2011 RISE Global Multicultural Series: Is Austin a Truly Creative City?

Is Austin the “creative city” everyone touts it to be? I’m not so sure and think we have ways to go. From my observations in board rooms, business meetings and the community, Austin is a bit divided and homogenous. Don’t get me wrong, there are great things happening in Austin but usually only three to four perspectives and ideas are at the table. Imagine if we had ten! While I don’t think Austin has reached it’s full potential, there are people working to make that vision a reality. RISE Global is a great example. Since it’s inception, RISE has been for and by entrepreneurs from all sectors; all walks of life, and to ensure that all ideas, perspectives and experiences are represented, the Multicultural Series has been a core strategy at RISE Global.

2010 Multicultural Series

Last year’s Series introduced a great line up of session hosts from the Latino, African-American, Asian and Middle Eastern communities.  We had over 50 sessions in the series with such talented speakers as Manoj Saxena (IBM), Dr. Moe Anderson (Austin’s Black Newcomers Association), Juan Garcia (UT New Media), Gary Hoover (Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship at UT McCombs School of Business), Jennie Y. Chen (Chenergy Consulting), Monica Peraza (MexNet Alliance) and more. The Series opened doors to diverse communities in a welcoming, engaging and inclusive environment. Want to see the highlights from the 2010 Multicultural Series? Check out the Cultural Strategies case study or click here to see the full list of last year’s sessions.

2011 Multicultural Series: Let the creativity begin!

As I mentioned, we’re getting ready for the 2011 RISE Global Multicultural Series (March 7-11) and we would love your involvement. If you’re entrepreneurial and have ideas or want to share your experiences or have valuable insights to share, then you’re an ideal candidate to host a session at RISE.

To sign up as a session host, go to www.riseglobal.org and click on “Host a Session.” If you want to be part of the Multicultural Series or brainstorm ideas for your session, feel free to email me at arayo@cultural-strategies.com.

Adelante!

Mando

vp, engagement

512-785-0447

Which Way, Austin? Complete the survey by Friday (12/10)

Have you participated in the City of Austin’s Comprehensive Plan? If you have, awesome! If not, do your part and do it by Friday, December 10! Only you can shape Austin’s future. Fill out the Imagine Austin survey, I know you can do it!

Which Way, Austin?

The City of Austin sits in the heart of one of the fastest growing and dynamic regions of the country. With our historic growth expected to continue, the City of Austin is asking you: “Which Way, Austin?”

The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan will guide how our City grows and develops for the next 30 years. An informational Imagine Austin brochure can be found in the Dec. 2 issue of The Austin Chronicle. On the back of the brochure is a survey to select Preferred Growth Scenarios for Austin. The survey is also available at www.imagineaustin.net.

The survey closes December 10. Encourage your colleagues, neighbors, friends and family to help shape Austin and complete the survey.

===============

¿Hacia Donde Vamos Austin?

La ciudad de Austin se encuentra en el corazón de una de las regiones de mayor crecimiento y dinamismo del país. Además, se espera que la rata de crecimiento continúe similar a la del pasado. Es por eso, que la Ciudad de Austin les esta preguntando: ¿Hacia Donde Vamos Austin?

El Plan Comprensivo Imagina Austin es una guía de crecimiento y desarrollo para la ciudad para los próximos 30 años. Un panfleto informativo se puede localizar en el periódico The Austin Chronicle con fecha del 2 de diciembre. En la parte de atrás, usted encontrara un cuestionario para seleccionar los escenarios de crecimiento preferenciales para Austin. El cuestionario también se encuentra en el portal www.imagineaustin.net en español.

El cuestionario se cierra el 10 de diciembre. Anime a sus compañeros, vecinos, amistades y familiares a que nos ayuden a dar forma a Austin respondiendo al cuestionario.

Donate Anywhere for FuturoFund

Si Se Puede..donate anywhere! I’m part of a national online fundraising effort to make giving easier through Razoo’s DonateAnywhere widget. See the link on the side bar—->

Razoo and the ‘zooGooders Council, a group of nonprofit and philanthropy leaders across the U.S. are joining forces to use the widget to raise money for their favorite charity. I’ll be helping FuturoFund Austin.

Por Que FuturoFund? Latinos are the fastest growing population in the U.S. and are the future philanthropic and civic leaders in communities across America. I want to help Latinos do their part in giving back to ALL communities. Futuro Fund Austin will inspire and help Latinos step up, lead and give to their communities.

