Maricela Ureño has been a community activist and educator working on areas ranging from grassroots awareness of U.S. foreign policy to community-based public health projects for over 15 years. She attended U.C. Berkeley as an undergraduate and received her masters in public health at Columbia University. She became active in the Central American movement in the early 1980's and was fortunate to be trained as a community organizer by the late Fred Ross Sr. who trained the late Cesar Chavez. Other work experiences include: working as a school teacher in the New York City public schools, working for HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and working on adolescent pregnancy and school drop-out prevention programs. Currently, she works with Public Health Solutions and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia's Center for Community Health Education.

Project Title

The Sowing the Seeds Project (STSP): Promoting higher education among minority youth

Project Description

The Sowing the Seeds Project (STSP) aims to create environments where higher education is promoted at a very early age (as young as pre-school) among minority youth. This will be accomplished through multi-level strategies that would target classroom settings, school districts, university systems and the home to support the discussion, value and attainment of higher education for young people. The long-term vision of the project is to enhance the broader social systems and networks that would make higher education an achievable reality.

The specific objectives of the fellowship are to:

1. thoroughly research existing programs and strategies at the national level that promote post-secondary education;
2. identify private and governmental agencies disseminating information and/or providing direct services to enhance opportunities for higher education in Washington Heights and in New York City in general;
3. assess whether these systems are user friendly and appropriate for the target community and;
4. develop and pilot a college awareness activity that actively involves parents, students and university administrators;
5. disseminate findings on the CCPH website, conferences and among colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health.

The project will be implemented in Washington Heights, New York City a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community. As in many immigrant communities, young children are bilingual, while their parents are still primarily or solely Spanish speakers. The young people are also surpassing their parents in years of education, with many graduating from high school. The number of students, however, opting for post-secondary education is very low. Few programs have attempted to address the broader cultural and social environment that may not support a college education. Thus, the project will highlight the importance of linking community health education to the long-term goal of increasing social opportunities for minority youth.

Project Products

Sowing the Seeds: The Development of a Curriculum for Promoting Higher Education among Hispanic Youth - authored by CCPH Fellow Maricela Ureño. This PowerPoint presentation details the development of a curriculum intended for Hispanic parents. The curriculum was implemented in Washington Heights, New York City a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community. The PowerPoint presentation details the development of the curriculum, provides an outline, and lists appropriate resources.

Click here for the abstract of a presentation on Sowing the Seeds at the 2004 American Public Health Association conference.

If you are interested in the full curriculum contact Maricela Ureño. Public Health Solutions (PHS), a NY City non-profit, is in the process of seeking funds to replicate this project and is interested in collaborating with any interested organizations.