Membership on the teams is diverse. Three of the teams are composed mostly of high school students, but each team depends on guidance from at least two adults. The other teams are a mixture of youth, young adults and grandparents. Shared leadership, a participatory environment, and enthusiasm are characteristics found in each of the ten community teams.

Most teams held bi-weekly meetings and were in constant communication outside of the workshops. The geography of the region also made it easy to communicate with other teams if necessary. Teams would get together not only to complete "homework" projects but because it was a natural thing to do. This was especially true for the youth teams, whose members saw each other in school or during social events, making it easy for them to get together. From the beginning of this program, most teams were thinking a great deal about their projects. As one team member of the Edinburg Youth Leadership Team said, "We meet regularly to brainstorm, research, plan and write about our project."

Summary of Team Proposals

All of the original ten teams submitted proposals to the Grants Committee for review and all were funded. Each community team received information concerning preparation of the grant proposals and were instructed to bring draft copies to the sixth workshop (sample RFP attached). One-half of this final workshop was devoted to grant writing, and technical assistance was made available for preparation of the draft to be submitted.

Providing experience with print and video publishing is the aim of the Edcouch-Elsa Printing Center. The team has established a center at the local High school that will write, produce, and market print and video products. Among the team's current contracts is the ongoing production of a newsletter for the Village of Elsa.

The Edinburg-based South Texas Youth Initiative, the combined effort of the Edinburg Youth Leadership and Valley Technology Communications, created 12 workshops designed by, presented by, and offered to elementary, junior high, and high school students. The workshop series, designed to provide training in leadership skills, was first presented last summer. The team intends to continue the training so long as interest and funding exist.

The LaVilla team engaged in multi-media visual art projects, including an emphasis in electronic reproduction. At the end of May 2000, a group of LaVilla high school students will travel to art galleries in Washington. D.C. They will publicly display portfolios documenting their experience when they return.

A group of active citizens from the two Monte Alto teams have decided to join efforts in rehabilitating an abandoned building for use as a community center. In addition to providing for recreational opportunities, the team has secured personal computers with the intent of providing Internet access and to local residents.

The Ballet Folklorico has established a regional reputation in its efforts to provide elementary youth an opportunity to explore their cultural heritage. The dance troupe, which has recently performed for conventioneers on South Padre Island, uses video as a teaching tool and to document performances. According to one team member, "We have witnessed that the lack of cultural exposure to self expression has limited the children's knowledge of their cultural heritage. Many of our youth gravitate towards gangs and other undesirable activities because of boredom, peer pressures and the lack of activities available to them."

The Radio Team established a bilingual microradio station. Edcouch-Elsa High School students are solely responsible for daily WBUZ broadcasts, which include weather reports, community news, local sports broadcasts, and community news programs. The radio station is currently considering securing an FCC license to expand its coverage.

Establishing an electronic national network is the goal of Edcouch-Elsa Alumni. Alumni of the high school nationwide are now connected by an Internet listserv. The goal is to keep past graduates informed of events in their home town, with an eye to making connections for the possible future community and economic development in south Texas.

Finally, a local church played a role in founding the San Carlos Team. The San Carlos team was originally the powerhouse of the Texas Cluster, working from early on with the Texas A&M Colonia Program to establish a community center in the village. In the end, however, San Carlos natives were the last to decide how to disburse MIRA funds, eventually electing to rehabilitate the local parish hall, with provision for anew moveable stage and lighting system for its theater group.

When asked what forces impeded the team's progress in its final project stages, a team member winked and attributed MIRA with an unforeseeable success. In part, it was said, a Icadiny member of the team could no longer offer a great deal of time to the team. After learning so much about providing food and managing budgets in the course of the workshop series, she was inspired to found her own catering business, which is successful to this day.

In the end, these independent descriptions are a disservice to the well-conceived interdependent and interconnected projects. The Ballet Folklorico, for example, uses KBUZ radio to find potential participants and engages Edcouch-Elsa Printing Center to create promotional flyers and posters.

Further information about all Texas MIRA Cluster projects is available online at www.esconett.org/mira/.