Dominicanos Usa

WE SEEK TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF DOMINICANS IN THE AMERICAN CIVIC COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, THROUGH EMPOWERMENT, LEADERSHIP TRAINING, EDUCATION, CHARITY AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION.

VOTER REGISTRATION CIVIC EDUCATION. SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2013 OUR NONPARTISAN VOTER EDUCATION AND MOBILIZATION CAMPAIGNS HAVE GENERATED 175,000 VOTER REGISTRATIONS. PRE-PANDEMIC OUR IN-PERSON CAMPAIGNS WERE CONDUCTED ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND IN HIGH SCHOOLS, AT SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES FOR NEWLY NATURALIZED CITIZENS, DURING COMMUNITY EVENTS AND STREET FAIRS AND AT HIGH-TRAFFIC COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HIGH SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS WE PRESENTED WORKSHOPS ON CIVIC EDUCATION. THESE WORKSHOPS HELPED YOUTH AND ADULTS UNDERSTAND THE MYRIAD WAYS THAT OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM IMPACTS CITIZENS DAILY LIVES AND HOW VOTING CAN IMPACT THE ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT. SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE NOW CARRIED OUT LARGELY DURING A NARROW WINDOW IN SUMMER WHEN IT IS SAFER TO DO SO, OR WHEN POSSIBLE FOR WORKSHOPS, VIA ZOOM EVENTS.

GET-OUT-THE-VOTE CAMPAIGNS. WE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT GET-OUT-THE-VOTE GOTV CAMPAIGNS TO MOBILIZE VOTERS TO PARTICIPATE IN STATE, LOCAL, AND FEDERAL ELECTIONS. WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, WE QUICKLY PIVOTED TO AN ONLINE FORMAT, CONDUCTING OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS VIRTUALLY. NEW YORKERS, FOR THE FIRST TIME, BECAME ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT AND TO VOTE BY MAIL IN THE PRIMARIES AND GENERAL ELECTION. BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW WAY OF VOTING, EDUCATING DOMINICAN-AMERICANS WAS CRITICAL TO ENSURING THEY HAD ALL THE REQUISITE INFORMATION TO CAST THEIR BALLOT PROPERLY AND ON TIME EITHER BY MAIL, DURING THE EARLY VOTING PERIOD OR ON ELECTION DAY. OUR GOTV CAMPAIGNS COMBINED ROBUST PHONE-BANKING OPERATIONS WITH TEXT MESSAGING, MAILED POSTCARDS, AND DIGITAL MEDIA OUTREACH. WE SENT 220,000 TEXT MESSAGES, MADE 46,000 PHONE CALLS, AND MAILED 8,000 POSTCARDS, ALL WITH CRUCIAL ELECTION INFORMATION. UNFORTUNATELY, STREET CANVASSING OUTREACH HAD TO BE DRASTICALLY SCALED BACK AND OUR SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM CANCELLED, ALL DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. WHILE MOST OF OUR WORK WAS DONE ONLINE.

CITIZENSHIP PROGRAM. HELPING DOMINICAN-AMERICANS OTHER FOREIGN-BORN LATINO GROUPS ON THE PATH TO CITIZENSHIP HAS BEEN PART OF OUR MISSION SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2016. THE PROGRAM, WHICH IS COMPLETELY FREE, ASSISTS QUALIFIED LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS LPRS TO BECOME U.S. CITIZENS. ELIGIBLE LPRS WERE IDENTIFIED RECRUITED BY OUR OUTREACH TEAMS WORKSHOPS WERE THEN CONDUCTED IN PERSON IN OUR OFFICES. WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PROCESS - INCLUDING PRE-SCREENINGS VERIFYING ELIGIBILITY, FILLING OUT THE N-400 CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION A FINAL LEGAL REVIEW WITH AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY HAD TO BE ADAPTED TO AN ONLINE FORMAT. DESPITE THE PANDEMIC, DURING OUR MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR 1,643 PEOPLE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN CITIZENSHIP ENTERED OUR PROGRAM PIPELINE. OF THESE, WE SCREENED 505 APPLICANTS, COMPLETED 140 FEE WAIVERS, 173 N-400 APPLICATIONS. SINCE INCEPTION, WE HELPED A TOTAL OF 1,973 PEOPLE COMPLETE THEIR N-400 APPLICATIONS ENGAGED 15,000 PEOPLE IN OUR CITIZENSHIP PIPELINE.