CURRENT AGE: 20
LATINO YOUTH COLLECTIVE
Even though Cari Morales, 19, grew up in the United States, she speaks with a slight Hispanic accent, reflecting her fidelity to her heritage. Morales, who is studying business economics and public policy at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, still volunteers and takes action with an organization she joined back in high school – the Latino Youth Collective.
What was once the El Puente project, an initiative to provide emotional support and resources for Latino youth in Indianapolis, the Latino Youth Collective has evolved into much more. In high school, Morales often organized meetings during which college professors would speak to youth about community development and immigration laws. As time went on, she participated in LYC’s most ambitious project: documentaries. Produced mainly by youth, these short videos aim to spread awareness about the Latino community.
“It’s amazing really because these documentaries are produced by people ages from 11 years old to 30,” Morales said.
In all of her involvement with the LYC, Morales said learning how to use media and technology properly has been the most significant lesson. “It’s like a blessing really for what we can do with the media,” she said. In her opinion, the future of immigration reform lies in the ability of youth to spread the word through different methods.
Are you able to balance your studies with activism?
Oh yeah. For example, yesterday we just had a presentation about the DREAM Act, and people from Indianapolis came to IU to present. I think youth should get involved in the DREAM Act, but more so to spread awareness among other cultures and not just Latinos.
Do you think that youth should get more involved with immigration activism?
I think youth should do whatever they set their minds to. If they have a problem with something in the community and they see a need to change, they need to take action for it. Before they do that, they need to become more educated.
What does immigration reform mean to you?
Fixing our current system. It means trying to make change and trying to avoid these terms put out by media, like illegal immigrants or undocumented immigrants. It’s the land of the free, land of opportunity. It’s about equality, right?
Copyright 2009 Y-Press