Borderize Youth Symposium promotes youth participation on border issues
Saturday dozens of teens from the region participated in the Borderize Youth Symposium.
The event is meant to get the youth involved in issues faced along the border.
The group who put the event together is called WE(fill In the blank). Although an odd name, students from Coronado High School have been involved in setting up debates and getting teens interested in politics but Saturday it was about brainstorming on issues involving the border.
“The whole purpose of the Borderize Youth Symposium is to engage the youth in community matters,” said WE (fill In The Blank) spokeswoman Isabella Canava.
All of the kids who participated in the symposium are in middle school.
Nine schools from across the region were tasked with a border issues such as immigration and commerce, then given the opportunity to create a presentation and provide solutions.
“I just felt a sense of pride so it was fun overall,” said 8th grade student Marissa Lerma.
Lerma and her team discussed Border Patrol policies.
“By giving the youth a voice we’re solving issues in a new an innovative way,” WE(fill in the blank) member Iliana Dumont said.
“I was excited to participate and I think this is great opportunity for me,” Alfredo Ortega said.
Ortega is from a middle school in Ciudad Juarez.
Ortega and his group spoke on border commerce.
“I learned that El Paso and Juarez are twenty percent of the trade in the U.S.A.” Ortega said.
We(fill in the blank) members then interviewed the middle school students and asked them what they learned and what could have been done better.
The video is then posted on social media to attract more youth in the region to participate.
“If we don’t know about it when we’re young how are we going to know about it when we are older. It’s like when you’re young and you have a voice it’s good to use it so when you get older you’re used to having that voice,” Lerma said.
Judges will look over the presentations and those chosen will be presented to city leaders.
