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  • The diverse faces of Merced’s future

    September 22, 2016 /

    Perhaps most importantly, the Youth Council provides Merced’s teens with an opportunity to represent their fellow youth. By building up their leadership skills, the program is empowering many to consider how they’ll wield that voice in the future.

    diversity  government  Merced Youth Council  spotlight  youth  Youth Council  

  • Merced in a ‘Drought’ When It Comes to Youth Employment

    September 15, 2016 /

    The opportunities for employment available to young people within Merced are very limited, said Michelle Xiong, youth coordinator with Building Health Communities Merced. Besides working in the fast food industry, very few jobs are marketed to teens and young adults.

    merced  spotlight  unemployment  youth  youth disengagement  

  • Recognizing Faith in the Valley

    September 15, 2016 /

    Messages promoting better access to health care, educational opportunities and minority representation among local government bodies also made an appearance but the key issue for many leaders was an end to the criminalization and incarceration of minority communities.

    central valley  Faith in the Valley  FIV  One people one fight  PICO  social justice  spotlight  

  • Second Chances are the key to stopping Mass Incarceration.

    July 30, 2016 /

    My uncle was incarcerated at the age of 14 and he has never come back home. A crime landed him in the prison system right after he was released from Y.A. This is the reality of so many young people, and we are not doing enough to change this.

    #SchoolsnotPrisons  jail  juveniles  mass incarceration  second chances  spotlight  youth  Youth Authority  

  • We’Ced Weighs in: #BlackLivesMatter & Police Brutality

    July 21, 2016 /

    The Black Lives Matter movement is important because it is giving a voice to people who have been oppressed, marginalized, and silenced for too long. Enough is enough. It’s time for the ‘Blue Wall of Silence’ to be torn down. This wall is what enables police brutality

    black lives matter  justice for all  law enforcement  police brutality  spotlight  

  • Undocumented America: What Lies Ahead

    June 29, 2016 /

    Unresponsive at first, the full impact of the decision settled in and I was devastated. I sat down and watched Univision -- they were interviewing all of the disappointed parents and Dreamers. Seeing their heartbroken faces and frustrations hit me hard. It was another blow for immigration activists. One of many received over the years.

    DACA  DAPA  Dreamers  immigration reform  spotlight  undocumented  undocumented Americans