Lideres Summit aims to inspire Latino leaders
Jorge Cabadas is all but willing to wager money that anyone who attends the 2009 Lideres Summit, taking place in less than three weeks in Chicago, will find true inspiration.
"You are going to hear from all the people from all across the country, and you will find your motivation," said the 22-year-old senior at Aurora University. "You will find something that hits you hard, and you will want to work for that."
The summit, scheduled for July 24-28, is the yearly conference of the Lideres Initiative of the Washington, D.C.-based National Council of La Raza.
The Lideres Initiative has nine satellite offices, including one in Chicago, and its mission is to maximize leadership opportunities for young Latinos, said Berenice Bonilla, coordinator of the Lideres Initiative.
This year, the summit's town hall event on Sunday, July 26, will be about how to use the power of new media like blogs, Facebook and Craigslist to promote student-based movements or get plugged into them, Bonilla said.
The summit takes place at McCormick Place West in Chicago, in conjunction with NCLR's yearly conference, which is scheduled for July 25-28 at the same location.
Eira Corral, who was elected Hanover Park clerk in April and is a past winner of the Lideres essay contest, will be the guest speaker at the welcome dinner on Friday, July 24.
Jorge Cabadas has attended the Lideres Summit for the last three years, the first time in Los Angeles during his freshman year, and the last two in San Diego and Miami as a staff member for NCLR.
Every time, he is amazed at the people he meets, he said. "You will definitely meet someone you connect to by attending the workshops and the groups. It truly is for everybody."
The cost of the four-day conference is $275, but one-day attendance for Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, is $70 a day. Attendance is free for youth ages 14 to 25 for any of the non-meal events, which include the new media forum and a variety of workshops on topics such as immigration reform, teen dating violence and financial aid, Bonilla said.
The summit will include a videoblogging project that will allow people to check out the event online after the fact, Bonilla said.
Organizers expect to attract about 450 students and young community leaders.
To register, visit lideres.nclr.org or nclr.org/conference. For information, call (800) 311-6257 or e-mail conference@nclr.org.
Anyone who is interested in joining Lideres can e-mail Berenice Bonilla at bbonilla@nclr.org.