$30,000 /2012, 2013
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Christine Neumann Ortiz, Executive Director
Website: www.vdlf.org
Voces de la Frontera opened in 2001 with a mission to organize low wage and immigrant workers and students and to advocate for policy changes that will benefit them and their community. Renewal grants of $30,000 in 2012 and 2013 will enable Voces de la Frontera’s Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) to continue to organize as an inter-ethnic youth organizing effort to Increase black-brown unity and advance racial justice, increase immigrant-rights and supports for undocumented students, to fight for implementation of the YES authored Student Bill of Rights at the school, district and community levels and to train and educate YES leaders on social justice issues across the state. As part of its civic engagement program YES trained 60 young people for GOTV canvassing for the recent gubernatorial recall and presidential elections. YES also organized a summit of over 125 students to create a Milwaukee public school board bill addressing school budget cuts and learning environment. The YES program will continue to leverage its good relationships with civil-rights groups, faith-based coalitions, teacher organizations and national partners such as the United We Dream network and the NAACP, to build even stronger multi-racial social justice organizing campaigns for youth.