Por que Razoo? They’ve raised millions of dollars nationwide and the DonateAnywhere widget is new and innovative tool that will make giving a lot easier.

Ready to help FuturoFund Austin? Click on the DonateAnywhere button!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the press release here.

Here’s the zooGooder Council…

The ’zooGooders (http://blog.razoo.com/zoogooder/) include the following organizations and thought leaders:

Andre Blackman of Pulse and Signal at http://pulseandsignal.com/

Tom Dawkins of Out There and Back Again at http://tomjd.wordpress.com/

Nicole D’Alonzo of Niki’s Notes, http://nikisnotes.com/

Abby Flottemesch of Atlas Corps at http:// http://www.atlascorps.org

John Haydon of his eponymous blog, http://www.johnhaydon.com/

Jessica Kirkwood of Hands on Network at http://handsonblog.org/

Rachel Matthews of A Southern Fairy Tale at http://asouthernfairytale.com/

Armando Rayo of Cultural Strategies/El Mundo de Mando, https://elmundodemando.wordpress.com/

Jennifer Roccanti of Miriam’s Kitchen at http://www.miriamskitchen.org

Amber Rodriguez of Noah’s Kitchen at http://noahskitchen.wordpress.com/

Jenna Sauber at Lagniappe at http://jennasauber.com/

Andy Sternberg of his eponymous blog, http://andysternberg.com/

Andrea Weckerle of CiviliNation at http://civilination.org/supportdonate/

Jennifer Windrum of WTF Lung Cancer at http://www.wtflungcancer.com

Poverty Rates do not define Latinos

Yesterday I had lunch with Austin American-Stateman reporter Juan Castillo. We were catching up, eating some good tacos and discussing the newly released poverty rates/data for Austin and his story that ran earlier this week.

Austin American-Statesman: More people living in poverty in Austin, survey finds

There are some alarming numbers and this is Austin – one of the best places to live in America. Here’s the data that got my attention…

“Nearly 1 out of every 5 Austinites lived in poverty in 2009”

“27 percent of related children under 18 and 31.5 percent of related children under 5 lived in poverty in 2009”

“Hispanics, the city’s largest and fastest-growing minority, were more likely than African Americans, Asians and non-Hispanic whites to be in poverty in 2009. An estimated 29.5 percent of Hispanics were below the poverty level, compared with 22.3 percent of African Americans, 8.6 percent of Asians and 11.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites.”

These numbers are alarming and it’s good for us to have these numbers; to track our progress, understand issues that need to be addressed and how we’re going to improve our community. And even more disturbing is how these numbers impact Latinos in Austin. We’re the fastest growing population and according to the data, poverty affects our population the most, especially with Latino children. While these numbers are very real, they DO NOT define Latinos or anyone living in poverty. Behind the numbers are real people with desires, needs and wants; they want to improve their lives and they care about their families, schools and neighborhoods, just like everybody else. One of the most common myths is that people living in poverty do not have the time or resources to give back to their community and because of this myth, organizations prescribe solutions instead of engaging them as contributors. We have to step back and ask what people care about; what their hopes and aspirations are for their families and their lives. When we do this, we open doors for them, to help out, become advocates, to be part of the solution and at the same time, we improve their lives and ours.

While this issue affects our community the most, not all Latinos live in poverty and even the ones living with this issue have the capability of giving back. Latinos are as diverse as the American melting pot. Latinos are U.S. born Americanos, Tejanos, immigrants, entreprenuers, professionals, middle-class, affluent, multicultural, young and old. And Latinos are contributors; they’re doing their part through formal and informal networks as volunteers, civic, business and community leaders. Latinos have a role to play in addressing this issue and organizations working in this area need to connect and engage with Latinos, in real ways. There are a wealth of opportunities but it’s going to take stepping outside of our bubbles (that goes for Latinos and the mainstream community), create understanding of the Latino experience and find opportunities to connect. We all care about the same things; let’s make the connections and get to work!

Adelante,

Mando

P.S. Need help with Latino Engagement? Email me at arayo@cultural-strategies.com and we’ll get started.

