Youth Advocates Initiative
Youth Advocates and LMR staff at our first Youth Advocate Collective Meeting
We believe that our community has the right to have agency over the decisions that shape our environment and lives. To build an equitable society, our story must be told and our community’s contributions need to be recognized and honored by all. We believe in building personal and community power together by creating and normalizing a culture of advocacy to change those systems that historically have marginalized us.
Our youth are the next generation of advocates who are creating a generational and cultural shift by highlighting the history of marginalized communities to give context to present day disparities.
Mission
To change the systems that have disinvested our community, we strive to empower our young leaders to share our history so that it is known by our community and the communities we coexist with. To build advocacy, we inform our young leaders on the issues our community faces to create opportunities for the next generation to make change happen. The foundation of our work is rooted in a school to social justice pipeline, which provides young leaders the necessary skills and values to fundamentally improve those systems.
The Little Manila Rising Youth Advocates program facilitates community spaces and builds cohorts of youth focused on social justice issues. Through these cohorts, we provide historic and subject-specific education, professional development, platforms for advocacy, and employment opportunities so that young leaders can remain in our community by building meaningful careers serving the people around them and improving their world.
Current Programs
Youth Advocates for Environmental Justice
As a part of the Transformative Climate Communities, these Youth Advocates work to educate and engage the community in climate action.
Past Programs
Youth Advocates for the Census 2020
These Youth Advocates worked to develop culturally relevant workshops to help Stockton hard to count communities complete the 2020 Census.
Youth Advocates for Sustainable Communities
These Youth Advocates work to highlight the voices and needs of our community through the 2022 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Youth Advocates for Healing P.U.S.O
These Youth Advocates aim to heal our community from social, historical, intergenerational and racial trauma through holistic health and healing opportunities that align with the social justice, human-centered values and cultural traditions of our community.
Youth Advocates for Immigration Rights and Protections
The Youth Advocates for Immigration Rights and Protections increased awareness and engagement around Immigration Rights and Protections in Stockton.
Youth Advocates for Health Equity: D.A.W.N
As part of the D.A.W.N. (Decreasing Asthma Within Neighborhoods) Asthma Mitigation Program, these Youth Advocates empower our South Stockton community by expanding their existing knowledge on asthma and engaging them in social justice & advocacy to live longer & healthier lives.
Our Current and Past Advocates
Gloria Alonso
AZ Banguis
James Banh
Julius Buyco
Maria Martinez Castro
Anahit Corona
Kirsten De Jesus
Danica Forondo
Karlaine Francisco
Arshdeep Gill
Charis Guerzo
Amina Harding
Luna Jimenez
Spencer Longoria
Lailaly Mandujano
Sophia Martinez
Zeanne Martinez
Analyn Montilla
Chau Anh Nguyen
Oluchi Njoku
Annette Onate
Jessica Perez
Perri Perez
Aleen Phimpha
Mylea Phou
Cynthia Pinto-Cabrera
Raziel Ramil
John Reitenbach
Jerome Robles
Shane Rodriguez
Rain Romeo
Eden Salcedo
Jaelyn Sanidad
Maliha Shahzad
Jasleen Sihota
Kimberly Tablit
Glenabel Toreno
Angel Tovar
David Wang
Joshua Zatarain
DM us on instagram @lmadvocates if you have any questions!