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Youth Take a Stand

La Colaborativa
June 17, 2022
Youth take a stand
Photo by Darlene DeVita
Every day, there is another national news story of gun violence, including in Uvalde, Texas, a Latinx community much like Chelsea. Even though Massachusetts has the second lowest firearm mortality rate in the United States, many of our youth still live in fear of gun violence in our city. With recent reports of guns taken to local schools and violence in broad daylight, La Colaborativa’s youth are speaking out about the need for more youth-focused programs, spaces, and support.This week, our RIOT Squad youth made their voices heard, advocating for increasing funding for teen spaces, an expansion in youth jobs, more affordable housing in the City of Chelsea, and greater focus and access to youth mental health services. What is RIOT? RIOT Squad is a La Colaborativa program where youth are empowered to become agents of change in our community, trained in community organizing, and implement projects that uplift disenfranchised voices and serve their community. Our youth are facing the greatest mental health crisis of our time, where many students face bullying, violence, and poverty as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. It is now more important than ever to listen to these future leaders about what they need and how to support them through these difficult times.Many programs, such as La Colaborativa’s summer youth job initiative, were created to tackle these problems in our communities, can no longer serve the community as they once could. The program, created to give local youth the opportunity to earn money, gain valuable skills, and find an escape from gang violence, has helped hundreds of youth find stable footing. However, we had more than 600 youth seeking placement at only 200 open positions, leaving many more without direction. We are so proud of our youth for being such fierce advocates for change.Our youth will continue to advocate for affordable housing and safer schools and engage directly with City leadership to make Chelsea a better, safer place for all youth. Their next stop? Creating video testimonials and talking with our legislators and policy makers at all levels to show them what it’s like to be a youth member in our community. Your continued donations and support ensure that these youth, and many more, will receive the support they need.

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Land Acknowledgment

At La Colaborativa, we believe that building a more just, equitable, and healthy future begins with recognizing the histories of the land and the communities that came before us, while confronting the systemic inequities that continue to shape our society today.

We acknowledge that La Colaborativa is located in Winnisimmet, now known as Chelsea, Massachusetts, on the ancestral and unceded homeland of the Massachusett People, whose deep connections to this land, culture, and community endure today.

We honor the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land for generations and recognize the lasting consequences of colonization, forced displacement, dispossession, and systemic injustice. These histories are not simply part of the past. Their legacies continue to influence access to land, housing, healthcare, education, economic opportunity, and the resources that allow individuals, families, and communities to thrive.

At La Colaborativa, we understand that health equity cannot be achieved without addressing the social determinants of health, the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.

Structural racism, poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, and barriers to education, employment, and healthcare disproportionately affect immigrant, Indigenous, and historically marginalized communities, perpetuating cycles of inequality across generations.

This understanding is at the heart of La Colaborativa's holistic, community-driven model. Our work recognizes that the challenges facing our communities are deeply interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation. By integrating housing stability, food access, healthcare, workforce development, education, economic mobility, and community advocacy, we work to address the root causes of inequity, strengthen community resilience, and create pathways toward lasting social and economic opportunity.

Rooted in our mission of Levantando al Pueblo, we believe that meaningful change begins by centering the voices, experiences, cultural identities, and leadership of the communities most affected by systemic injustice. Just as we honor the resilience and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples, we recognize the strength of immigrant families and historically marginalized communities who continue to shape our collective future.

For us, a land acknowledgment is more than a statement of respect. It is a reminder of our responsibility to turn recognition into meaningful action, challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality, and advance a model of community well-being grounded in dignity, belonging, self-determination, and justice.

We offer this acknowledgment with respect and gratitude to the Massachusett People, their ancestors, elders, and present-day communities, and with a continued commitment to learning, solidarity, and building a future where every community has the resources, opportunities, and power to thrive.