*Photo: Clockwise L2R: John-Michael & Priscilla Cortez, Raul Alvarez, Frank Garza, Theresa Alvarez, Maria Adame, Monica Peraza & Elias Hermida

Creative and Social Media Forum: Nonprofit Perspective

Next week, I’ll be participating in the Hispanic Chamber’s Creative and Social Media Forum, thanks to superwoman, Elizabeth Quintanilla from EQ Consultants Group. She’s organizing and moderating the event with some impressive creative & social media innovators. I was asked to discuss the nonprofit perspective of social media; basically, how to engage, raise awareness and build the advocacy for nonprofits in this space. I’m actually pretty impressed at the amount of nonprofits using social media in Austin. Between Charity Chat’s and GivingCity’s Facebook and Twitter followers, we have 100+ nonprofit users. Some of use social media well and some, not so well. I’ll be discussing the strategies that work – Engage, Equip and Mobilize. At the core, they’re basic community engagement principles that can be applied to this new medium. I see social media as an extension of our existing communities (personal interests, professional, church, family, etc.) that now can be transferred to online spaces; even create new communities; and when we engage in meaningful ways, we can open doors, connect, build networks and create advocates.

I hope you will join me in our Creative and Social Media Forum next week. RSVP on Facebook here or click on the image.

Take it to the Next Level: Multicultural Marketing

America today is not the same as America 10 years ago. America is becoming younger and more diverse and shouldn’t our organizations reflect that change? Well, now you can start the process of being a more multicultural and relevant organization and connect with these communities. Whether you’re looking to market your organization to a more multicultural audience to get the word out about your organization, connect people with services, recruit new volunteers or board members, Multicultural Marketing is just for you. This workshop isn’t just another data driven session; more importantly, it will answer the question of “how”; how to get started, how to connect, how to engage, how to build trust and how to make your organization more relevant to a multicultural audience.

Workshop Series by Cultural Arts Division, City of Austin EGRSO

Multicultural Marketing

Date: August 17, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Austin City Hall, Boards & Commissions Room 1101 (301 W. 2nd St. Austin 78701)
Attendee Limit: 40
Price: Free!

RSVP HERE!

Are you interested in engaging new or more diverse populations? Do you want to learn how to create authentic messages that resonate with a multicultural America? If so, then you are ready for multicultural marketing, an inclusive and culturally relevant approach that not only reaches diverse populations but creates trust and builds advocates for people and organizations. Learn the basic tools to engage multicultural communities by understanding population changes, cultural insights and motivations; and ways your organization can start to engage and market to diverse populations.

Do you have questions about reaching a more diverse audience? Feel free to post questions in the comment section. I’ll respond and hopefully see you at the workshop!

Adelante,

Mando

VP, Engagement

Cultural Strategies

Filling the gap on Austin’s Latino Leadership: Leadership Austin Hispanic Recruiting Reception

Yes, there is a Latino Leadership gap in this town. While we do have some leaders advocating for the Latino community, I don’t think we have enough. So what am I doing about it? I’m hoping to fill the gap by supporting Leadership Austin and getting more Latinos to apply for the 2011 Essentials class. I’m in the 2010 Essentials class – “mas chingon class ever!” I learned a lot about myself, the issues in the community and how many people want to do good in this town – it was 55 in this year’s class.

So will you step up? Will you lead? Come learn more about the Essentials class at the Hispanic Recruiting Reception on Thursday, May 20. We’ll have food, drinks & opportunities to connect with other Latino Leaders; and hear from Leadership Austin alums (yeah, like me!). Seriously, we have to step up and lead; not only for Latinos but for the whole community.

Si Se Puede,

Mando

Essential Class Hispanic Recruiting Reception
Learn, Develop, Innovate, Collaborate, Lead!

Leadership Austin and the Iris Leadership Fund invite you to a reception and information session for the 2011 Leadership Austin Essential Class.  Learn more about the program, speak to past participants and Leadership Austin Board members, and get guidance on the application process.

The Leadership Austin Essential Class is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a unique, comprehensive leadership development experience during which you will learn a great deal about yourself, your community, and 54 other individuals who represent the diversity of our region.  Download the application today and ignite your passion for community leadership!

2011 Essential Class Hispanic Recruiting Reception
Thursday, May 20, from 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Mueller Central Information Center (4550 Mueller Blvd)
*Complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres
Click here to RSVP

This event is being presented by the Iris Leadership Fund Fund – which seeks to promote Leadership Austin to the Hispanic community and provides tuition assistance for Hispanic participants of the Essential Class.  Suggested donation: $10.00.

Special thank you to our reception host:

Hispanic Engagement to Multicultural Marketing; Midland, TX to D.C.

