enjoy the rest of your weekend. [ latin music plays ] >> buenos di^as y bienvenidos. good morning, and welcome once again to "tiempo." i'm joe torres. for decades now, the boy scouts of america has helped mold children to become leaders and role models in their community. now, during hispanic heritage month, the westchester-putnam council has a hispanic initiative to support hundreds of latino boys. we will have them tell us what they've got planned. that's coming up in just a few minutes. right now, though, we welcome back our good friends from the new york immigration coalition. they've been serving the latino community, as well, for many years. today they're here to talk about their most recent event, the "key to the city." it's happening now, by the way. the initiative has them partnering them with the consulates and legal-service providers to help out immigrant new yorkers.

here to enlighten us, our good friend francis madi -- she's the regional outreach coordinator -- and mayra alda*s deckert, special projects associate at the new york immigration coalition. welcome to you both. yes, the "key to the city" event, one of them is happening as we speak, correct? >> that's correct. >> out in...queens. >> far rockaway. >> far rockaway, queens. >> that's correct. >> for those who don't know, the key to the events -- what is it? summarize it for me and the goal of it. go ahead, francis. >> sure. so the "key to the city," it's a group of events that happen in different schools throughout the five boroughs of new york city. >> yes. >> and our coordinator, mayra alda*s, is the one that actually gets in touch with the schools, and she brings together legal services, informational opportunities about english classes or anything else that the parents from that particular area are in need of. >> okay, mayra, you guys have been doing these for quite some time --- correct? -- a few years. >> well, the initiative was started back in 2011, thanks to

the support of city council and the speaker. and about a year and a half ago, we started incorporating new services. at the beginning, it was just mexican consulate, to provide identity documents to the parents of the schools and its nationals. and now it's incorporating other services. >> yes, that's the reason why we had you back on "tiempo," because there are some changes to the "key to the city" that make it either -- further outreach, if you will, correct? >> yes. >> that's correct. the events have -- like, now we receive people from close to 50 countries have come to our events to receive free legal help and other services. you can make an appointment for your municipal i.d., the idnyc, sign up your kid for pre-k, see a health navigator -- services that are important for our community. >> i'm particularly interested with the angle that you work together with the consulates. what is it that you learn from them that helps you do your job better? >> well, we definitely try to figure out ways in which we can assist the immigrant, the latino

communities of new york city, and one way to do that is to bring the consulates, you know, the primary source of information about their countries, to these "key to the city" events. so, in a way, they also can help us with outreach. >> mm-hmm. and i know that you've had a long relationship with the good folks from me\xico, the mexican consulate. >> yeah. >> but that has branched out now. how many other consulates are you working with? >> we are working with about 12, 15 consulate -- not just latin american consulates, but caribbean consulate. latin america, we have the biggest ones. we have el salvador, we have me\xico, we have ecuador, we have guatemala and dominican republic, and we have a few caribbean consulates. >> and are the needs of one somewhat different from the needs of another? is what the good folks from guatemala, do they need -- is it different from ecuador, from costa rica? and, if so, how? >> well, when it comes to, for example, the legal assistance, it's different because, as we

central america have the temporary protection status -- tps. their needs are to renew those tps. >> yeah, that documentation. >> and in the case of perhaps the ecuadorians and the mexicans, they need, you know, to find out if they qualify for other source of relief, perhaps a u visa, a t visa, daca, and just to get a screen for dapa, which will be the new program of president obama. >> i see you shaking your head yes. >> yeah, no, absolutely, because i wanted to mention the important part of the legal services, the tps for certain immigrants and -- >> tps being... temporary protected status. >> temporary protected status. and for the recent refugees that have been arriving from central america, i know that, in the past, "key to the city" has also offered the opportunity for consultations to see if they're eligible for any kind of immigration relief, including special immigrant juveniles and u visas. >> you know, you just popped it into my head, because there's been another influx of refugees coming in -- children, right? >> yes.

