As immigration is poised to be one of the most-debated topics in the 2012 presidential race, community advocates are equipping Chicago-area immigrant communities to have a voice in the conversation. The Latino Policy Forum, working in conjunction with the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), Enlace Chicago, and Telpochcalli Community Education Project, held the first in a series of trainings for its inaugural cohort of Promotores de Inmigración (“Immigrant Ambassadors”) this week.

The Promotores program is designed to develop a cadre of community-based trainers who have a strong understanding of immigration policy and its effects of immigrant communities. The three-day workshop is a “train-the-trainer” program designed to increase participants’ knowledge of immigration policies and their impact on immigrant communities, foster the development of community organizing and strategic action skills, and encourage participants to share knowledge through future promotores-led training sessions. If you would like to learn more about the program, visit www.latinopolicyforum.org.