Every young person in our community should have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed in school, work and life.
The ultimate goal of our advocacy work is for in-school and out-of-school Latino youth in Montgomery County to have the same resources, supports and opportunities as other young people in the count to succeed educationally, emotionally, and in the workplace.
Given the exponential growth of the Latino community in our county, working with one young person at a time is not enough. We believe it calls for systemic changes in the educational system, public safety system, health system, and workforce development system.
We aim to:
- Increase the academic supports available to Latino youth necessary to achieve success in education, from pre-K to high school and beyond.
- Increase the social and emotional supports available to Latino youth in order to improve social and emotional competencies.
- Expand nontraditional opportunities and pathways to employment.
In support of these goals, Identity founded and co-leads Montgomery County Latino Advocacy Coalition (MCLAC), a group of Latino and non-Latino parents, community leaders, businesses, and organizations committed to finding innovative, collaborative, and systemic solutions to improve the quality of life of the Latino community in Montgomery County.
In addition, Identity continues to conduct surveys and research Montgomery County’s Latino youth experience to present data-informed arguments for the change we want to see.
We also encourage the youth and families served by Identity programs to be advocates for themselves and their community. We provide opportunities for youth to learn about government, meet policymakers, and gain real-world experience on how to work for social justice and systemic change.
Click here to read more about Identity’s work as a part of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence.
