-Sam
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Education as a means of Migrant worker advocacy
So I know we've been talking a lot about how to improve conditions for the migrant workers themselves, but we should also consider how the workers' families are being affected. Some workers leave their families in Mexico and send money home, but others bring their relatives and make a new life here. For the children of these workers, it can be very difficult to get ahead in the US, given the social, cultural, and economic barriers often created by their situation. One way we can invest in migrant families is by investing in the education of the workers and their children. Some of the workers are still in their teen years, and I believe we should make education more accessible for them, whether it be a high school or college education or even vocational training. Special, low-interest loans could be made readily available to workers and workers' children so they can improve their socioeconomic situation. This investment will eventually bring dividends for the rest of society by increasing the number of educated, trained individuals in the workforce. I realize this requires a large economic investment, at least initially, on the part of taxpayers, but this investment could circumvent later expenditures in healthcare, welfare, and other social services.
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