New leaders in Holyoke: Western Mass. Youth Conference. announces 10 youth commissioners

A group of 10 students are poised to become Holyoke’s new community leaders on a revamped city youth commission.

The announcement was made at a youth conference focused on elevating youth voices, where aspiring teens from across the Pioneer Valley gathered Friday at Holyoke High School.

Organized by Enlace de Familias and a group of 25 students who participated in a six-month leadership training, participants attended a host of impactful workshops ranging from civic engagement to transformative justice.

They also delved into art with activities like jewelry making and bomb and plena dance traditions of Puerto Rico.

The event was funded in part by a grant from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, MassHire Holyoke and Enlace de Familias.

Through a survey, Frank Martinez Lopez, executive director of Enlace de Familias, who also participated in commissions and conferences in his youth, discovered that a large portion of Holyoke’s young people do not see leadership in- beyond their intimate circle of parents or teachers. He hopes initiatives like these will help children understand how the city council, mayor and other public actors work.

“We hope that from there they can make friends, be able to create new leaders and hopefully create those leaders in the future that we hope to see in 10 to 15 years,” he said.

Among the issues the teens hope to address, many of them highlighted an interest in tackling clean cities, crime and violence, and ensuring voices are heard.

Conference coordinator Betty Medina Lichtenstein said the conference seeks to cover several different areas, including building meaningful connections with youth impacted by incarceration.

“We want them to see that there are other paths, which was the point of the keynote speaker (Anthony Valentine) this morning about (creating) your story, and you might fall a thousand times, but keep pushing. get up and keep your vision,” she said. “It’s your story.”

Yaneliz Lopez, 16, one of 25 students who participated in the training, said she was shy at first. But after being encouraged by mentors and speaking with public leaders, “it boosted my confidence,” she said.

Jaylynn Rentas, 21, attended the event as part of a MassHire youth program. She hopes the revitalized youth commission will draw attention to student engagement.

“I think we lack a connection between certain administrations or certain teachers and certain children belonging to the Latino community. They feel a little misunderstood, and that’s unfortunately why they act inappropriately or don’t want to be there,” she said. “So I really hope that they can create a bridge between the administration and the students, because that will make them want to come to school and get the diploma that they deserve.” »

To celebrate the day, the event ended with a block party and the announcement of the new youth commissioners. Mayor Joshua Garcia, also a former youth commissioner a few years ago, attended the event.

Rentas, a 2021 Holyoke High School graduate, added that she wanted this event to be available to her at high school.

“I really hope they get as much out of it as possible because it’s powerful stuff that will stick with them into adulthood,” she said.