>> we saw it, you know, tremendous during the summer -- i think it was in june and july -- and then it scaled down quite a bit, and now it's picked up again. is that impacting the services that you provide? have you seen that already? >> absolutely. that just proves that these events need to continue to happen in new york city because there are more people who are in need of these services. >> yeah, why did it return, mayra? do you know? what happened in other countries where suddenly the influx of children started to pick up again? >> well, i think this has been happening for awhile. >> ups and downs. >> it's about like until last year that it was like a huge movement of the children, but this has been happening for awhile, and we know it's just because of the economy, the situation in those countries. >> yes. yeah, they're looking for opportunity. >> but we're here just to help these children and the communities to get incorporated to the society. >> sit tight. we're gonna take a break, and when we come back, we'll talk a

little bit about what you have in my mind there, but, also, i want to talk a little politics because immigration is certainly at the forefront. more on the new initiatives at the new york immigration coalition, and still ahead on "tiempo," the boy scouts of america westchester-putnam council has a new approach to support hundreds of latino boys. we will tell you about that in a few minutes. [ latin music plays ] join the millions who have already switched. we switched.

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>> welcome back to "tiempo." we've been talking this morning

new york immigration coalition about the "key to the city" events. the initiative has them partnering with the consulates and legal-service providers to help out immigrant new yorkers. francis madi, the regional outreach coordinator, mayra alda*s deckert, community engagement coordinator at the new york immigration coalition -- they're here helping us out. i can't let you go without asking you about the pope, but more specifically about what he had to say regarding immigration, and take it the next step. has his words impacted people who have come to your organization, workers? run with it from there. >> absolutely. the pope's visit was significant to our organization as an immigrant-serving organization, given that the message that he shared across the different places that he visited when in the united states was that we needed to support immigrants. i mean, you saw, when he first visited barack obama, that he mentioned that he, too, was the son of immigrants. >> yes.

once again mentioned the importance of helping strangers and others and supporting them. >> i'm trying to picture the reaction at your offices. did you guys stand up and cheer and clap? it must've been a standing ovation. >> yes, absolutely. and many of our staff actually attended the mass that was held at madison square garden. they went to central park. i mean, it was huge for all of us -- and to be able to share that with our immigrant communities because he's such an important faith leader. >> yes. >> and in a way, we're currently going through an anti-immigrant rhetoric through these republican presidential hopefuls, and now, thanks to the pope's visit, we are finally channeling the way that immigration is being talked about. >> mm-hmm. the "key to the city" event happening now -- far rockaway. goes till...1:00? >> 1:00, so if you're watching, you still have time to go. >> where is it? location? >> it's in public school 253, 1307 central avenue. >> okay, and you've already got the next one planned. am i correct?

which is when and where? >> we do. the next one will be october 25th in the bronx, in public school 244. >> okay, and, again, give me two or three of the top services that you offer that are most taken advantage of by people who show up to these events. >> i think the biggest one, it's obviously the legal help, the legal assistance -- thanks to our partnership with the new york legal assistance group -- and the identity documents from the mexican consulate or other consulate. >> and i would be remiss not to point out to remind people what to bring if they're going to see you. >> yes. >> it's very important because you save a lot of legwork if you come prepared, right? >> absolutely. >> tell me. >> bring documents that you think are important when you go see a lawyer. >> por ejemplo... >> you know, you bring your passport, you bring -- if you have a birth certificate, a matri^cula consular we call it, the consular i.d.s. bring any document that you think will be necessary to go

see a lawyer. >> mm-hmm. >> if you have doctors' records of your kids just to prove how long you've been here... >> that goes a long way. i mean, and the service providers love it when you show up prepared. >> yes. well, we do have a system where we have -- the nyic is training community-based organizations on how to be navigators. so the navigators will be the first stop where you go, and they will check your documents and then get you ready to go see a lawyer. >> and it goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway -- the services are provided in english and spanish. >> english, spanish, and the language, depending on the neighborhood we are and the needs of the school and the parents, we bring in volunteers to speak the language that you need. >> the "key to the city," but you also have a national conference coming up that you wanted to remind people about. tell me. >> yes, yes, we have the national immigrant integration conference, which is happening -- >> which is what? >> it's a national conference that brings together more than 34 organizations nationwide.

