IYEC Closing

Alas, all good things must come to an end and the conference is no
different. A lot of people learned important information today that
hopefully will empower them and pass the info along to others. I
myself had a great ol' time and was moved to see soo many people coming
to support.

Ohhhh and I neglected to mention that at the end they gave away three $300 scholarships to students in attendance. Two high school and one for Jr College. The cooler thing is that one the winners was with the group I attended the conference with. Sweet.

A HUGE BIG UPS to IDEAS for putting on this shin dig and for all of
the volunteers and allies that made it possible. They're work is not
in vain. Over the conference was great. Personally, they didn't teach
me anything new but I'm an exception. This was more beneficial for
other people and students barely learning about AB 540 and what's
going on. Things are chinging for the better to say the least. Fight
the power and Viva Mexico cabrones !!!!!

~ con safos ~

IYEC Workshop: $$$$$

When I was walking around school, i found this beheaded, inside out
squirl. Freaks. Anyway, this scholarship was again more helpful for
others than it was for me because I'm some plugged in to things. They
gave a quick history of AB 540 again and the differences in $$ for the
different colleges. Parents were in there and they got the most
information from all the workshops. They explained information about
the ITIN and how private schools sometimes give full rides to
students. The ITIN can also be used on some scholarships when you ask
them about it first.

They talked about husstling and getting sponcership from local
businesses and friends. They gave info for organizations that give
students scholarships and of course more networking. One presenter
explained how she made a resume and went business to business asking
people for contributions and sponcership. Another made stock of
herself and had people literally invest in her. Selling food was also
a great idea that was pushed.
~ con safos ~

IYEC Workshops & Food

So after hearing some powerful and EMPOWERING speeches it was time to get to the needy, gritty. Workshops. There are eight in total giving information about the DREAM Act, helping parents help their kids, financial aid, networking, staring support groups, a lawyer answering questions about immigration and even media training. I ended up at a workshop for jr college students transfering to a university.

Personally, I didn't learn anything new in terms of what I'm doing, but it helped inform other students there. IDEAS members hosted the workshops and brought a great personal touch by sharing their experiences. So here's a quick run down.
• networking with class mates and friends
• knowing what resources are available to you at your school and take advantage of them.
• borrow and be creative on your books. Make copies. Do what you have to and save $$$$
• expect a splash of cold water to the face when you get into a uni. Not only in terms of culture shock for some of us, but the wY classes are, the work required of you and balancing life at the same time.
• ignore all the stereotypes of going to a jr. college because we all take different roads. A jc is sometimes the best way to save $$$$ and be prepared for the changes.
• communicate with advisors and staff at schools and seeing if you can qualify for services like EOPS and fee waivers that the school can waive if they choose to.

The next workshop I'm going to is media training. I don't think they'll show me anything new, but it's still worth checking out. I also found out that they'll be screening the "An Unfinished Dream," which I am in !!!! Ohh and the meet balls were delish. Stay tuned folks. A fellow ab 540 blogger just joined me. She's scaring the little girl in front of her.

~ con safos ~

IYEC Workshop: Media training

Nancy did a great job of leading this workshop. Course it's no
surprise since we both come from ELAC. I attended this workshop
because it has my name written all over it. Media. I liked that Nancy
used humor and was interactive with everyone in the crowd. She gave a
nice break down of how students can answer questions for the media or
anyone who may take them by surprise and ask them about the DREAM Act.

She helped them develope good answers and more importantly helped them
know the importance of being informed. She focused on hot button
questions that try to blow the DREAM Act outta the water. So again,
nothing new for me, but it was informative to everyone else.

~ con safos ~

Immigrant Youth Empowerment Conference live

Well not necessarily LIVE per say, but I'll be posting from the IYEC
here @ UCLA. It started and thus far I had a tour of the campus and
the opening remarks are going on. History of the support group IDEAS @
UCLA, little history about the DREAM Act, pioneer Tam Tran and Kent
Wong empowering the crowd. I got word that more than 500 people
registered and the place is packed to say the least. It's quite a
sight too see soo many students and allies in one place working for
the same goal.
~ con safos ~

Don't judge a book by its cover

Something I am guilty of doing. Live and learn right ? Anywho, I saw
this sticker on my way to the bus stop today as I was leaving school.
It's good to see that people are challenging and getting people think
beyond what's infront of them. I'm not saying that the prez is lying
of anything like that. My personal understanding is that he is a black
man who came up through the heavely Anglo American system. He's from
that mind set like other politicians. People are putting too much hope
in him when they should be out there making things happen. Every
little bit countsin the end. We can't expect anyone else to help us if
we can't help ourselves.
~ con safos ~