Youth
RAZAS UNITED YOUTH GROUP
Razas United is the name of the youth group created by the Hispanic American Council. Razas United, has been meeting since November 2008. At that time the group consisted of about 12 youths. The youths would meet at the council after school. They would have group discussions of different topics like education, work, and other topics. On January 2009, the concept of the group became more organized with thoughts on what the youths wanted to accomplish. The youth directors decided on a basic curriculum that would best benefit the youth group. On February 2009 the group designated Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to meet.
Razas United’s numbers of participants have swelled from 12 to about 80 young people of different ethnic backgrounds, ages, schools and family backgrounds. Razas United has participants ranging from ages 10 to 26. The after-school meetings consist of group discussions, team-building activities, journaling, guest speaker presentations, arts and crafts and project planning. Lori Mercedes, Program Coordinator oversees the group in collaboration with youth group leaders, Ricardo Zuniga, Estevan Juarez and Harmony Durden. Our team meets with the youths after group sessions, providing thoughts and suggestions on the group’s ideas and project planning, job shadowing opportunities and mentoring them on the inner workings of the Council and the networking opportunities with other organizations and institutions in the Kalamazoo area.
The Youth Group Leaders and Support Group
Etevan, Ricardo and Harmony facilitate the weekly after-school meetings. All three are soon to be college students who live on the Southside of Kalamazoo and are volunteering their time to give back to the community. They are instrumental in reaching out and meeting with other community leaders and institutions, such as the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, WMU, City Commissioner Don Cooney, ISAAC and the Boys and Girls Club of Kalamazoo among others in an effort to implement and execute fundraising projects and other community service activities. The three youth leaders have taken advantage of opportunities to learn and be mentored by different community leaders.
A primary component of the youth group is trauma/recovery support group sessions run by the Hispanic American Council board member Lissette Mira–Amaya and Sister Rose Mary of the Dioceses of Kalamazoo. Lissette facilitates group discussions and activities to help the youth overcome issues and obstacles that have impacted their lives in a negative way.
Guest Speakers
On May 2009, Juan Pacheco from Barrios Unidos, a well renowned community activist and youth advocator from Virginia (who is a former gang member) came to Kalamazoo and spoke to the students at Maple Street Magnet School, Kalamazoo Central High School and the youth group of the Council. Kalamazoo Public Safety officers; Dr. Michael Rice, the Superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools Kevin Smith, and Media Consultant Debra Warfield have also been guest speakers. On July 2009, with the support from the Arcus foundation, 11 members of Razas United accompanied members ISAAC to New York to participate in an intense community organizing training.
National Night Out
Razas United worked with Public Safety to host a National Night Out event where the residents of the Edison Neighborhood were able to interact with officers and see displays and exhibits brought by the bomb squad, the fire department and many others. At this event there was a particular officer who saw Estevan Juarez and heard of all the positive things he was involved in and how Estevan has turned his life around. This officer couldn’t believe the change in Estevan, because he remembered Estevan as a teenage terror on the streets. The officer congratulated him on his successful turnaround.
Edison Hoops - 3 on 3 Hoop League
Razas United worked in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club and City Commissioner Don Cooney on the Friday Night Edison Summer Hoops Project, which will take place again this coming summer. This project reaches out to male youths in the Edison neighborhood to participate in this athletic activity so they can be off of the streets. This is a 3-on-3 hoops league with two age groupings; ages 12 – 14 and 15 -20. There were about 75 young men who participated last summer. Both facilities of the Hispanic American Council and Boys and Girls Club were used to host this project that spanned over the course of eight weeks. This was a free event and prizes were awarded to the two teams that finished with the best record.
DANCE GROUP
