FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marco Garduno
(773) 383-2166
mgarduno@aliviomedicalcenter.org
Alivio Medical Center and NCLR will host leadership and education event for Chicago youth
CHICAGO—Alivio Medical Center and NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will bring together more than 100 local youth on Saturday, February 25, for the convening of the “2012 Alivio Medical Center’s Leadership Youth Conference.” The program, which will start at 9:00 a.m. at the Arturo Velasquez Institute—the satellite campus of Richard J. Daley College, located at 2800 S. Western Avenue—will feature workshops on youth wellness, youth leadership, and education.
The keynote speaker will be Rudy Lozano Jr., a candidate for State Representative for the 21st District and a leader for immigrant youth and workers’ rights. All workshops will be conducted by the Alivio Medical Center Affiliate Youth Leadership Committee, which includes youth leaders from local high schools who were selected to be part of the Líderes Empowered grant program.
The Chicago Líderes Congreso is the final event of a series of youth conferences that were held throughout the country as part of NCLR’s youth leadership program, Líderes Empowered, which equips and inspires young Latinos to become leaders and youth advocates for positive change in their communities.
“It is very important that youth are provided opportunities to gain valuable information and grow their leadership qualities. We hope that through the Chicago Congreso, participating youth will learn the importance of becoming active members of their communities and agents of positive change,” said Marco Garduno, Alivio Medical Center youth programs coordinator.
“Young people want to become more involved in their communities and can accomplish a great deal with their energy and enthusiasm. The workshops offered through the Líderes Congresos will help them gain skills to become advocates for their communities and advance their own academic and professional goals,” said Berenice Bonilla, NCLR Líderes Manager.
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. at Arturo Velasquez Institute, and the conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All youth ages 14–25 are welcome to attend the event free of charge; breakfast and lunch will be provided. For more information, or to make a reservation, please contact Marco Garduno at (773) 383-2166 or mgarduno@aliviomedicalcenter.org.
The Congreso is made possible through support from Sodexo and ConAgra Foods, Líderes programmatic partners.
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About Alivio Medical Center
Alivio Medical Center, primarily serving Pilsen, South Lawndale, and its new location in the town of Cicero, provides a multitude of medical and health care programs for uninsured, working-poor families and individuals who historically have no access to health care due to language and cultural barriers, intimidation by health care institutions, little awareness of available resources, and concern about immigration status. Consequently, health promotion, health education, and preventive health care are integral parts of Alivio’s comprehensive programs. To meet the special needs of the immigrant population, all of Alivio’s providers are bilingual and bicultural. All patients receive medical care regardless of their ability to pay.
About Líderes
NCLR’s Líderes Initiative is a national program created to increase opportunities for Latino youth to maximize their influence as leaders in the United States. Through a wide range of leadership development and civic engagement efforts, Líderes empowers, equips, and enables young Latinos to serve as agents of positive social change. The Congreso is made possible by support from Sodexo and ConAgra Foods, a Líderes Programmatic Partner. For more information about Líderes, visit http://lideres.nclr.org or email bbonilla@nclr.org.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.