Migrant Youth Leadership Conferences
Original Painting by Francia Orozco: Artist, Dreamer, Student, Activist & Intellectual Warrior
Francia Orozco was a student at Whatcom Community College in 2017 and is now at Western. She is a worker, and most importantly a Mexican painter. Born in Nayarit, Mexico, Francia came to the U.S at the age of six. As an undocumented student, she currently benefits from DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Francia’s artwork is heavily influenced by her Mexican culture and what it feels like to be an immigrant, a minority, and a woman in the U.S. According to Franica, she “mostly paints to bring awareness to others about what it feels to be labeled undocumented or illegal my whole life. Through my art I hope that I will one day make even just a small change within my community. I hope to bring awareness about the true power of creativity, the power of coming together, and the power of education as a whole.” She believes that “if we can make our stories heard, we can keep moving forward as a society.”
The Migrant Youth Leadership Conferences are at the heart of the Bridges Program. Since 2008, 2-3 times each year, we have hosted 200 - 300 middle and high school students from migrant backgrounds at Western for a day. The Migrant Youth Leadership Conferences feature: 1) A leadership curriculum focused on communication, problem solving, goal setting, identifying assets and resources to pursue higher education; and 2) Workshops focused on cultural identity, affirming cultural and linguistic assets, accessing higher education, and developing personal and community leadership. The conferences include over 60 WWU students, and 40 University and School educators to speak directly to students about their passion for learning and pursuing careers they believe in. These conferences are designed to help migrant students believe that college is a possibility and begin to develop the identities, efficacy and knowledge of resources to work toward their goals. A key concept behind this effort is building the pathway to college - person to person – in a cascading mentorship approach. Each person is expected to share the lessons s/he has gained to help others just a step behind, while also benefiting from life lessons of those a step ahead. A large number of our University mentors/ facilitators are immigrant / bilingual and first generation college students who provide migrant students role models who come from similar backgrounds.
MYLC Theme for Dec. 1, 2017
Guerreros Intelectuales: Let your stories inform your voice!
Where does the idea of being an intellectual warrior come from?
Tezcatlipoca represents critical self reflection and action and is a principle we embrace to guide our lives. Tezcatlipoca is the Smoking Mirror. He is the Aztec god of the nocturnal sky, god of the ancestral memory, god of time and the Lord of the North, the embodiment of change through conflict. He is the patron of the warrior. Together with his eternal opposite Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of the south, he created the world. As a god of creation, he is known as Ipalnemoani, “He by whom we live.”
Understanding the wisdom our ancestors can help us understand how to live in better balance within ourselves, with others, and together in the world we share.
Intellectual Warriors:
· Learn from the wisdom of the past
· Value who they are and where they come from
· Honor the wisdom and strengths gained through life
· Pursue education as a tool to understand and address challenges and change
· Work together with others to make the world a better place for ALL
We Believe:
· YOU are an important person, whose story brings you strength and wisdom, who will make a difference in this world for your families, communities, la gente.
YOU are an intellectual warrior.
Every conference is supported by over 60 WWU student leaders serving as mentors, performers, workshop facilitators, or organizers.
Every conference begins with a keynote speaker who shares his / her/ their personal story, talks about what the theme means, and offers students words of advice or encouragement.
Our Keynote Speakers: Teachers who let their stories inform their voice.
La maestra Elizabeth Churape is a native born Mexican who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of two with her family, who worked the fields until she was 10. She attended schools in Washington, Mexico, and Oregon and was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Seattle University where she obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She earned her teaching credential at Western Washington University and now teaches literacy in Spanish and English.
La maestra Nora Gonzalez, born in Sunnyside, WA and grew up in the Skagit Valley in a family of farmworkers. She attended Madison Elementary, Laventure Middle School, and Mount Vernon High School. She worked as a paraprofessional and after school coordinator for 17 years, before graduating from Western Washington University in 2015, and now teaches English and Spanish.
La maestra María Cortés-Zamora is a proud granddaughter of farmworkers and an immigrant from Colombia. She obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Washington University and joined the Laventure family in 2013. She is passionate about teaching Social Studies in Spanish. The three work in solidarity to bring a social justice focus to their teaching, supporting their students to develop critical consciousness in the journey to become intellectual warriors.