Non-Profit forms to support latina empowerment in Pilsen and Little Village
Interactions with underrepresented populations and community enrichment work ignited an early passion for volunteering in Sydney Rothman, 26, who is now turning that passion into a reality by founding her own Latino non-profit organization, The Camila Foundation, to support Chicago's Latina communities.
The Camila Foundation is focusing on empowering Latinas between the ages of 18 to 24 in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods through programs addressing four main areas: career advancement, education, economic equity and civic engagement.
This achievement stems from Rothman herself experiencing some of the same struggles as the women she seeks to help, culminating in the mission to build a holistic support system. Named after her miscarried daughter, Camila, The Camila Foundation is founded for young Little Village and Pilsen women to emulate values of unity and equity to improve their circumstances. It’s a foundation Rothman would’ve wanted her daughter to be empowered by.
She notes the number of existing organizations enriching these two communities as a whole, but they often leave a hollow spot towards her target demographic.
“There aren’t a lot of organizations in the field that are specifically focusing on helping young women and our young Latina women,” says Rothman.
This local dilemma is indicative of the circumstances these Latina women face -- and the work the city may not have strongly acted upon. Wrapping up her data-based needs report (which is private organization information Rothman did not want revealed) allowed her to analyze tangible improvements and gaps to back up those needs.
She recently posted a survey to supplement this data, seeking input on the kinds of programs Latinas want to see in the organization. Most responses voiced a desire for more support in career advancement, one of the four main areas. The Camila Foundation plans to develop an internship-fellowship program that will financially support their women who become unpaid interns.
Colleges and universities have networks of internship opportunities for students to gain real-world experience working for companies and organizations. Unpaid internships are part of the mix, but even those opportunities are hard to come by. Rothman explains these often "disenfranchise [Latina women] from a low-income area" who can't afford to not work for a few months while interning.
“I think a lot of young women contribute to their family’s overall household income by supporting their family with part-time jobs,” says Rothman. “They help with their younger siblings, they help with their parents. They help with their own children.”
Education -- another main area -- also becomes financial. The organization wants to develop a robust scholarship program to be accessible to all types of education, not just traditional schools, and help people further themselves in their fields of study.
“Most scholarships only allow funds to go directly to traditional schools [like] colleges and universities, but we do recognize that that’s not always what education looks like for everyone,” says Rothman.
The need for educational attainment can come years later when people are applying to jobs requiring at minimum the completion of high school or equivalent. Also in line with valuing all types of roads to education, Rothman hopes to partner with local schools to develop a GED (General Educational Development) support network. She envisions it to incorporate complimentary tutoring, support groups, and covering the costs associated with getting a GED.
For the area of education, there is also a plan to roll out school supplies and laptops. This is because some of the Latina women lack the resources needed to complete their studies.
On economic equity, that involves creating a support system that lessens daily economic burdens. For instance, Rothman explains that women in Little Village and Pilsen -- who mainly work jobs like warehousing, factories and other minimum wage jobs -- often see their checks flowing everyday into public transportation trips for work. The cost becomes very high when they solely rely on the city’s buses and trains to go to make a living.
As she continues scaling her foundation, Rothman hopes one of the first events will be a free civic engagement workshop. The workshop, she states, comes at an opportune moment with national elections soon approaching and voting taking place.
At the heart of her work she aspires to foster collaboration, and programs around civic engagement will improve that interaction with local politicians and state representatives. Rothman says that has been a barrier preventing women from making direct impact in their communities.
“We want them to feel empowered to go and talk to their local aldermen or their city council, but we also want them to know how to do that,” says Rothman. “We want them to have the voice and the tools to be able to engage with local government and make the environment around them a better reflection of what they believe they deserve.”
Through educational workshops, webinars, and hosting meet and greets with local politicians, Latina women will learn how to look up and contact their local representatives, register to vote, and the like. Engaging in these civic processes would help them be more confident in pushing for local change.
Rothman’s identification with Chicago’s Little Village and Pilsen Latinas reflects her gratefulness in holding the reins as a woman of color herself and increasing representation. With Hispanic Heritage Month wrapping up, the contributions of Latina women affords a timely discussion.
“As we grow, having that representation with our volunteers, with our employees, with our board members being Latina women is going to be so important,” says Rothman.