Soap operas. They've been a part of the American television landscape since the 1950s. The loss of Guiding Light last week, on the air for 57 years (not counting its 15 years on the radio), clearly demonstrates the obsession and passion Americans feel for the characters of their favorite "made for TV" fantasies.

Not surprisingly, Latinos love their soap operas too. Unlike their American counterparts, telenovelas (soap operas from Spanish-speaking countries) are aired in the evening. They are often a nightly ritual, watched by the entire family, and are a popular form of entertainment for people of all age groups.

Hispanic Heritage Month has arrived with colorful strides to the nation's Capitol and throughout the U.S. What started off in 1968 as a one-week celebration has now been a 30-day fiesta (from September 15 to October 15) since 1988. The first day of Hispanic Heritage Month marks the Independence Anniversary of five Central American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Being of Nicaraguan descent, I will wear my white & blue with Nica pride, and will celebrate nuestra cultura with my brothers and sisters--and "honorary" hermanos--through October 15...and beyond.

As I sat and listened to several Central Valley, CA, Latino teens tell me about their future ambitions and life dreams, I was struck by how determined to succeed these kids were. Despite living in communities threatened by drug and gang activity, low income and high unemployment levels, each was looking forward to graduating from high school, attending college and having a promising career. It was also clear that each teen was well aware of the fact that becoming a parent at an early age would make achieving their aspirations much more difficult. This anecdotal information precisely mirrors findings published in the National Campaign's recently released report Toward a Common Future.

Yet, according to what these teens shared with me, school year after school year they witness many of their friends and classmates giving up or postponing their efforts to reach their goals as a result of an unintended pregnancy. Given the unique challenges Latino teens face, many of which contribute to the high rates of teen pregnancy in their communities, Latino teens in particular can use adult guidance in order to identify and navigate past the numerous issues they'll more than likely have to address as they grow older.

As our bloggers have noted in the past, unfortunately progress in reducing teen pregnancy rates has not been even among all racial and ethnic groups. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, as of 2004 Latina teens had the highest pregnancy and birth rates of any major racial or ethnic group.

Tomorrow, May 19th, at 10:00am at the Capitol Visitor Center, the National Campaign's Latino Initiative will partner with the Latino Leaders Network to raise awareness among policymakers, service providers, the media, and concerned citizens about these disparities and how they affect the Latino community. This Issue Hour will highlight a new poll commissioned by The National Campaign and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) that examines differences and similarities among key subgroups within the Latino community with regard to attitudes about teen pregnancy, sex, relationships, and goals and aspirations.

Click here to learn more about the event and RSVP to attend.

Approximately once a month the Latino Initiative's MySpace blog will feature a young person who is doing exceptional things and waiting to start a family. Our first Jóven del mes was a Hispanic College Fund scholar named Brenda Lopez who is the first in her family to go to college. We hope you'll take a moment to read Brenda's post and that you'll check out February's Jóven del mes entry featuring our very own Youth Leadership Team member Laurisa Rodrigues.

Do you know any special jóvenes we could feature in future months? If so, have them contact Ruthie Flores or Liz Sabatiuk for more information.