UnidosUS Youth Roundtable Seeks to Turn Dialogue into Action

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BOSTON—Today, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía held a roundtable with young Latino students at Sociedad Latina, Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit organization that promotes Latino leadership through four core programs centered on workforce development, civic engagement, education and the arts. The event aimed to provide Latino youth a space to express their opinions and concerns on issues of importance to them and their community.

The discussion touched on a wide-range of issues, including DACA and gun violence prevention, and highlighted ways in which young Latinos have become a critical voice in student activism. Community leaders, family members and mentors in attendance were given an opportunity to learn how to best provide meaningful support to the students as they face today’s challenges.

“Today’s event provided an important opportunity for us to gain insight on how we can best support the efforts of our nation’s young Latinos during a particularly politically challenging time. Whether it is a discussion about immigration or improving community-police relations, our youth are paying attention and actively looking for ways to make change happen,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía.

“It is important, then, that we continue to provide young Latinos with these outlets where they can speak out and be listened to; where they can feel supported and encouraged; and more importantly, be reminded of the tools they can leverage to effect change in their communities,” concluded Murguía.

During the event, UnidosUS’s Power of 18 campaign, a voter engagement effort launched earlier this year designed to energize the Latino community to register and vote on Election Day, was highlighted. UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía pointed to the initiative as one of the many tools young Latinos can tap into to jumpstart their civic participation and combat some of the harmful policies. The campaign not only seeks to mobilize the Latino electorate but cultivate civic awareness among all Latinos.