of Social Work.

“We are so grateful to have Ms. McCammon come to Saint Mary’s College to speak about some of the health and education challenges facing Indiana’s Latino population,” says Kominkiewicz. “We hope members of South Bend’s Hispanic community and others will come to campus to hear her insights.”