Building a Brighter Future
Working Together for Latino Children
On May 25–26, 2011, NCLR hosted “Building a Brighter Future: Working Together for Latino Children and Youth.” This convening brought together 100 children and youth advocates to discuss how the current legislative landscape may affect their work and to lay the groundwork for a Latino children’s advocacy network. Attendees heard from speakers representing different sectors of the government and numerous Latino and child advocacy organizations. Speaker highlights included remarks by:
- Representative Chaka Fattah (D–PA)
- Martha Moorehouse, Ph.D., Director, Division of Children and Youth Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Roberto J. Rodríguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy, White House Domestic Policy Council
- Kristen Grimm, President, Spitfire Strategies
- Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus
During the first day, attendees participated in breakout sessions designed to help communicate the importance of investing in Latino children as part of a broader advocacy strategy. Breakouts included:
- Partnering with Youth to Get Your Message Across
- Talking about Race in Your Work
- Using Data Effectively to Get Your Point Across
- Creating Effective Messages
The second day of the convening brought attendees together to discuss the need for a Latino children and youth advocacy network and what the network should focus on. Overall, attendees felt that a network should focus on creating a cohesive voice for Latino children and provide information and advocacy opportunities for Latino child advocates.
View the notes from the May 26 roundtables:
- Partnering with Youth to Get Your Message Across - Tolu Olubunmi, Policy and Communications Consultant, Ada Consulting
- Talking about Race in Your Work - Joanna Shoffner Scott, Ph.D., Vice President, Government Affairs and Equity Programs, Voices for America s Children
- Using Data to Communicate Your Message - Vanessa Cárdenas, Director, Progress 2050, Center for American Progress
- Using Data Effectively to Get Your Point Across - Patricia Foxen, Ph.D., Associate Director of Research, NCLR
- Creating Effective Messages - Joe Gleason, Founder, The Gleason Group
To view the full agenda, click here.
Building a Brighter Future: Working Together for Latino Children and Youth Convening in the News
