villescas research, media & instruction presents...

recent articles & interviews:

1. september 28: cultural competency, new media vital to young latino success [link]

2. september 21: new mexico's model for fomenting latino leadership [link]

3. september 14: six ways to think about hispanic heritage month [link]

4. september 9: fronteras, the perfect storm [video]

5. september 1: todo austin [link]

6. august 31: the class of 2012 can change history for u.s. latinos [link]

7. august 26: latino enrollment increases, mostly two year programs [link]

8. august 25: enterprising latino academics can be enterprising independent consultants [link]

9. august 25: 2012 is the ideal year to launch first run for elected office [link]

10. august 19: the rhetoric of the 2012 election will be about race [link] 

11. august 18: latino students can help shape the 2012 presidential election [link]

12. august 17: latinos need to go past bachelor's degrees to graduate school [link]

13. august 10: high speed rail can help push economic development in texas [link]

14. august 3: how to take your social network and make it work for you, part 2 [link]

15. july 28: valuing new latino voters in the 2012 election [link]

16. july 27: how to take your social network & make it useful, part 1 [link]

17. july 20: how to ensure the prosperity of 1.5 million latino [link]

18. july 13: castro's campaign will inspire a new generation of latino leaders [link]

19. july 6: 52% of the u.s. latino population lives in four border states [link]

20. june 29: to mobilize 12 million latinos, register 15 million [link]

21. june 22: let's mobilize 1 million latino voters in 10 texas cities [link]

22. june 21: the top 10 cities with the largest latino populations [link]

23. june 15: texas, the u.s., becoming more and more latino [link]

24. june 14: top 10 states with the largest latino populations [link]

25. june 9: latinas, not latinos, hold the future in their hands [link]

26. june 7: less than 6 million latinos have a college degree [link]

27. june 2: volunteerism essential to the success of latino youth [link]

upcoming events:

2011 national hispanic institute hosts celebración in san antonio [link]

september 24-25: texas tribune festival [link]

september 12: NMSU’s Hispanic Faculty Staff Caucus 2011 Leadership Summit: Fomenting Change [link]

  ¿Y ahora qué? Now what? 

august 1-31: vrmi celebrates four years in the borderlands

Four years ago I launched villescas research, media & instruction in downtown El Paso to provide an array of resources and experienced collaborators for community-oriented initiatives throughout our unique border community. Due to the support of family, friends, colleagues, students and readers like yourself, vrmi projects and productions have grown steadily across the borderlands, the rest of our great state of Tejas and Chicago.

I would like to thank the following for their encouragement, particularly for their support in 2011:

american bar association commission on hispanic legal rights & responsibilities * alpha alpha of chi psi * amtrak/sunset limited * aztec zodiac * b-connect * blackbird concepts * blindemos * border alliance of ylc project administrators * borderzine * brisa communications * castro for congress * cathedral high school/alumni association & lqvq * cedar tree inc. * cepade usa * charlando con la gringa * chicago young leaders conference * cielo vista neighborhood association * cimi * city of el paso, district 3 * city of el paso, district 8 * city of el paso, museums & cultural affairs department * cognent inc. * cultural strategies * del pueblo press * edco investments * el paso county commission, precinct 2 * el paso expatriates * el paso for america * el paso independent school district * el paso museum of art * el paso times/austin bureau * el paso transnational trolley project * el paso young leaders conference * epfilm.com * esquina tango * first ave lofts * frontera bugalu * galvan productions * ghostlight creative * greater el paso realtors association * habla * helix solutions * hispanic recruitment services/latinograduate.com * hispanic scholarship consortium * innovate el paso * intellectual entrepreneurship * j.a.r. concrete * kingsbridge innovative design charter school * ktep 88.5 fm on film * lake county young leaders conference * las comadres * latinitas * loft light studio * los cowboys * los lagartos de san jacinto plaza * lulac district iv * mentoring to achieve latino educational success/project males * mexicans at night * namaste austin! * national association of latino arts & culture * national hispanic institute/collaborative research center * news taco * nhi tv * modtechnic * osaple * our community inc. * papi tinos * qobe group * race el paso * regional economic development association/regional identity * rio grande guardian * salom investments * southwest key /east austin college prep academy * surescore * svs * texas ambassador great debate * texas exes/el paso chapter * texas house district 77 * texas house district 78 * texas tribune * the el paso project * the gateway to brazil radio show * third reality publications * time warner cable/vote with your remote * tino's seafood/tino's mindfood * u.s. latino & latina world war ii oral history project * university of texas at austin/radio-television-film department * ut outreach * utep chicano studies * utep department of communication * utep upward bound program * villescas real estate * vrmi interns & investigators

