Our Latina/o community has grown in the last 20 years here in Georgia, and today we represent 10% over 1 million gente in the state. The umbrella includes those from Latin America, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Spain. Puente para la Gente will serve as a bridge between our communities who live, work, and drive the roads of the great state to those who represent us at the Georgia legislature. Completing the Puente Survey is more than just answering questions; it is speaking truth to power with data points. It elevates our needs, essentials, and “the American Dream” so many in our community came in search of. Our greatest strength is people power, so let’s use it to make our voices heard.
WHO?
GALEO, GALEO Impact Fund, the Latinx Alliance, and other organizations have partnered to create Puente para la Gente to encourage participation all over the state of Georgia.
WHAT?
With one million Latinos and growing, Georgia has the unique opportunity to build a thriving community with just and necessary legislation. However, there is a lack of representative data that showcases the needs of Georgia Latinos. GALEO, along with partner organizations including the Latinx Alliance, will fill this gap by conducting a statewide survey called the Puente Survey. “Puente para la gente,” focuses on the bridge between our communities and the people at the Capitol. We are encouraging people to know that there is a clear path between them and a better future. By building trust, they know that they are being listened to when they voice their needs. BSP Research will be curating the survey and compiling the data.
The Puente Survey will capture what is needed, wanted, and what is contributed by the Latinx community. By using traditional, grassroots organizing tactics, such as door-to-door canvassing, community house parties, and “charlas comunitarias”, in addition to modern organizing methods such as social media and direct-to-contact messaging, GALEO hopes to submit the compiled data with recommendations to the Georgia Legislature, Governor and local elected officials as appropriate in 2024.
WHY?
It has been over 20 years since a Latino Forum Report was issued to Georgia Governor. Today our community is nearly one million in Georgia. It’s time to make our voices and needs heard all the way to the Capitol. In the Latinx community, polling is constantly inaccurate, and the polling methodology needs to be culturally relevant to our community. However, when asked, pollsters say it is too hard or they cannot have in-person conversations with people in our community.
Without accurate data, many outreach and resources are being translated into Spanish to reach our community ineffectively. GALEO and our allies have the infrastructure and trusted reputation to fill the void pollster cannot.
HOW?
With assistance from BSP Research, we will develop a survey with the appropriate methodology to study people’s actual positions on critical issues. Once we develop the survey and recruit additional partners, we will lead an in-person or virtual train-the-trainer session. We will spend the day training the canvassers, administering the survey, and educating people on how to host community house parties. We will need as many partners and allies to do outreach to their list and the counties they are active in.
GALEO’s field team will be the field organizing hub and lead support on all survey work such as supporting other organizations, building resources, leading on translations and interpretation, and all other needs.
Ideally, we will utilize tablets to administer the survey. This will ensure that the study is appropriately completed with all data going directly into our database. Once the data is gathered, we will work with an outside vendor to help decipher the data, and transform it into a shared report.