Latinitas in the Community

Family Fun Fair: April 11 at YMCA - Loya BranchLatinitas participated in the Family Fun Fair hosted by the Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse. This event themed “Empowering Families, Protecting Children” was aimed at preventing abuse and neglect by engaging at-risk families in fun, family-focused activities and providing information on community resources to help strengthen the family bond and eliminate stress. As part of this event, Latinitas volunteers hosted craft activities where kids created a quilt focused on promoting healthy families.

Father Yermo Career Day: April 16
Latinitas introduced young teens to careers in the multimedia field as part of the Father Yermo Career Day. Latinitas hosted an information table to inspire the next generation of media makers. Thanks to Latinitas intern Miriam Campos, girls learned about careers in magazines, films, photography and broadcast journalism.

Youth Leadership Summit: April 17 at Canutillo High School
Latinitas joined forces with community youth development groups to encourage local middle and high schoolers to make healthy decisions by participating in the Youth Leadership Summit. Youth participated in workshops on leadership, effective conflict resolution, self-esteem building and problem-solving strategies.

Dia de los Ninos: April 24 at Washington Park
Latinitas joined the Dia de los Ninos Annual Festival to promote literacy among local youth. The El Paso Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department began the tradition of holding this annual festival to celebrate the youth of El Paso, Texas. The festival is focused on promoting the importance of literacy and education in a family-friendly event where people of all cultural, social, and economic backgrounds can gather. As part of the festivities, Latinitas volunteers hosted a bookmark making art projects for children.

Teen Leadership Institute: April 24 at the Latinitas Headquarters
Latinitas has been holding monthly leadership workshops on leadership methods, effective communication, decision making skills, goal setting, public speaking, civic engagement and volunteering. This leadership program is aimed at encouraging and motivating Latina teen girls to explore their own strengths, cultivate their leadership abilities and make a difference in their community through leadership and volunteerism.

Global Youth Service Day: April 23-25 at the Main Public Library
Latinitas joined the international movement - Global Youth Service Day. This is the largest service event in the world and mobilizes millions of children and youth who improve their communities through service-learning. On GYSD, Latinitas members helped address the world’s most critical issues through youth-led community service projects.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition
El Paso has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state of Texas. To counteract this trend, Latinitas has joined the El Paso Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition, and we are partnering with the Teen Advisory Board at the University Medical Center to develop a series of youth-produced public service announcements on pregnancy prevention. We are also a planning team member for the upcoming Stay Teen event in May to encourage youth to enjoy their teen years and wait to become parents.

Girl Talk Series
Latinitas is offering a new series of FREE girl empowerment workshops in partnership with local schools, libraries, recreation centers, Girl Scout troops, churches and youth groups. These workshops focus on helping girls build confidence through creative expression with themes such as self-esteem, body image, leadership, goal setting, diversity, cultural pride, substance abuse prevention, bullying and wellness. These workshops are generously sponsored by the El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. If you'd like to reserve a workshop for your group, contact Alicia Rascon at 239.5051 or latinitaselpaso@yahoo.com.