Please join me in celebration throughout this month to not only reflect on what has been achieved, but to discuss how we can all apply our collective energies and resources in crafting a new vision for the future of our communities.

 

u.s. latino research:

• U.S. Hispanic Country of Origin Counts for Nation, Top 30 Metropolitan Areas
  
• The Latino Electorate in 2010: More Voters, More Non-Voters
• The Hispanic Labor Force in the Recovery
  
• Hispanics Account for More than Half of Nations Growth in Past Decade

new collaborators:

¡blindemos!

upcoming seminars, colloquia & internship opportunities...

2011 vrmi seminar series (september-december): el paso, chicago & austin:

vrmi high school seminar 1.0, local parent preparation for college-bound students

vrmi high school seminar 1.1, applying to undergraduate programs/scholarships

vrmi high school seminar 1.2, early preparation for liberal arts environments

vrmi high school seminar 1.3, early preparation for advanced & graduate studies

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.0, staying in town for college

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.1, leaving town for college

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.2, introduction to theory

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.3, conducting community-oriented research

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.4, advanced research design

vrmi undergraduate seminar 1.5, preparation for graduate studies

vrmi graduate seminar 2.0, preparation for long-term research projects

vrmi graduate seminar 2.1, community-oriented research design

vrmi graduate seminar 2.2, thesis/dissertation conceptualization

vrmi community leader seminar 3.0, creating your organization

vrmi community leader seminar 3.1, engaging the regional community

vrmi community leader seminar 3.2, utilizing research & media

vrmi community leader seminar 3.3., cultivating student & family populations

vrmi community leader seminar 3.4, expanding relations with elected officials, media & neighborhoods

vrmi community leader seminar 3.5, networking your organization/initiative nationally

vrmi community organization colloquium 4.0, introduction to u.s. latino population dynamics

vrmi community organization colloquium 4.1, introduction to u.s./mexico border trends

vrmi community organization colloquium 4.2, visualizing racial & gender gaps through new u.s. census data

vrmi community organization colloquium 4.3, understanding regional voter trends, emerging local issues & promoting new candidates

vrmi community organization colloquium 4.4., addressing digital divides in your community

register today

Private Seminars: Scholarship/Fellowship Application Assistance (Part 1, Part 2)

VRMI/UTEP Internship: Research Design/Multimedia Production (Fall 2011/Spring 2012)

recent articles & interviews...

FEWER MEXICAN STUDENTS ATTENDING BORDER UNIVERSITIES

by Elizabeth Titus/Texas Tribune

Joseph Villescas, an El Paso business consultant, says the city has succeeded in boosting the number of college-bound Latino students but has failed in luring them back home. “We have yet to develop a system that links back the investments we make in students’ early development,” says Villescas, whose firm has surveyed El Paso expatriates, probing the reasons they left the border region. “Annually, we're losing thousands of kids to places like Austin,” he says. Villescas is concerned about “who will keep the lights on” in his hometown in the future...read more 

