麻豆影院

At election time, 17-year-old Anakary Valenzuela of Lafayette, Colo., sits with her grandfather 鈥� a man in his mid-60s who emigrated from Mexico decades ago 鈥� and pores over a mail-in ballot, providing Spanish translation and discussing the candidates and issues.

鈥淚t can take a while if I鈥檓 not familiar with an item,鈥� Valenzuela says. 鈥淲hen I get stuck, my grandpa tells me, 鈥業t鈥檚 okay,聽miha,鈥� 鈥� which is a Spanish term of endearment meaning little girl.

She Googles anything she鈥檚 not immediately able to explain, an act that comes naturally to Valenzuela through her propensity for media and information technology.

It also is a role that should have great meaning for political campaigns, according to a 麻豆影院 study showing that Latino adolescents serve as 鈥渃ivic information leaders鈥� among immigrant families through their tendency to share knowledge from the classroom, media and information technology.

鈥淚f you really want to make a difference in promoting civic engagement among immigrant Latino families, don鈥檛 try to reach parents directly,鈥� says Mike McDevitt, the study鈥檚 lead author and an associate journalism professor. 鈥淚nstead, reach out to teens. This can trigger a trickle-up influence to their parents.鈥�

The study recommends figuring out ways to preserve family cohesion, cultural identity and parental leadership while taking advantage of young Latinos鈥� leadership.

鈥淔or decades, political scientists and strategists have often ignored the family in tactics for promoting political participation or have viewed the family as a barrier, as a private domain that must be overcome,鈥� McDevitt says. 鈥淭he family is not something to overcome. It鈥檚 not a deficit; it鈥檚 a resource for political engagement.鈥�

Yet most political candidates struggle to see the value of investing in young people who aren鈥檛 yet of voting age, according to聽Steve Fenberg(EnvSt鈥�06), founder of聽, a civic engagement organization. It鈥檚 a strategy they should rethink, he says.

鈥淲hen it comes to Latino youth and issues that hit close to home, such as immigration and education, they鈥檙e extremely passionate and have some serious opinions,鈥� says Fenberg. 鈥淭hese findings are one more indicator that reaching out to Latino teens is one of the most cost-effective things candidates can do. They may earn the loyalty of future voters who鈥檒l also bring their family members along.鈥�

The study was conducted primarily with Latino participants from the I Have a Dream Foundation of 麻豆影院 County who attend Centaurus High School in Lafayette, Colo. Surveys completed by 74 students served as the basis of four focus group discussions involving 53 students and parents. In addition, 12 students completed diaries tracking their media and information technology use over 48 hours.

The student participants, including Valenzuela, were surveyed on their use of media and information technology, measuring their consumption of traditional resources 鈥� radio, newspapers, magazines and television 鈥� and newer tools 鈥� the Internet, MP3 players, cell phones and texting.

They also were surveyed on their political views, activities and willingness to discuss civic issues in school and in family settings. Participants rated their willingness to listen to opponents, initiate discussions and to disagree, among other questions.

鈥淵oung Latinos have a steady pulse on news, government and politics, and it doesn鈥檛 stop at being in the know,鈥� McDevitt says. 鈥淭hey involve themselves in matters they care about.

They deliberate with parents on how their life choices and career aspirations fit into their cultural identities, and this has a modeling effect among family members.鈥�

This rings true for Valenzuela who has modeled civic participation as she has grown older. At age 12 she participated in a national walkout to support immigrant workers. In more re颅颅颅颅颅cent years, she鈥檚 discussed her views on abortion and gay marriage with her grandfather. In the future, amid a culture that often emphasizes family unity over academics, she plans to be a pediatrician.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of weight on your shoulders,鈥� she says tearfully. 鈥淚 feel I have a responsibility because I鈥檓 the oldest among my siblings. I鈥檓 the one who tells my parents what鈥檚 going on, like at school or if there鈥檚 news on immigration legislation, a war or a new president.鈥�

She is regularly in touch with the world around her through school, the numerous student groups she follows on Facebook, her cell phone, bilingual news radio and television, online newspapers and music and film from the Internet.

Her level of connectedness sets her apart from the grandfather whom she helps to vote, as well as her immigrant parents, who tune into limited amounts of Spanish-language news in the scant time they have between the four jobs they hold, Valenzuela says.

In the construct of Latino teens as information leaders, however, a pitfall emerges when parental authority is perceived as undermined, according to the study.

鈥淔amily communication can be thwarted when Latino youth act as information leaders, changing the usual structure of authority,鈥� McDevitt says. 鈥淏ut the upside is that these provocations can promote reciprocal influence in the family because parents want to keep up with their kids and retain a leadership role, particularly about controversial political issues.鈥�

Meanwhile, young, media-savvy Latinos like Valenzuela are leading the way among their communities by helping immigrant family members assimilate culturally and engage civically.

鈥淚 love my grandpa,鈥� Valenzuela says. 鈥淲hen I help him vote, I do it for him and my family. I think it鈥檚 really cool because it gives them a voice.鈥