Day 2

After spending the morning looking for a place to have breakfast that wasn’t 1. very expensive or 2. had a long wait line we finally settled on Starbucks (ironically one of the major sponsors for NCLR) we arrived for an opening check-in with the Lideres staff. 

A “breakthrough improv” performance welcomed us to the second day of the summit and after a few jokes and laugh we moved to our first workshop. This time I chose “Mobilizing youth in 2009: Your Role in the Path to Immigration Reform”

A workshop that spoke to the importance of realizing our rights as Latinos and human beings. How Latino youth can be important, passionate and powerful advocates in the immigration debate. Going as far back as Reagan's administration we were given the facts about “the state of immigration reform in this nation. More and more I saw ways in which every person living in the United States IS affected by immigration and only when we stop looking at immigration as a “color” issue can we move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. I was so proud to be in a room with so many youth who felt immigration reform was one of the most important issues facing our community and wanting to be part of the fight.

The last workshop I attended at the Lideres Summit was “Spending to survive: you and your credit card” A workshop that presented some very important information about credit card debt and the Latino community. 

Fact: The average level of debt of a high school graduate (outside of tuition loans) is 3500. This is just in credit card debt. 

Fact: Credit Card Companies use “freebies” or gifts as well as “Special APR’s” that can jump up 10 or even 20% for no reason at all. 

Fact: Credit Card Companies want to get into your wallet and will do everything and anything (even giving out pizza) to get into it.

This workshop proved useful, not just to my personal life, but also for the lives of so many of my friends who are beginning to apply for credit back home. I hope to share this information so that they can make better decisions about their credit safety.

After a short reception that night with some more words from our sponsors and some salsa dancing I performed in front of the Lideres Youth as well as adults in the Lideres talet showcase. My performance which was recorded by Sarah, and posted Here, was one that I had never performed in front of such a big group. Thanks Sarah for being so quick to post the vid.

I was so happy to represent myself, AFY and my community with the words that I spoke. Immediately after my slam people who I had yet to meet came up to ask for copies to post on their organizations site and even an NCLR exec told me she would put it on their website.  With another night over I retreated to my room for some down time. So happy to finally have a couple hours to myself before bed.

Ernesto