From Our Team

Things Happening in February

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Jon Law

Another Step Closer to a Smoke Free Paso del Norte …

Big props to The Housing Authority for the City of El Paso (HACEP) and its leadership for planning to takepublic housing smoke free. Holly Mata (UTEP) and her team from the Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center conducted a survey of HACEP residents and found that more than 40% of residents smell secondhand smoke in their units. The policy shift will also protect HACEP’s physical property as the housing authority undergoes a major renovation of its units.

Interested in Texas Demographics?

Consider attending the Texas Tribune Symposium Demographic Change on February 27 at UTEP. Multiple speakers will be discussing changing demographics in the state and potential impact on politics, healthcare, and education. The event is free to the public. More info at:

https://www.texastribune.org/events/2014/feb/27/on-the-road-a-symposium-on-demographic-change/

“El fin no justifica los medios”

On February 13, I had the opportunity to attend an ethics conference in Cd. Juárez, titled “Foro de Ética y Transparencia en las Organizaciones Sociales.” The conference was hosted by Fortalessa and FEMAP. While FEMAPis well-known on both sides of the border, many may not know of Fortalessa, an organization committed to strengthening the structure and operations of non-profit organizations through technical assistance, consulting, and training. The conference was well-attended and provoked passionate discussion about the promotion of ethics within the non-profit and governmental sector.

At the conference, Fortalessa also shared information about its new accreditation system, called “Estándares de Excelencia Fortalessa.” In order to receive accreditation, each non-profit is assessed on 49 indicators, divided across 5 areas. Since I have not had an opportunity to review the accreditation process, I cannot vouch for its validity. Nonetheless, the program merits further observation and may become useful for funders and donors outside of Juárez, who want to contribute to non-profit organizations in the city. In the pilot round of accreditation, four non-profits received the recognition: Girasoles, Centro de Desarollo Integral para el Adulto Mayor A.C.; Salud y Desarollo Comunitario de Cd. Juárez, A.C.; Programa de Educación de Cd. Juárez, A.C.; Programa de Educación en Valores, A.C.; and Formación y Desarollo Familiar, A.C.