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LAYC's Computer Certifications program was featured in a Fox 5 (WTTG) story about Microsoft's Elevate America program.  A video can be viewed by clicking on the link below.  Congratulations to Abner Soto, Hyo Kyung Park, and Veronica Vasquez.

The full story and video can be viewed here.

Kumera with Gassette Miles and a teacher from St. Andrew's Secondary School in Spanish Town.

Kumera Genet, an assistant site coordinator at the Latin American Youth Center, recently traveled to Jamaica to attend the launch of OBRA, a new initiative in the Caribbean and Latin America that will improve the education and employment prospects of underserved youth. Here is his account of his experience.

I recently had the honor of attending the OBRA Launch event and conference in Kingston, Jamaica. OBRA is a new initiative from the International Youth Foundation and USAID which looks to ensure that youth in the Americas are properly educated and prepared to lead healthy, safe and productive lives. The goal is to create a program that would increase the employability and skills of 1,000 youth. The program will be piloted over the next two years in Jamaica, Peru, and Guatemala.

The participants of the conference were selected from several organizations in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. I am especially grateful to the Jamaican people for the respect and hospitality they showed to our delegation. It was great to meet colleagues from around the hemisphere, and learn about their work, challenges, and successes. 

Sharing a word with the teacher at St. Andew's Secondary School in Spanish Town.

While at the conference, I had the opportunity to speak as a part of the Youth Discussion Panel.  I presented about the particular challenges facing youth in North America.  As a relatively new youth developer it was motivational to share my own stories and experiences both as a youth who grew up in an urban area, and as an adult who works to improve the lives of my students.

My favorite part of the trip actually occurred after the conference ended. I had the opportunity to conduct a site visit in Spanish Town (a suburb of Kingston).  Accompanied by my fellow youth panelist and Spanish Town resident Gassette Miles, I visited Children's First Youth Ministry and two secondary schools.  After such an intense conference, it was great to actually meet and interact with the young people of Jamaica.

The nail painting table at the Really Though? launch party.

LAYC's Community Advocates recently hosted a block party to kick off the Really Though? campaign against underage drinking. More than 50 members of the community gathered for the outdoor event, which included a raffle for prizes, music, free food, and lots of dancing. 

During the event, Community Advocates educated the community about the amount of alcohol in different types of beverages, and painted nails and spray painted hair to promote the campaign's neon green color scheme. Additionally, a group of Community Advocates assembled to perform a flash mob, or spontaneous dance routine, to raise awareness for the campaign. At the conclusion of the flash mob, audience members cheered for the Advocates, impressed by their outstanding performance. 

For the past two months, LAYC's Prevention Team has been working closely with the Community Advocates to coordinate the Really Though? campaign and plan, advertise, and host the launch party. After surveying members of the community in early June, LAYC's Community Advocates identified underage drinking as the focus of their campaign.  Then, members of the Community Advocates' public relations (PR) team reached out to radio stations and media outlets to raise awareness and learn about how to advertise the launch party.  The time and effort the PR team put into advertising the launch party certainly paid off, as the event was a huge success.  

When asked why Community Advocates chose the name Really Though?, Keilah, a member of the PR team, explained, "We wanted a name that would be relevant to youth today.  Really Though? made sense because it is what young people might say if they saw a person who was drunk and falling over at a party." 

Julissa, another member of the PR team, added, "The purpose of the campaign is to educate others about the responsibilities that come with drinking so that if someone is in a situation where alcohol is present, he or she will think twice about it."

To learn more about the Really Though? campaign and the ways you can get involved, please visit the Really Though? blog here.

Comcast, One Economy, and the Latin American Youth Center were featured in Forbes.com.  The article speaks of the ceremony held at LAYC were the Digital Connectors graduated from their year-long program in computer technology.  To read the article click on the link below:

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/2010/06/30/prnewswire201006301233PR_NEWS_USPR_____PH29098.html?partner=email