EL PASO ON-DEMAND FILM & MUSIC VIDEO EXHIBITION

Demand for filmmakers met by On Demand competition

by Elizabeth Ruiz

Whether a future Bergman, Cuarón (Alfonso or Carlos), Tarantino, or even quasi-Hype Williams, there’s a place for up-and-coming filmmakers in the first annual El Paso On Demand Film Exhibition. The competition is the brainchild of media consultant and film professor Joseph Villescas, who wanted to create incentive for locals to create films through collaboration with Time Warner Cable.The competition is intended to give exposure to the El Paso On Demand channel available for current subscribers who are under-utilizing the feature, as well as to local filmmakers who submit their work to be judged by On Demand subscribers. The work will be categorized by feature films, documentaries, short films (20 minutes or less), student film (created by anyone currently enrolled) and music videos. Knowing that the creative class had traditionally been on the back burner in his hometown, former expat Villescas returned home from Austin three years ago to make some kind of impact. Since then, some El Pasoans know him from his stints as an aspiring politician, his time as a film studies and Chicano film professor at UTEP, and running into him at the Percolator, which he calls “the perfect crossroads to get things done.” His past ideas include converting the site of the Farah building into a creative media complex, an apt comparison for production between manual and creative labor, inspired by the conversion from Austin’s former airport into Austin Studios. He has also created a sort of triumvirate with Percolator owner Bobby Smith and Blackbird Concepts filmmaker Valentin Sandoval to promote a downtown creative community. “The truth is that in El Paso we have so much creative talent,” said Villescas. He pointed to the resources for thriving film communities El Paso’s periphery, with an established program at NMSU and incentives for production companies to film in New Mexico but the noted lack of a local market. “There’s only so much of those jobs in El Paso.”  He hopes that the competition will result in bragging rights for the participants, who will be chosen by the community, but also bragging rights for the community itself. “This is a way to show off what we’re doing in El Paso.”

“As generations shift, El Paso is fertile ground for expats.” (December 27, 2008). El Paso Media Group, Newspaper Tree.

“Creative, and with vision? Come Downtown and percolate.” (November 16, 2008). El Paso Media Group, Newspaper Tree.

“Forget a Mall, Build an Industry.” (November 9, 2008). El Paso Times.

“Keeping Jazz Alive in El Paso." (October 15, 2008). El Paso Media Group, El Paso Magazine.

 “Creating ‘Circular Pathways of Return’ for the Next Wave of El Paso Expatriates.” (August 3, 2008). El Paso Media Group, Newspaper Tree.

“The Crucial Dynamics of District 3.” (May 25, 2008). El Paso Media Group, Newspaper Tree.

2008 portrait by jesus 'cimi' alvarado

joseph p. a. villescas, ph.d. is an independent consultant, writer and instructor. he conducts extensive investigations on latino and other multidimensional populations that explore trends in their educational development, media consumption, internet usage, voting behaviors, racial categorization, organizational capacities and readiness for future leadership roles in community settings.

he is also the founder and owner of villescas research, media & instruction, llc which is a private firm that provides an array of resources and experienced collaborators for community-oriented initiatives.

although based in el paso, several vrmi reports, productions and projects are underway that target multiple border counties, communities in central texas and chicago as well as undergraduate and graduate student populations nationally.

vrmi communiqué

vrmi communiqué 50.3: cultural competency, new media vital to young latino success 

vrmi communiqué 50.2: new mexico's model for fomenting latino leadership

vrmi communiqué 50.1: six ways to think about hispanic heritage month

vrmi communiqué 49.9: the class of 2012 can change history for u.s. latinos

vrmi communiqué 49.8: latino enrollment increases, mostly two year programs

vrmi communiqué 49.7: 2012 is the ideal year to launch first run for elected office

vrmi communiqué 49.X:  latino academics can be enterprising independent consultants 

vrmi communiqué 49.6: the rhetoric of the 2012 election will be about race

vrmi communiqué 49.5: latino students can help shape the 2012 presidential election

vrmi communiqué 49.4: promoting future latino graduate degree programs 

vrmi communiqué 49.3: how to take your social network and make it work for you, part 2

vrmi communiqué 49.2: high speed rail can help push economic development in texas

vrmi communiqué 49.1: happy vrmi day

vrmi communiqué 48.5:  valuing new latino voters in the 2012 election

vrmi communiqué 48.4: how to take your social network and make it work for you

vrmi communiqué 48.3: how to ensure prosperity for 1.5 million latinos

vrmi communiqué 48.2: joaquín castro will inspire a new generation of leaders 

vrmi communiqué 48.1: four million latinos reside in border counties 

vrmi communiqué 47.8: mobilizing 15 million latino voters by the 2012 presidential election

