Latin American Family Partnership
What is the Latin American Family Partnership? (LAFP)
The Latin American Family Partnership is a model of civic participation that was formed in Miami as a collaboration between People For the American Way Foundation and Unite for Dignity in 2005. The LAFP model became a way of localizing Democracia U.S.A.'s efforts into the immigrant communities — both Hispanic and Afro-Caribbean. The model has evolved and was fine-tuned through the generous help and support of the Ford Foundation. As a result, our engagement in those local communities helped us understand the real day-to-day issues that South Florida immigrants care about. This knowledge enabled us to formulate messages and field actions that corresponded to their needs while existing in a structure that was supported and funded by national entities — it was the best of both worlds! The LAFP model now serves us as we look to benefit from the multi-tiered approach and new collaborations.
Why Join the Latin American Family Partnership?
We are seeking partners that:
- Share the vision that underrepresented communities are stronger if they are civically engaged and mobilized
- Recognize that people in the community have real needs that are currently not being met, but may be effectively addressed with Democracia U.S.A.
- See value in Democracia U.S.A.'s nonpartisan voter registration, leadership development and issue education model
- Realize it is possible to have added prestige and increased political clout working as part of a larger joint project
- Want to participate in a locally grounded effort that is part of a growing national movement
- Affirm the notion that the desire to protect culture is not mutually exclusive with the values of embracing and engaging in America's democracy
