{"id":5061273,"date":"2023-04-28T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rilatinonews.com\/?p=5061273"},"modified":"2023-04-28T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T07:00:00","slug":"supporting-youth-of-color-in-civic-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/riln\/2023\/04\/28\/supporting-youth-of-color-in-civic-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting Youth of Color in Civic Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RI Latino News covers the <\/em>social determinants of health<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>democracy<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Informing and supporting marginalized communities on civic engagement gives underrepresented and underserved individuals the tools to advocate for issues most important and urgent to them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PROVIDENCE \u2014 Andrea Gonzalez Sanchez sat right by the door, greeting students as they shuffled in for Young Voices\u2019 regular Monday and Thursday afternoon programming. Three years ago, she was one of those students\u2014now, Gonzalez Sanchez helps lead the meetings as one of the organization\u2019s program coordinators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 12 years old, Gonzalez Sanchez immigrated to Providence with her mother and enrolled in Providence Public Schools. Missing all her friends back in Spain, Gonzalez Sanchez longed for that sense of community she had back home but her limited English skills seemed to hold her back from connecting with her new classmates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that<\/strong>, Gonzalez Sanchez had to prioritize finding a way to make income, even though job opportunities are greatly limited for youth under 18 years old. Fortunately, a distant relative mentioned the Young Voices Summer Workforce Program<\/a> to Gonzalez Sanchez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd that cousin was like, \u2018hey, I\u2019m doing this summer program and they\u2019re giving us money for just being there,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018bruh, I need money,\u2019\u201d she said in an interview inside the State House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonzalez Sanchez thought she would give the program a shot and learn more about it. However, she quickly learned that her undocumented status might cause issues with payment and she began to worry that she could not participate in the program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLuckily, Young Voices is a place where, regardless of your documentation, they’re willing to support you and provide for you,\u201d Gonzalez Sanchez said. \u201cThey immediately provided me with resources and even money, regardless of any status that I got.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After the summer program, Gonzalez Sanchez entered her freshman year of high school with a new sense of reassurance that she had external support moving forward and adjusting to her new home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI became really in love with everything that they were doing,\u201d she said. \u201cMainly because I didn’t really have any other community that was so supportive of me learning English that was so supportive of me growing into a person.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhode Island\u2019s youth population becomes increasingly diverse each year. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, about 47 percent of Rhode Island residents under 18 identified as youth of color\u2014with 27 percent being Hispanic\/Latino and six percent being Black or African American. More than half of these students live in urban areas including Providence and Central Falls, according to the 2022 RI KIDS COUNT Factbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inclusive and culturally-informed support can make a significant impact on their lives, Gonzalez Sanchez expressed.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Andrea Gonzalez Sanchez (left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The annual summer program provides six weeks of intensive workplace readiness training for youth entering ninth to 12 grade. The program also offers a $750 stipend to participating students who engage in a variety of industry projects and educational workshops on skills such as resume writing and interview etiquette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey were so mindful and understanding of the fact that I wanted to have a voice and I might have not had the language for it, I might have not had the skills for it, but I was a very powerful person and all that I needed to do was to get out\u2026of any walls that I had built or that society had built around me.<\/p>\nAndrea Gonzalez Sanchez<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By the time she was 15 years old, Gonzalez Sanchez decided that she needed to move out of her living situation at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was like \u2018Okay, I really need to leave my home soon, it\u2019s not a happy environment for me or a healthy one\u2019, and [Young Voices Staff] were like \u2018Okay, we\u2019re gonna help you build a resume, we\u2019re gonna help you get those jobs, we\u2019re gonna make sure that we still support you,\u2019\u201d she shared. \u201cI ended up getting so many jobs thanks to them and I had such good time management thanks to them\u2014that I was in school, working, educating others, advocating, I was doing all of that. And by the time I was 17, I had $10,000 and I was able to go.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo courtesy of Andrea Gonzalez Sanchez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Classical High School student Wujuudat Balogun also found a welcoming community in Young Voices at 13 years old, one that has inspired her to become more civically engaged.