A group of 10 students are set to become Holyoke’s newest community leaders on a renewed city Youth Commission.
The announcement came at a youth conference focused on uplifting young voices, where aspiring teens from across the Pioneer Valley gathered at Holyoke High School on Friday.
Organized by Enlace de Familias and a group of 25 students who participated in a six-month leadership training course, attendees sat in on a multitude of impactful workshops ranging from civic engagement to transformative justice.
They also immersed themselves in art with activities like jewelry-making, and the bomba y 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 survey collection, Enlace de Familias Executive Director Frank Martinez Lopez – who was also involved in commissions and conferences in his youth – found that much of Holyoke’s youth do not view leadership past their inner circles of parents or teachers. He hopes initiatives like these will help kids to understand the workings of the city council, mayor and other public actors.
“Out of this, we're hoping that they can make friends, be able to create new leaders, and hopefully create those leaders down the road that we're hoping to see 10 to 15 years down the road,” he said.
Among the issues the teens hope to address, many of them pointed to their interests in tackling city cleanliness, crime and violence, and ensuring voices are heard.
Conference coordinator Betty Medina Lichtenstein said there were a few different areas the conference sought to cover, including connecting meaningfully to youth impacted by incarceration.
“We want them to see that there are other paths, which was the purpose of the keynote speaker [Anthony Valentine] this morning about [creating] your story, and you might fall a thousand times, but keep on getting up and keep your vision,” she said. “That's your story.”
Sixteen year-old Yaneliz Lopez, one of the 25 students who participated in the training course, said she was shy at the beginning. But after some encouragement from mentors and speaking with public leaders, “It boosted my confidence,” she said.
Jaylynn Rentas, 21, attended the event through a MassHire youth program. She hopes the revitalized youth commission will put attention towards student engagement.
“I think we're kind of lacking the connection between certain administration or teachers to certain kids that belong to the Latinx community. They feel a bit misunderstood, and that's unfortunately why they act out or they don't want to be [there],” she said. “So I really hope that they can build a bridge between administration and students, because that'll make them want to come to school and get the graduation they deserve.”
To celebrate the day, the event concluded with a block party and the announcement of the appointed youth commissioners. Mayor Joshua Garcia – also a former youth commissioner years ago – attended the event.
Rentas, who graduated from Holyoke High School in 2021, added that she wishes this event were available to her in high school.
“I really hope that they take away as much as they can, because it's some strong stuff that'll follow them into adulthood,” she said.