conference happening, for the first time in new york city, so we are very excited. we're expecting over a thousand people. >> you're hosting. >> yes, we're hosting it, as well. and so it's a big deal for us as new york state, but also as a way to bring all these different immigration advocates to figure out ways in that we can integrate immigrants into the thread of american society. >> is it a brainstorming session, francis? i mean, do you learn things from other organizations, whether they be in san francisco, santa fe, wherever? >> absolutely. i mean, that's one of the main things, to bring together all these different advocates so they can talk about what has worked in their own states and how we can improve the conditions in their states or even in new york state. >> and sometimes what hasn't worked, right? >> yeah, absolutely, what hasn't worked. >> yeah. >> we're gonna be having different panels including health, immigration advocacy and rights. we have a philanthropy. >> arts. >> the arts and media. so if anyone is interested in

attending, they can always go to our website and find out how to register. >> and it helps you ultimately do your job better i would think, right? >> yeah. >> and provide services in a better way. >> our goal is to, you know, empower our community and to integrate. >> and sometimes meeting with your colleagues is a good way to un placer. thank you guys very much. good luck with the "key to the city." that's great. coming up next on "tiempo," the boy scouts of america westchester-putnam council celebrates hispanic heritage month in a big way, with major support to hundreds of latino boys. the details when "tiempo" comes

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>> the boy scouts of america is one of the largest youth organizations in the united states, with more than 2.4 million youth members and nearly 1 million adult volunteers. it helps children become leaders and role models. during hispanic heritage month, the westchester-putnam council of the boy scouts plans to support hundreds of latino boys by expanding their programs to various schools in westchester. and here this morning to tell us about this program expansion -- patrick coviello and rocio guerrero from the westchester-putnam council of boy scouts of america and jose torres, mi primo -- not really -- leader of troop 2005, el centro hispano in white plains. good to have all of you here. you're doing this largely because of the explosive growth,

i would assume, of the latino population in westchester and putnam counties? >> that's correct. the westchester-putnam council has been involved in scouting for almost a hundred years, since the beginning of the program. and one of our commitments is that we reach out to all young people who want to be part of scouting and gain from the development that they participate in, the outdoor fun, the excitement. >> yep. >> one of the markets that we feel we haven't reached out to appropriately in recent years is the latino community. >> throw some numbers at me. i mean, how much growth have you seen specifically within that demographic? >> so we currently have almost 10,000 youth members. we have about 800 latino youth members involved. >> wow. >> our goal, though, is to more than double that over the next year and a half, and so that was the instigation of the latino initiative to make sure that we have that kind of growth happening. >> rocio, talk to me about one or two of the initiatives that are designed to try and get more latinos involved. >> yes. we actually -- we would like to

in westchester. so we are projecting that, and for that, we started this year. we launch our program with an hispanic initiative event. >> yes. >> and this attract a group of hispanics that they were very interested, and they are working and creating new troops, new groups with us. >> are there particular challenges to try and lure latinos to boy scouts? >> yes. >> what are those challenges, and how do you overcome them? >> well, the first challenge that we have is that we need a lot of volunteers to create the troops and to get parents involved. so, for parents, it's very difficult, sometimes because they are very busy, sometimes because there is not a volunteerism culture in the hispanic culture. so it's very difficult for us to say like, "okay, i volunteer. i'm going to take care of it, i can do it all, and i will be the leader."

>> so, in that case, i really have to talk to the parents, work with them, meet with them, and show them the benefits of the program. >> i see jose nodding his head 'cause he's the guy that's got to try to get -- you know, it's a challenge, right, to get parents to come on board. what do they often tell you as to reasons why they can't help out? >> well, about the boy scouts, from the beginning, it's very difficult. for me, it was difficult because that was my first time to be a boy scout leader. [indistinct] after passing the time, i learned more, also with the help with the parent. that's helped a lot. >> so, how many years are you involved now? >> 10 year. >> 10 years you've been doing it. >> yep, i'd say so. >> and does it help when latino parents and latino boys see a latino leader? >> yes, a lot. yeah, because they have the confidence to come to you, ask question, and you can answer to them in spanish. >> yeah, and you do. >> and they like it. sometimes they have a question in english, and they don't got the right answer. >> yes, and they don't understand.

