On Friday, Nov. 20, middle and high school students passionate about advocating and supporting undocumented and mixed-status individuals gathered at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) for a youth leadership training session.
The Youth Leadership Institute, a statewide youth empowerment organization that promotes social justice and racial equity, developed this session with Ruby Acosta Macaraeg, SMCOE’s coordinator of advocacy and partnerships.
For Macaraeg, helping provide resources for immigrants is personal, as a first-generation individual from a family of immigrants.
“With these executive orders that are targeted towards specific groups of people, it’s even more important to be able to support those families. Because for me, growing up and for my family, there wasn’t a lot of support,” Macaraeg said.
Andrea Gil, a senior program coordinator at the Youth Leadership Institute, led the session, informing students of their rights if approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and explaining ways to advocate for immigrant communities.
From 2 to 4 p.m., students practiced calling the Rapid Response Hotline in the case of ICE contact or sightings, learned about red cards created by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center that outline constitutional rights, and discussed the importance of youth empowerment.
Parkside Intermediate School student Mason Hampton said his favorite part was learning about the power of youth.
“A lot of kids don’t really have that much power, and I think we have a chance to have more,” Hampton said.
To increase accessibility, the session offered transportation, translation in multiple languages, as well as support for students with disabilities.
The session ended with students drafting a public comment, a statement submitted from the public to a government agency to provide input on a specific issue.
Gil said that with other institutional spaces currently under attack for holding similar sessions, it is even more important now to maintain safe, open spaces for youth.
“Us as an organization being able to create spaces like this where different young people from different schools can come together and just unpack what they’re feeling, what they’re communities are dealing with. Especially for those at the forefront, our immigrants and mixed-status youth,” Gil said.
Gil said she hopes to make a difference in supporting mixed-status and undocumented individuals by continuing to host safe spaces.
“The big part when you host sessions like this is that folks are able to be their true selves and represent who they are,” Gil said. “And so that’s where I would just continue hoping, so that’s what I can do for my community, is just create workshops like this.”