I can’t believe it’s already May! In exactly one month, our little baby girl will be with us (yay!). Before that happens and my life is turned upside down, I’m spreading my message – la palabra! And it seems like it’s getting some good traction. So what’s my message? Well, it’s mostly about building relationships with each other, understanding nuestras culturas, experiences and traditions and giving people the tools to create change. Yes, it’s about Hispanic Engagement (pending copyright), multicultural approaches to community engagement and really, understanding people. Want to learn more? Join me in Midland, Austin, San Antonio or D.C.!

Nos vemos en el camino!

Mando

San Antonio, TX – Serve America Act stakeholder conversation with Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National & Community Service – Engaging all Americans including people of color to serve. May 6, Noon to 2pm

Austin, TX – Community Engagement discussion with new Executive Directors – Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, May 13, Noon – 1pm

Midland, TX – United in the Community Keynote and Cultural Strategies Collaboration workshop – Casa de Amigos, May 14, 9:30 – 2:00pm

San Antonio, TX – Project Innovation workshop – United Way of San Antonio, May 18, 1:00-3:00pm

Austin, TX – Volunteers of the Future Panel Discussion – Seeds for Change Nonprofit Breakfast Series, The Patio at Russell’s Bistro, May 20, 8:00 – 9:30am

Washington, D.C. – Cultural Strategies Executive Presentation for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, May 25, 10:00-11:30am                                                                                                                               

Washington, D.C. – Hispanic Engagement workshop – Gov 2.0 EXPO 2010,May 25, 1:00-3:00pm

Austin, TX – Multicultural Marketing – Take it to the Next Level” Series, City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, August 17, 11:00am – 2:00pm

In honor of Cesar Chavez Day: I believe in Si Se Puede!

I believe in Si Se Puede!

I believe in Si Se Puede – Yes We Can. We all know the rallying cry; it’s part of our history, our culture – it’s what gives us the ganas to fight for our rights, opportunities and our freedoms. It’s as old as Latin American revolutions to the huelgas of the 60s and the campaigns of today.

Si Se Puede – it’s more than just a mantra – it’s an attitude – a call to action; a way to realize our dreams – it’s the ganas to fight for what we believe in – a constant reminder that we can and shall overcome. Si Se Puede is reaching out to people and getting connected, it’s helping people that need help & being helped when we need it, it’s undoing the wrong and making it right, and it’s standing up for what you believe in and standing up for others.

I believe in Si Se Puede because as a community organizer, I see it, breathe it and live it everyday. It embodies my outlook on life, it affects my everyday work and I’ve seen how inspirational it can be. I’ve seen the hope it brings to peoples’ lives; the idea that people can overcome any obstacle, no matter how difficult the situations may be, is life-changing.

And we need it, not only Latinos but all people. We have families living in poverty, managing two or more jobs and trying to put food on the table; our workers are earning non-livable wages; our kids aren’t prepared for school and dropping out; and too many people do not have access to healthcare. Yes, these are daunting problems but with our Si Se Puede attitudes, ganas y el pueblo unido, we can do it!

Si Se Puede means we can make things better for our families, neighbors and generations to come. We can reach out to our neighbors & stay connected, we can volunteer and give back, not because it’s a nice thing to do but a necessity to solving our community’s critical issues and, we can inspire others to make change.

Cesar Chavez, a migrant farm worker and community activist once said “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

I believe in Si Se Puede

Mando Rayo

RISE Multicultural Entreprenuers Series

Imagine yourself being surrounded by creative ideas, innovative people and the inspiration to work on something your passionate about! Yeah, that’s pretty much where I’ve been in the last two months. I’ve been engaging, reaching out, brainstorming and connecting with Austin’s most talented and creative people, and now you get to experience that with the RISE Multicultural Entrepreneurs Series. The series is part of the 2010 RISE Entrepreneurship Conference that takes place next week, March 1-5th. RISE is a conference for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs; it is intimate, relevant and inclusive. And it really is inclusive! I’ not just saying that because I happen to work on the project, well, maybe I am. The Multicultural Series brings entrepreneurs from different communities including Latinos, African-Americans, Asians – South Asians y mas. We have 60+ session hosts kickin’ real world knowledge via social media, start-ups, marketing, philanthropy, politics, life lessons and culture. I’m so appreciative for having the opportunity to work with these amazing people.

Ready to engage in learning and building relationships? Sign up at www.riseaustin.org for sessions in the Multicultural Entrepreneurs Series.

2010 Multicultural Entrepreneurs Series session highlights

Can Political Engagement Help Your Business Succeed?

