Chicago, IL – More than 200 students in the Chicago metropolitan area are expected at the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) upcoming Líderes Congreso sponsored by Sodexho and co-sponsored by Association House, Erie Neighborhood House, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Latino Coalition for Prevention, Little Village Community Development Corporation, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, Aurora University, Elgin Community College, Morton College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Elgin High School. The event will take place on Saturday, September 30 at Harold Washington College, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is invited to be the closing speaker for the event.

The Líderes Congreso is a one-day conference that will bring together many of Chicago’s exemplary Latino high school and college students to exchange ideas and learn about issues affecting their communities, such as higher education, career development, financial literacy, advocacy, and the “DREAM Act.” The event nurtures leadership development through hands-on workshops and culminates in the creation of an action plan to address issues that affect Chicago’s Hispanic communities. At the end, several student groups are awarded and receive technical and financial support to pursue their initiative.

NCLR is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Its Líderes Congresos are held throughout the country by NCLR’s Líderes Initiative. The Initiative also manages the Líderes Network, which consists of 500 organizations and more than 5,000 young leaders and advocates for Latino youth. Líderes Network members attend the Congresos. For more information, go to http://lideres.nclr.org/.

All members of the media interested in attending and/or scheduling an interview please contact Diana Tejada at (202) 785-1670 or dtejada@nclr.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY

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