MEChA to host educational conference

On Monday, Feb. 28, Portland State’s MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) chapter will host its seventh annual Educate Conference for Latino high school students from all over the state. The event—composed of workshops, a college fair and keynote speakers—is designed to empower Latino students.

Roughly 350 high schools, from as far as Salem and Hood River, are involved with the event.

MEChA is a student group dedicated to promoting self-determination of Chicanos through “political involvement and education,” according to its mission statement.

The goal of the event, according to a press release, is to inform Latino high school students about several topics that will guide their future, as well as motivate students to attend college and be active leaders in the community.

MEChA drew support from various on-campus student groups and private organizations to make the event possible.

“This year, we have a variety of workshop presenters who are willing to make the time for this conference,” Vilma Chan, event coordinator and MEChA member, said.

Chan said that there are 20 presenters contributing to the workshop segment of the event, including speakers from the Latino Network, a community advocacy group for Latino populations, Cascade AIDS Project and its sub-program Chat PDX, which focuses on educating and serving racial and ethnic minority youth.

Rolando Avila, community outreach coordinator for the Latino Network, said that the event is important because “the road to higher education can be particularly daunting for Latinos and first-generation students.”

“This event lets young Latino students know that they can be agents of change by continuing on with their studies,” Avila said.

Avila will be presenting a workshop on the prison-industrial complex, and will discuss the issues surrounding Latinos in prison and address the importance of higher education in fighting what he terms an “oppressive system.”

In addition to community-based nonprofit organizations, MEChA has invited other Oregon colleges and universities to set up tables at the event. PSU’s Admissions Office, the School of Business and Diversity and Multicultural Student Services will also be present.

Workshop topics will range from Chicano identity and sexual health to community activism and policy advocacy. Chan said keynote addresses will present the message of “individual and community empowerment,” which reinforces the conference theme, “Emerging Leaders: Empowering Ourselves and Empowering Communities.”

MEChA members and event volunteers have been meeting every week for the last three months in order to plan and coordinate this event, an indication that the PSU students and the community are deeply engaged in the issues that surround ethnic minority groups today, according to Chan.

“We take pride in the time that we have invested in this conference,” Chan said. “Therefore, we expect it to be a success.” ?