Community Background: The City of Sunland Park is the southernmost city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico and is approximately 11 square miles. This small community, with an estimated population of 18,000 [U.S. Census Estimates], borders the large metropolitan cities of Cd. Juarez, Chih., Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Ninety-six percent (96%) of its population is Hispanic and 92% speak Spanish only. This poverty stricken border community is only slightly higher than what is identified as a Colonia. Based on Census 2000 data, the median household income is $20,164. Its median income is 48% below the Doña Ana County average, 69% below the state average and 108% below the national average. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of its population live below the poverty level.

Problem: The most significant contributing factor found in at-risk youth is socioeconomic status placing the majority of Sunland Park's youth at-risk due to their low socioeconomic backgrounds. The local schools have high dropout rate due to pregnancy, gang affiliations, or incarceration. Because of its high poverty level, limited education, and security issues the City and its residents have a bad reputation. They suffer the stigma of being labeled as lazy, thieves, drug addicts, alcoholics, and violent. This prejudice presents a barrier that impacts the youth residing in Sunland Park, regardless of whether that person is innocent of any misconduct. This barrier severely damages the reputation of many of the residents and has a devastating and negative impact on its youth. The hopes and dreams of the youth are being destroyed as they are being pushed towards replicating the negative cycle that has led the loss of so many youth in the community.

The project through the collaboration of local community leaders in Sunland Park will provide a Summer Movie Camp that will include Guest Speakers that will augment the theme of the movie by retelling their personal experience and share how they overcame the obstacles placed in their lives. The project will be presented 4 times throughout the month of July. This will provide youth a recreational activity as there are no local theaters located in the City of Sunland Park and due to the overwhelming poverty in the community very few youth can afford to go to the movie theaters in the adjacent City of El Paso, TX. The youth will also be provided with free popcorn and a soda.

Project Goal: The goal of the project is to inspire, motivate, provide knowledge and educate the youth of Sunland Park to empower them to break the cycle of poverty and lack of education. In exposing them to the possibilities of overcoming obstacles and the possibility to bond with the guest speakers we are providing them the basic tools necessary for them to take the lead in transforming their lives.

Step 1: Meet with local community leaders in the City Sunland Park to select appropriate movies to be presented and selecting speakers that will augment the theme of the movie through their personal experience (i.e. the movie Homeless To Harvard: The Liz Murray Story with Guest Speaker Nancy Melendez-Forbes, a local El Pasoan that experienced and learned to overcome homelessness to eventually become a successful and productive citizen in the Border Region).

Step 2: Secure a copy of the films that are to be viewed, contact selected speakers encouraging them be the Guest Speakers, secure a location site for the viewing and most importantly...secure volunteers to help with the project.

Step 3: Develop project schedule, marketing materials and youth feedback surveys.

Step 4: Distribute project schedule and marketing materials to secure participation from the youth.

Step 5: Make all necessary expenditures (i.e. cokes and popcorn) and copies of the youth feedback surveys.

Step 6: Set up for the event and initiate the first featured movie.

Step 7: Continue until the end of the month July.

Step 8: In early August meet with organizers and volunteers to evaluate the feedback received by the youth and determine the success of the project.

Step 9: Send out thank you cards to all those that helped make the project a success.

Step 9: Depending on the results, initiate fundraising to increase the number of youth the project reaches and implement modifications based on the youth feedback surveys.