Alas y Voz

Californians Together is committed to shifting public opinion and promoting biliteracy as an asset, building a compelling narrative about the benefits of biliteracy, and advocating for the expansion of bilingual programs. 

The Challenge

For the past 20 years, parents of English learners have heard that English programs are the best choice for their children. Although they value bilingualism, some do not choose bilingual programs because they are worried their children will get confused. They believe they can still ensure their children become bilingual by teaching them their primary language at home. Because this is easier said than done, many English Learners end up losing their home language and missing out on the many benefits of biliteracy.

The Campaign

Alas y Voz (Wings and Voice) is a campaign to raise awareness among parents of English learners about the benefits of biliteracy so they may choose bilingual programs for their children. By sharing videos, graphics and stories on social media, the Alas y Voz campaign delivers effective messaging about the importance of bilingualism and biliteracy, including the ability to perform better in school, to communicate better with their family and to access better job opportunities.

Resources

This online toolkit includes resources to share in schools, districts, and community meetings. It is designed to help schools, district staff, and parents share the campaign with other parents.

The Spanish language website (alasyvoz.org) helps parents:

• Connect with videos, stories and graphics that are available on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram that highlight why biliteracy is so important and provides accurate information about language learning
• Identify bilingual programs in their community
• Learn how to request a  program if there isn’t one in their community
• Share the content of the campaign with others