vrmi communiqué 47.7: 10 cities with the largest latino populations & mobilizing 1 million latino voters in texas

vrmi communiqué 47.6: texas, the u.s., becoming more and more latino

vrmi communiqué 47.5: top ten states with the largest latino populations

vrmi communiqué 47.4: volunteerism, educational success & emerging 21st century leaders   

vrmi communiqué 45.2: el paso transnational trolley project

vrmi initiatives

VRMI/UTEP internship (fall 2011): two tracks are now available in research design & multimedia production, contact vrmi to obtain course credit. 

2008-2012 latino vote research (fall 2011): opportunities are available for collaboration, contact vrmi for more information.

the 2010 census latinos, & racial self-identification study (fall 2011): opportunities are available for collaboration, contact vrmi for more information.

social inclusion research project (fall 2011): opportunities are available for collaboration on texas border county "digital divide" research initiative, contact vrmi for more information.

svs short films: "first avenue lofts"; "the implications of the el paso border wall"; "a ride downtown with green leaf pedicab"...click here for links to recent svs short films about el paso. 
 
vrmi panel discussions & mixers: "emerging fields of employment in el paso"; "promoting new candidates & mobilizing local voters in 2012"; "the future of film in el paso"; "the class of 2010 project"; "mixers for el paso expatriates & friends"...contact vrmi for more information.

news

9/12/2011: VILLESCAS CONDUCTS PANEL DISCUSSION ON EDUCATION, POLITICS & NEW MEDIA AT 2011 NMSU LATINO LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

9/9/2011: VILLESCAS INTERVIEWED BY FRONTERAS ON THE "PERFECT STORM" SCENARIO

8/31/2011: NHI, VRMI & QOBE RELEASE JOINT REPORT TO SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, "IMPROVING COLLEGE READINESS AMONG LATINO YOUTH THROUGH SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM, PHASE 3"

8/24/2011: VILLESCAS LAUNCHES COLLEGE ADMISSIONS WRITING COURSE FOR EL PASO SENIORS AT CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL

8/1/2011: VRMI CELEBRATES FOUR YEARS IN THE BORDERLANDS

7/7/2011: MEET & GREET WITH JOAQUIN CASTRO IN EAST AUSTIN

3/13/2011: RALLY FOR BORDER UNITY

2/9/2011: VRMI CURRICULUM: MAPPING YOUR CONTACTS, UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL CAPITAL PART 1

1/7/2011: VRMI PROVIDES 2011 FINDINGS ABOUT PUBLIC COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN TEXAS

videos

videographers feature 1st avenue lofts 1st Avenue Lofts, "Teaming up with Joseph Villescas and the Karam brothers, Valentin Sandoval created a video that takes viewers from El Paso to Manhattan, highlighting the recent redevelopment project, the 1st Avenue Lofts..."

The Fertile Ground of El Paso is a short video that discusses the iconic features of downtown and introduces a discussion about investment in El Paso.

Dia de los Muertos: A Day of Remembrance & a Call for Policy Change on the Border  provides the first part of a fifteen minute interview with Fernando Garcia, director of the Border Network for Human Rights.

History in the Making at San Jacinto Plaza contains an interview with Joe Moody on the day he was endorsed by Mayor John Cook and Senator Elliot Shapleigh. 

Week 1 at the Percolator introduces several recent subjects of investigation by capturing segments from radio shows, panel discussions, interviews, and live performances at The Percolator (217 N. Stanton St.).

The next set of installments from Smith, Villescas & Sandoval will explore youth leadership development, the border wall, the district emerging around First Avenue Lofts, live music at The Percolator, the culmination of the presidential election, and a number of interviews with downtown professionals and ‘creatives’ contemplating the future of our community.

To explore these subjects of investigation further, contact downtown.theater@villescas.org.