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Bilingual conversation benefits Spanish students and day laborers
By Josie Klemaier and Amy Woodward
jklemaie@mscd.edu, awoodwa5@mscd.edu

A Denver humanitarian organization is looking for volunteers from Auraria to help its members better their education and get work by engaging in simple conversation.

El Centro Humanitario, a center for immigrant day laborers, is seeking Spanish-speaking conversation partners for its members, many of whom speak little or no English.

Day laborers tend to be immigrants or homeless individuals who wait on street corners to get work. Employers pick them up and hire them for a few hours or a day of work in jobs such as construction or house cleaning.

These workers are often subject to exploitation, sometimes working in poor conditions or for below minimum wage.

El Centro began in 2002 and focuses on defending the rights of its members, offering briefings on workers’ rights, legal protection and educational programs.

UCD student Kim Johnson, coordinator of the language program, said the language exchange benefits both participants.

“You can learn a lot from people who probably do not have the same privileges as you,” she said.
Metro Spanish professor Lunden MacDonald agreed.

“The gift of perspective is priceless,” she said.

El Centro used to have a solid teaching program for English as a second language, but it has been declining, Johnson said.

“It’s a really great opportunity,” said Susie Reithel, a UCD student and program volunteer. She said that in Wisconsin, where she grew up, there are not as many Spanish-speaking people with whom she could converse.

Volunteers are asked to sit with members of El Centro for at least one hour a week and carry on a general conversation in both English and Spanish.

“It’s good for the workers because a lot of them do not have a lot to give,” Johnson said about the conversation program. “It can really help their sense of self-worth.”

El Centro also offers a free legal clinic through the University of Denver’s law school. Under the direction of a faculty member, DU law students conduct an on-site legal office for workers to receive advice and legal representation when their rights have been violated.

Metro students can also work with El Centro through work-study or an internship, according to UCD political science professor Tony Robinson.

Robsinson was instrumental in the creation of El Centro and has since suggested that his students volunteer or work there to learn about immigration politics and social issues.

All members of El Centro are part of a committee, Johnson said.

A raffle is held when an employer comes to the center and the committee selected decides which workers will take the job. Every employer must agree to pay a minimum of $8 per hour.

The center also has a women’s program designed to help women develop job and leadership skills, as well as to create a sense of community, according to El Centro Humanitario’s website. Participants in the program have learned how to fill out applications and sit through interviews, and one group succeeded in creating a house-cleaning business called The Queens of Clean.

El Centro is located on the corner of Park Avenue and California Street in a transformed mechanic’s garage. It consists of a large room bordered by a few small offices where workers can watch television or play foosball while they wait for jobs.

“Sometimes it’s hard because it’s a different population that’s not glamorous,” MacDonald said. “You have to understand how to fill a need.”

Students will sometimes need to initiate conversations with immigrants who, Johnson said, may or may not be legal.

“A lot are really nervous because of the anti-immigrant sentiment,” Johnson said of the workers, who may not always be enthusiastic about engaging in conversation. “The women are very enthusiastic.”

MacDonald said students can be surprised at how thankful the members are and can benefit from putting themselves in their shoes.

“People who approach it like that can learn a lot about their own life,” she said.