now that they had a spanish leader, they are more free to come to you to explain. >> and to communicate. >> communicate, yeah. >> tell me about the time capsule. >> so i'm gonna let rocio talk about that in a minute, but i just wanted to kind of point out an important aspect of having rocio as our scoutreach director is that she also is representative of the community and, in particular, is able to relate to the 25- to 40-year-old moms who are really the ones that we know are making the decisions about what activities their boys should be in. and so we're thrilled that we have the opportunity to hire someone with her skill level to be able to reach out into the different communities. >> and has it paid off some dividends already? >> absolutely. and that has to do with our launch that we're gonna have next week, and i'll let her talk about that. >> you got about 30 seconds. tell me about the time capsule quickly. >> well, what we're gonna do is we're gonna have a time capsule with 200 eagle scout patches. >> eagle scouts. >> so we're gonna place the patches in the time capsule, and

the idea is that we are going to seal that during the event, during the ceremony, and in 10 years, we are going to reopen the capsule. so, for that time, we hope that all these children that are going to join our program in this year through the after-school that we're going to do in port chester, they will become eagle scouts. so they are going to get their eagle scout at that moment. >> which cements a commitment, right? >> yes. >> yeah, for a long period of time. and i'm gonna interrupt here because we've got to go to a commercial break, but eagle scouting is the pinnacle, correct? that's the highest you get when it comes to scouting. sit tight. we're gonna talk more with the boy scouts of america westchester-putnam council about the new initiatives they have to try to get more latinos involved

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>> welcome back to "tiempo." we have been talking this morning about a new hispanic initiative by the boy scouts of america westchester-putnam council. patrick coviello, rocio guerrero from the westchester-putnam council of boy scouts of america, they're here with us. jose torres, leader of troop 2005, el centro hispano in white plains -- thank you for being here. all right, give me the sales pitch. i mean, parents are watching at home. they got the kids by their side. why should they get involved in scouting? >> so, every parent, regardless of their background, wants their son to grow up to be a good man. scouting has been doing that, helping young men to become great citizens, for over a hundred years, through the scout oath and the scout law and the values, the life skills, that they take with them throughout their entire lives, the opportunities that they have to go in the outdoors and experience new things that they never had, and the bottom line is the fun. 'cause, so far, i haven't found any kid that wants to join developed. >> yeah, because it's fun. i mean, and you do fun stuff. >> right. >> my, oh my. i remem-- i was a webelos many years ago.

i think, in white plains. tell me about it. what is that? on the 9th, is it? >> yes, october 9th. we're gonna have a breakfast, and this is to celebrate the hispanic heritage month. >> okay. >> and we are honoring three of our greatest contributors to our program. it's isabel villar from el centro hispano, mo acevedo from troop 400, port chester, and the carver center for the after-school program. >> isabel -- buena gente. she's been a guest here on "tiempo" before, in white plains. 10 years now, right, in scouting. how is jose torres a better person as a result of scouting? >> how be a better person? >> well, how have you changed? >> it changed me a lot. it changed me to meet more parent, more scout. i learned from them a lot. >> you learned from them? >> oh, yeah, sure. they help me to continue fighting. >> yeah. yeah, i'm sure -- yeah, it's not just about you teaching them. sometimes it's them teaching

you. >> sometimes they're teaching you, and that's good. also, for the programs, we had the camp, the [indistinct] come >> in november. >> for november 9th -- >> there's always something going on for sure. >> what the name? >> october 17th. >> october -- yes. sit tight. i'm gonna wrap it up here. the boy scouts of america westchester-putnam council time-capsule event, that happens october 9th at the crowne plaza hotel. for more information -- the website, wpcbsa.org. un placer. thank you guys very much. before we go, how about this? our good friends at goya foods recently announced the "let's give to kids" campaign, all to raise funds for the maestro cares foundation, founded by that guy -- latin pop superstar marc anthony.