Children face immigration challenges; standing up as their coach is arrested and a friend disappears.
Empowering Youth in the Face of Uncertainty: Monarcas Luchadoras Program Shines in Los Angeles
Fear over potential ICE raids is mounting across Los Angeles, and undocumented families are grappling with how to handle crucial conversations with their children. Amidst this tension, the Monarcas Luchadoras program has emerged as a beacon of hope, equipping school-age children with the tools and skills to enact change within their communities.
This initiative, meaning "monarchs in the struggle," draws inspiration from the symbolic monarch butterfly, representing migration and transformation, resonating with the immigrant experience. The program, run by TODEC, fosters children's agency by engagement in cultural identity and community activism, encouraging them to recognise their collective strength.
Luz Gallegos, executive director of TODEC and an alumna of the Monarcas Luchadoras program, stated that this summer's program is a very different one compared to others. "The children are confronted with very real fears over separation," she said.
The annual field trip had a different tone this year due to immigration enforcement raids affecting the children's communities. Linda Cruz's children, including a 3-year-old daughter Mia, participated in the field trip and helped pack groceries and educational materials for families too scared to leave their homes.
The Monarcas Luchadoras program brought children from Coachella Valley and nearby cities to Riverside City Hall for a mock council meeting. There, the children learned about civic engagement and culture as part of a summer leadership program run by TODEC. The mock city council unanimously voted to fund mental health workshops for their community.
Zoey Roman, 9, wants to find ways to help families pay for groceries as parents stay home from work due to the raids. Fifth-grader Garcia stated that the program is teaching him about keeping up culture, helping others, and being respectful.
During the field trip, the children visited The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside City Hall. A few kids showed interest in a painting of a low rider, while others ran toward an installation with glass seashells.
The Monarcas Luchadoras program aims to empower school-age children, many from immigrant families, by equipping them with an understanding of how to enact change, including recognising problems in their community and pushing for solutions through organising. Luz Gallegos reminded the children that they have power, and without their voice, things can't happen.
In the face of uncertainty, the Monarcas Luchadoras program is providing a safe space for children to learn, grow, and become active and resilient agents of change in their communities.
- Despite the increasing fear of ICE raids in Los Angeles, the Monarcas Luchadoras program is empowering school-age children, teaching them about civic engagement, culture, and community activism.
- Run by TODEC, the Monarcas Luchadoras program aims to equip children, including those from immigrant families, with the tools to recognize problems in their community and push for solutions through organized action.
- The program, inspired by the symbolic monarch butterfly, has drawn attention to the immigrant experience and the transformation faced by undocumented families in California.
- The Monarcas Luchadoras program has become a beacon of hope, particularly in the face of immigration enforcement raids that have affected the children's communities.
- The annual field trip organized by the program this year had a different tone, with children helping pack groceries and educational materials for families too scared to leave their homes.
- The mock city council meeting during the field trip allowed the children to learn about policy-and-legislation, with the mock council voting to fund mental health workshops for their community.
