The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Hispanic Outreach program continues to grow as it connects the institution, area businesses and Southwest Wisconsin Hispanic and Latinx communities through a variety of initiatives. Established in 2019, the program’s mission is to enhance outreach activities to build trusted relationships through ongoing community dialogue. According to Lehman Heaviland, interim Hispanic Outreach coordinator, the program is reaching nearly 150 people a week.
“There are three objectives for Hispanic Outreach,” said Heaviland. “It’s helping with translations, getting ESL [English as a Second Language] help for students in the schools and in the community for adults. The third objective is making the connections.”
On March 2, the Hispanic Outreach program started an ESL course on campus for adults. Class is held one night a week and enrollment is about a dozen students so far. Heaviland said the class is open-ended and interested participants can join at any time.
“I can see within six months having two nights available with each class having between 20-25 participants,” he said. “Outreach is making and building connections. It’s having the university be that bridge between the local companies, businesses, and the Hispanic population and their businesses as well.”
Heaviland acknowledged in the past five years the Hispanic population has tripled in the region. During the height of the pandemic, community outreach slowed, but Heaviland is now excited to see where the measurables are headed.
“Our main objective is going out into the community. It’s blossomed into something great. We are connecting with more businesses,” he said. “[The Hispanic Outreach program] is a great resource for everyone. It’s a great way for local businesses if they need help with workers. We can help translate job advertisements or position trainings in Spanish. It’s a great resource that is needed.”
To learn more about the Hispanic Outreach program visit, www.uwplatt.edu/department/office-multicultural-student-affairs/hispanic-outreach.
Community members interested in registering for the Hispanic Outreach ESL adult class can contact Lehman Heaviland at heavilandl@uwplatt.edu.