Eight graduates of a new economic development program offered by Centro de la Familia de Utah received certificates of graduation on Sunday and are prepared to take first steps toward launching new businesses and providing help to communities in Mexico.

Sergio Palacios, a board member of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said many organizations contributed to getting the new program off the ground and include the Mexican Consulate, Centro de la Familia, the Utah Small Business Development Center and his organization. Palacios said the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sponsored four of the graduates of the first class, and will continue to help participants.

"The chamber is planning on offering five scholarships for each of the class sessions ... 15 every year," Palacios said.

He noted that candidates must qualify for the help by putting time into planning projects and development ideas before classes begin.

Gonzalo Palza is the chief executive officer of Utah's Centro de la Familia and was one of the class instructors. He said the training provided goes beyond just offering tools for economic development.

"We are trying to focus the innate entrepreneurial ability of the immigrant population by offering them a structured and formal entrepreneurial class," Palza said. "We want to foster and encourage the retention of the Mexican identity. We recognize that immigrants bring with them very strong values which we want to conserve and promote ... in bringing people together in this class, we try to connect those values with the entrepreneurial spirit of this country."

Palza said the development training has the potential to change the dynamic between Mexican expatriates living in Utah, and the financial connections they have with their communities of origin.

"We want to give (students) the opportunity to convert the transfers of funds, that they are doing anyway, from inorganic to organic," Palza said. "Organic meaning that they will be used for productive projects that, hopefully, will generate employment and further entrepreneurial spirit."

When money channels back to Mexico through an approved development plan, Mexican governmental bodies at the federal, state and local level each match the contributions dollar for dollar in a program called Tres por Uno (Three for One). Guido Arochi, community affairs coordinator for the Mexican Consulate, said the monies are carefully monitored to ensure projects get done.

"There is a committee made up of representatives from federal, state and local governments to assay the project and make sure the money is well-used," Arochi said.

Palza added that the contributions made by Mexican government agencies are meant to encourage development, create new infrastructure and improve employment opportunities.