Ann del Llano, Southern Shift

Think Like a Banker

Piensa como un banquero

Anna Sanchez/Luisa Gavino Martinez, Wells Fargo

Best Bet: Why You Should Go All-In With Content Marketing

Ben Van Horn, Talk Back Media

Create and Hustle: How to make it as a grass roots promoter

Brandon Badillo, Bembe Entertainment

Media Incubator 2.0

Carl Settles, Texas Diversity Council

YouFM: Podcasting your Business and Yourself

Social Media en Español: cual es el punto?

Carlos Borberg, Pyrat Republik

You don’t know me but you should!

How to Use Public Relations Tools to Build and Manage Your Personal Brand

Christine Moline, Jane Doe Ink

Blogging for Cash and Prizes: How I left corporate America and got to work in my pajamas.

Cindy Casares, Guanabee Media

Don’t Quit Your Day Job: And Other Fairy Tales My Mother Told Me

Dr. Moe Anderson, TyMAC Books

Las 5 Lecciones de como atacar el mercado hispano (Para organizaciones y empresas)

Elias Hermida, 1800Hispano

What Makes Marketing go Viral

Elijah May, Encompass PR

From Strangers to Community

How and Why be a Certified Woman Minority Owned Business (WMBE) and DBE Elizabeth Quintanilla, EQ

How to launch a trans-national services business using social media and bi-lingual skills

Cómo lanzar un negocio trans-nacional usando los medios sociales y tus habilidades bilingues

Fernando Labastida, Latin IT Marketing

The Marketing Investment

La Inversión en Mercadotecnia

Frank Garza, Vamos Marketing

Eight Points

Gary Hoover, Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship/UT

Como Iniciar Su Propia Empresa

Helena Escalante, All Things Mexico

People Over Process: An Approach to Small Business Hiring and Partnerships

Jason Villarreal, Villa Consulting Group

Stay lean, stay multifaceted, stay in business – An introduction to a freelancing, self employed and entrepreneurial mentality

Jay B Sauceda, Photographer

Hacking Online Cultures with Offline Behaviors: How to Turn Negative Feedback into Cheerleaders

Jennie Y. Chen, MisoHungry, Keep Austin Dog Friendly, Austin Drive Clean

Social Media Jam: A Hands-On Experience

Jennifer Navarette, Social Media Consultant

Cultural Competence: Leading diverse teams and engaging clients across cultures

Jeremy Solomon, Jeremy Solomon & Associates

Building a Solid Foundation – Liability Issues Facing All Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

Jerry Rios, Law Office of Jerry Rios, P.C.

Marketing to the Federal Government

Joyce Scott, Superb Speakers and Trainers Bureau

Entrepreneurship for Baby Boomers

Juan Carlos Mercado, 360 Solutions

Social meets Media: How today’s collaborative technologies are shaping the future of media.

Juan Garcia, New Media Producer, The University of Texas

The Changing Face of Philanthropy

Leo Ramirez, MiniDonations

Cause Related Marketing: How to incorporate your community and nonprofit collaboration into your marketing strategy

Lisa Goddard, Capital Area Food Bank

Building a Visible and Profitable Brand Online

Luis Sandoval Jr., Brand Evangelist/Speaker/Media

The First 2 Years: From Ideas to a Funded, Viable Start-up

Manoj Saxena, IBM Global Business Services, Vice President and Global Solutions Leader

Essential tools to start a social enterprise. (a practical workshop)

Martin Montero, SOLVE L3C

Twitter? Who has time for Twitter?

Maura Thomas, Regain Your Time

Trick or Tweet – Taking the Scary Out of Using Social Media to Promote Your

Food Business

Michelle Cheng, Whitehurst, Harkness, Brees & Cheng, P.C.

Passion Test for Entrepreneurs

Why Vanilla is the best thing in the World

Monica Peraza, MexNet Alliance

Latinas Want More: How to Market to this Growing Segment & Why It Matters!

Rebecca Trevino, Dell

Stwittergy

Ricardo Guerrero, Stwittergy

Lights.Camera.Business

Rich Vasquez, David Neff, Aaron Bramley, Lights.Camera.Help

How to promote your company through PR

Roberto Hernandez, LatinWorks

Design Your Value Proposition to Separate Yourself from Competitors

Roy Nieto, SureScore, Educational Consulting

Social Media Marketing Lessons Learned from Politics

Shaine Mata, Shaine Mata & Associates

From Idea to Product in 60 minutes

Subramanian Rama, Intel Corp

Subliminal Branding: Make It Work for You. 7 Tips to Branding Success

Tina Balderrama Kubicek, B.S., M.Ed., Ph.D., Author, Speaker, Consultant