We are currently researching  the following topics: 

*Specific needs of  Latin American families in the UK.

*The cultural identity of second generation Latinxs in the UK. 

*The recognition of Spanish as the most desired language to be taught in schools and the promotion of teaching Spanish as a career. 

Please fill our online survey here 

Our ‘Community Hub’ also gives visibility to the relevant research, campaigns and support available from other organisations. We participate in SLAN (Southwark Latin American Network) and are especially concerned with the lack of recognition and representation of our community.

We promote and protect our cultural heritage by …   

Hosting and updating a crowdsourced calendar where artists can upload their upcoming events directly from our website

Anyone can add their events in the relevant section of the calendar. Latin Hub may edit the copy for consistency if needed or  remove content that is considered inappropriate. 

Hosting and contributing content to our ‘Hub’  which gathers the very  valuable (and dispersed) initiatives led by Latin Americans in the UK. 

Unlike the crowdsourced calendar, in The Hub we intend to publish ‘evergreen content’ that goes beyond  what’s happening now to enrich our cultural legacy for many generations to come.

We are diverse in our opinions and interests. We want to remain inclusive and provide an independent platform for promotion and expression avoiding hyperbole and respecting each other.

The aim is to give visibility to all LatAm organisations, artists and independent businesses featuring remarkable individuals, stories of resilience and our many contributions to the UK. 

The hub

is divided into many sections of interest. Of particular relevance to our heritage work are:

Arts, Languages and Books: celebrates the diversity of our cultural heritage by promoting Latin American art in the UK. We also curate art from Latin America, contextualising it, for a deeper understanding of our diverse cultural expressions. 

Nuestros paises:  takes us back to LatAm. We blogs about places, events, icons, food, among others. We curating the best that our countries have to offer. The aim is to strengthen our ties with our home countries and to promote our countries as destinations for all UK visitors. 

Niños y jóvenes: focuses on these demographics which are key to preserving our future heritage. We produce and share content that is age appropriate including the animation of traditional stories for children and mapping opportunities for children to learn Spanish in creative environments as well as more traditional forms of learning. 

Everyone is welcome to contribute content about any topic of their interest, including independent LatAm business and professionals wanting to promote their products and services. 

Creating hybrid online/off-line Exhibitions

Because art can be a great communicator, we developed 'Nuestras Historias' exhibitions. 

We recorded stories narrated by Latin traders in London and provided the audio files to Latin artists who recreated the main ideas in their paintings. Below each painting we include a synopsis of the story that inspired the artist, contextualised by the wider challenges that the Latin American community faces related to each story. We also signpost to organisations where members of the community can seek support for a wider range of issues, from domestic violence to work exploitation. 

By creating a permanent online exhibition and off-line mobile exhibitions to be displayed at LatAm events across the UK.

Our past exhibitions include Southwark Heritage Centre and La Placita Mall but we are open to collaborate with organisations in other parts of the UK. 

Hosting and updating a crowdsourced calendar where businesses, traders and professionals can upload their upcoming events directly from our website. 

Anyone can simply click on the plus sign on the calendar and add their event in the relevant section of the calendar.

Hosting and contributing content to our ‘Hub’  also offers a free platform for self promotion.   

The hub is divided into many sections of interest. Of particular relevance to independent business, traders and professionals a re: 

Food, Drinks & Markets all initiatives related to traders. So far we have published interactive maps with curated Latin food venues and markets and we are looking to expand our mapping into other industries.

Professionals & Businesses focuses on opportunities to learn, hire professional services and network amongst other people in your industry. 

LatAm immigrants are well-educated with almost 51% having attained tertiary level/university education, higher than the London average where 34% hold higher level qualifications. However, a quarter of workers work in low-paid jobs and are overqualified for their roles. We face legal and language barriers, among others, that have prevented us from working in our chosen profession. Consequently some ‘end up’ as traders as a last resort to secure their livelihoods and avoid exploitative working conditions mostly in the hospitality and cleaning industries. However, the last few years have been particularly challenging for traders. 

Free & Certified Training 

In our ‘Hub’ we have a professionals and business section where we offer free and accredited online training and professional advise for those considering a particular career or trade but do not know where to start.  Users can enhance their skills to secure employment or to generate alternative income with online sales, to mitigate the impact of lock-down and market closures.

All training is in English and Spanish and independently certified by CPD.  We promote the Spanish language in educational institutions as well as funded opportunities to train as Spanish teachers.   

 E-courses will be available by April 2022 and they will cover the following areas:

Business planning and access to finance: the fundamentals of business planning, designing and presenting your business model, legal structures,  market research and managing finances for non-financial people.  Funding your idea and accessing other business support. 

Digital marketing:  planning and executing your strategy, creating your  website and social media channels, tactics to increase traffic to your website; E-commerce; Customer service, email marketing and CRM; Social media optimisation (SMO) and content marketing?

Digital skills:  GDPR compliance and minimising data breach risks. Digital skills  for working remotely, CRMs, online events, data visualisation and much more.  Online safeguarding. Focus on digital marketing.

Social entrepreneurship: Understanding social enterprises and the UK landscape, identifying specific opportunities for the sector (social procurement and investment) and proving your social or environmental impact. Social enterprises and community-based marketing.

Oral history (available): oral history theory and practice, collection and recording of oral histories, capturing and archiving heritage, understanding memory, user-led research methods, learning to use video and audio, transcript to script, interview techniques and other qualitative research methods, archiving, campaigning and social policy.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive training updates here. 

We are a volunteer-led initiative committed to supporting initiatives from other Latin organisations for recognition and to other issues concerning our community in the UK.  We are members of SLAN  (Southwark Latin American Network),  a wide range of charities working to improve the quality of life of Latin residents in Southwark.  

In the ’Our Community’ section of our hub where we aim to gather all the support available including front line organisations, campaigns, research, sports, networks, etc. 

We also aim to strengthen our cultural, economic and social links with our home countries by promoting dialogue and cooperation with our diplomatic representations. The  ‘Experience Our Countries’ section of our hub highlights  destinations, events, icons, festivals and much more with the aim of promoting our countries as destinations for all UK visitors.   

We are currently seeking to explore promotional partnerships with other LatAm charities in the UK. For more information please contact Romina at r.lopez@iars.org.uk