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, with these programs, I took a huge step because I never really did any advocacy work before I got into Young Voices,\u201d Balogun shared that she first got involved because she thought it would look good on her college resume. \u201cMy advice is to be impulsive, just do it\u2014let\u2019s see what comes out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause these programs that from the outside wouldn\u2019t look like something that would help you in the future are actually the best thing to help you with achieving your dreams in the future,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Young Voices program coordinators and a few members (Wujuudat Balogun, bottom left) gather for a photo after a Leadership Transformation Academy (LTA) meeting on Monday, April 17. Photo by Bel\u00e9n Dumont.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 9th: Youth-Led Call To Action Rally<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Balogun was one of several student speakers at a youth-led Call To Action Rally, organized by Young Voices RI<\/a>, in early March. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOut-of-school programs create a space where youth can build community with others and start a path to pave their own future,\u201d she shared with the room of about 30 students. \u201cIf not for Young Voices, well, I wouldn\u2019t be right here where I am today\u2026because of spaces like this, I have been given opportunities to be a part of different things, like national panels and conferences where youth voice is the center of decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the State House event, students emphasized the need and importance of policies that advocate for a culturally-inclusive school environment<\/strong>, specifically referring to current history curriculums and cafeteria food options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I go to school, I want to learn about my history,\u201d Balogun said, as a few students snapped their fingers in agreement. \u201cI need the cultural difference to be there because the students already have cultural differences, why can\u2019t the curriculum have the same?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RI State Representative David Morales greets attendees in his opening speech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The majority of attendees were local youth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Attendees write down their thoughts on words like “Power” and “Justice”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe deserve to learn about all types of cultures and learn about our own history,\u201d Mariah Ajiboye said at the event. \u201cI cannot stress this enough\u2026everyone deserves to feel equal in the classroom and not to feel put down in a classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Youth speakers also expressed concern about students struggling with mental health, bringing up the lack of counselors but the abundance of police officers in schools.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a kid, I remember feeling misunderstood and not really seen. As a result of this, I would get in fights with my teachers and peers\u2026people would label me as a troublemaker, as a bad kid,\u201d shared Village Green Virtual Charter High School student Jully Myrthil. \u201cI felt really cast out, there were opportunities to practice restorative practice that would have allowed me to break down the walls that I built up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restorative justice practices<\/strong><\/a> look to address the root causes of a youth\u2019s actions by centering their voice in an open dialogue between them and community members. Juvenile justice reform advocates like Citizens for Juvenile Justice in Massachusetts<\/a> continue to push for legislation that will expand these practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYouth need to feel that our mental health and well-being are not just considered but a priority. Students feel that there\u2019s\u2014one\u2014not enough counselors, social workers, and resources at our schools and\u2014two\u2014not nearly enough resources for restorative practices to support youth that are labeled as having challenging behavior that may just be struggling with mental health and other factors at home.\u201d <\/p>\nJully Myrthil<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Students nodded and clapped in support as their peers took turns at the podium, sharing their personal experiences that many could relate to. At 5:30 p.m., the event came to a close and the room broke into a buzz of excitement and encouragement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdvocacy is not something that just comes up on a whim,\u201d Balogun had explained. \u201cAdvocacy is like that small voice inside your head telling you \u2018something is wrong\u2019 and you should go change it because nobody else is changing it. And you could be the first… So, all you have to do is just try.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Young Voices RI at www.youngvoicesri.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Publisher\u2019s Notes:<\/strong>\u00a0This story is supported by the\u00a0Advancing Democracy Journalism Fellowship<\/a>\u2014run by the Solutions Journalism Network, Hearken, and Trusting News\u2014which looks to elevate coverage of local democracy and civic engagement. RI Latino News is committed to covering the social determinants of health and democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Correction:<\/strong> An earlier version stated that Andrea Gonzalez Sanchez immigrated at 13 years old from the Dominican Republic and that she was a student at Young Voices seven years ago rather than three.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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