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Posted on
02/02/2012 7:57 PM EST
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Place for youth to engage in healthy dialogue
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Evy Valencia
Seventy-five young Latinas met a few weeks ago to talk about ¡Cuídate! (Take Care of Yourself)—the theme was chosen to start a dialogue with youth around engaging in healthy behaviors, practices and relationships, and other issues that affect young Latinas, our families and allies. The Latina Health Summit (LHS) is a space that was created by Latinas for Latinas and their allies, to learn about and engage in dialogue around reproductive justice, policies that affect our community, how to get involved, and self-care in interactive and engaging workshops led by community activists and other youth leaders. In other words, this is not your typical health event with lectures and free cholesterol testing – this is a life-changing experience.
This year was our 6th Health Summit, and unlike previous years, we opened the space to Latina youth outside of Colorado – we welcomed friends from: California, New Mexico and Montana to join the dialogue. Through relationships that we’ve made at other conferences and meetings, we have built a network of young women who are passionate, vibrant and enthusiastic. Organized by Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), a Latina run and serving organization, the workshops and dialogue focused on participants’ mind, body and soul, creating a safe space for Latinas, and building community.
As a student at University of Colorado in Boulder, I was looking to volunteer at an organization that shared my values. The first year I attended LHS I worked as a volunteer and was able to attend several of the workshops. I have worked on clinical and community side, and I felt that, at COLOR, brought it all together. At the first Summit, we talked about building community and advocating for reproductive justice – it brought everything full circle. The topics really catered to young Latinas – workshop topics such as advocacy and organizing for comprehensive sexuality education and reproductive health were culturally-sound and on topics that mattered to me. I had never been in a space that catered to my identity or cultural background like this summit did, it was exciting.
The Latina Health Summit made a significant impact in my life and introduced me to a group of amazing women. This year, I knew I had to get more involved as a member of the planning committee. However, I had no idea how challenging planning the conference would be. Despite working with talented, hard-working staff and committee members, we quickly realized that organizing a meeting of this size is not easy. From sponsorship to recruitment, despite the strong participation and support we have with community, it required a lot of effort. We also wanted to bring in I GOT THIS, a new project of COLOR, that bridges youth’s love of social media with leadership development and comprehensive sex education and awareness.
By the day of the conference our hard work had paid off and everything came together. We were able to learn from previous years of planning and successfully extend LHS from a one- to three-day conference. Our hope as a planning committee was that we had created a space that was safe, where all identities can be present and active and celebrated, and one that was intergenerational. Personally, I was honored to be a part of the committee and to see what we created. As we sat down for breakfast on day two, I saw my past, present and future – from my sorority sisters whom introduced me to COLOR to the youth that I work with in Longmont to the women of COLOR and board members, we shared food and conversation and built community.
The sight of the summit in full swing was truly transformative– to see Latina youth both learn about issues that affect their health and learn more about themselves. Witnessing youth who were strangers become friends and the connections grow between our elders and youth inspired me. That is the kind of space that COLOR fosters – one that provides an intergenerational space and opportunities for mentorship. It is a space that works in and with the Latino community to have a positive impact on young women.
I left the third day of the Latina Health Summit feeling empowered. Having the opportunity to plan an event that was able to reach our community, not just in the state, but regionally was amazing. We could celebrate that we had provided an event that was powerful and impactful. I look forward to starting planning for next year’s Latina Health Summit. If you have an interest in helping to plan the event, email Ade Lupe Vargas at adelupe@colorlatina.org.
©2012 The Weekly Issue/El Semanario, Inc.
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