Helping Latino boys succeed in the classroom and in life will be the focus of a discussion hosted by the Encuentros Leadership of North County on April 15 in Oceanside.
About 140 local government, education and business leaders are expected to attend the event, said Robert Rivas, founder of the Encuentros group, whose name comes from the Spanish word for “coming together.”
The group sponsors an annual career conference, summer academy and classes at several local schools, all aimed at improving education for Latino boys.
The event will feature two keynote speakers: Francisco Reveles, chairman of the college of education at Cal State Sacramento, and Victor Saenz, professor of education at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Encuentros Leadership Series, called “Identifying the Future,” will be the first in a series of discussions on the topic of Latino education that the group hopes to host on a semiannual basis, Rivas said.
“The series attempts to educate the public about the loss of human capital, the continual loss of Latino boys from our educational pipeline,” he said.
Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic population in the country. In San Diego County, Latinos are projected to make up the majority of high school students by 2014. But today, nearly half of all Latino boys fail to graduate from high school, according to the organization.
Mark Evilsizer, a member of the Palomar College board of trustees and Encuentros secretary, said the event will provide local policymakers and business leaders with information on how to improve Latino students’ education and how to build on skills they already have, such as bilingual abilities.
“We want people to walk out with some working knowledge that addresses these topics,” Evilsizer said.
Rivas said he hopes to follow the event with another program later this year that will include David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA, and David Lizarraga, chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Latinos boys represent a significant part of the region and the nation’s work force in the future, Rivas said. They need to be prepared to meet the needs of the country and local leaders need to help them succeed in education, he said.
“We want to raise the bar,” he said.
Television reporter Artie Ojeda will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. It will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at MiraCosta College’s Student Center, 1 Bernard Drive, Oceanside.
The cost is $30 per person or $300 per table. Deadline to register is April 8. For more information, visit http://www.encuentrosleadership.org.
