Hispanic Church Runs Free Civics & Literacy Classes
By Richard Mathiasen
Along with the help of several local organizations, the Reverend
Carlos Caraballo of Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church in Schenectady runs a series of civic service programs, designed to empower the people of his community. Located at 920 State Street, the church is in the neighborhood of Hamilton Hill, an area he describes as “a community in need of a lot of work.” With a predominantly Puerto Rican population, it suffers from a 30% poverty level. |
Rev. Carlos Caraballo at his church, Iglesia de Dios, showing the recently donated computers for his computer literacy classes. Photo by Richard Mathiasen, TIC Journalist. |
Rev. Caraballo, however, has not lost hope. First among his civic programs is the child literacy program, aimed at helping young children of the community learn to read. These classes are aided by volunteers and resources from the Schenectady Public Library. When sharing his vision with The Informed Constituent, Caraballo stressed his belief that educating children at a young age will induce a love of learning early on, leading to greater success later in life. “A child’s development occurs within the first five years of their life. If we don’t educate them at an early age, they will be hindered when they go to school.”
The youth classes are taught in conjunction with the United Ways Literacy Task Force, a division of the United Way Fundraising Administration. Classes are open for children from infancy to age eleven.Rev. Caraballo has also organized a series of classes for adults, with the hope that people will gain necessary skills and knowledge to empower themselves and find greater success in American society.
The first of these programs is the computer literacy course. Based on a six-week schedule, the course takes advantage of eight computers donated by Schenectady County Community College. Taught by a student at the college, Ms. Christina Esquivel, the course focuses on teaching adults the very basics in computer literacy. Students in the class learn the basic workings of the computer, such as how to connect it and turn it on, as well as basic proficiency in word processing. With so many jobs requiring at least an entry level of proficiency in computers, Rev. Caraballo believes this course is an invaluable tool to help prepare adults for the current job market. As of yet, there is no internet connectivity at the church, but he is hopeful that online access will become available in the near future.
Courses in financial planning are also offered. These are taught in conjunction with SEFCU Credit Union. SEFCU, located at 920 Albany Street in Schenectady, volunteers to teach adults the intricacies of proper financial planning. Adults will learn effective budgeting techniques and how to manage their bank accounts. Rev. Caraballo sees that such programs will help empower the people of his community by teaching them greater control over their finances.
Iglesia de Dios Pentacostal Church in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill community. Photo by Richard Mathiasen,
TIC Journalist. |
In addition to ARISE’s founding members and religious affiliates, several political figures attended, including State Assembly member Paul Tonko. In a one-on-one interview with The Informed Constituent, Tonko affirmed his commitment to ARISE, citing his own dedication to alternative energy research and education reform. These issues coincide with ARISE’s agenda of economic development in inner cities, where many living below the poverty line might be particularly hard hit this winter by exorbitant heating costs.
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Speaking on the issue of education reform, Assm. Tonko explained the importance of funding New York’s fragmented school system. He dismissed the rising popularity of charter schools, stating that such a system “bifurcates the education system and ignores the root of the problem by diverting funds away from our public schools.”
Rev. Caraballo is also passionate about registering members of the Hamilton Hill community to vote. Caraballo states that many Hispanic citizens are not registered to vote, and as such, are not properly represented in the government. Through his registration program, Caraballo aims to teach the importance of involvement in political activities as well as provide an easy avenue for people to register to vote. Caraballo states, “It is important to know who our candidates are and who represents us in the different fields of government.”
He insists that this program is non-partisan and unbiased, stating that his goal is merely to educate and encourage the public to participate in elections, not to sway them to vote in any specific direction. He feels that once the people have the knowledge, they will be better equipped to form their own decisions about their political representation.
In January 2006, Rev. Caraballo plans to expand his programs to a larger base via the internet. People from other communities will also be able to participate and receive information about some of the other programs offered by the church. These include pre-natal care, early child development, juvenile delinquency prevention, financial planning, overcoming debt, elder care, and a faith-based family enrichment program.
All programs are open to people of all faiths through Iglesia de Dios. Though Caraballo’s faith is an integral part of his participation in such empowerment programs, he stresses the fact that people of any denomination are welcome. Furthermore, all classes are free, taught on a strictly volunteer basis.
Caraballo plans to soon release a CD detailing the courses offered through his church, at the tentative price of $5 per CD.
For more information, contact Rev. Carlos Caraballo at (518) 346-5953. Fliers for the courses can be found at the Schenectady Public Library as well as in the storefronts of many local city merchants.
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