Ericson Amaya, 67 SueñosLead Organizer 67 Sueños
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As we reflect on the past 15 years of our program, we stay committed to uplifting the voices and stories of undocumented and mixed-status youth. This past year, our HYPHY (Heal Your People, Heal Yourself) program youth interviewed several 67 alumni. These stories showed the impact of our program throughout the years and the vast experience of immigrant youth in our community. It was so beautiful to see the newest generation connect with those who have been involved with 67 Sueños for years.
Below are descriptions of our alumni as shared by our current HYPHY youth:
Ericson (aka E) is an alum of our third generation and one of the stories we highlighted on this summer's mural. E has been an active voice in the community, leading protests and speaking his truth through his palabra. Through his story, the youth were inspired by his tenacity to push forward through the many obstacles he faced growing up; that ultimately led him to find his voice through poetry in 67. On the mural the youth decided to paint E on the mic to represent the importance of finding your voice and speaking your truth.
Zyaire, 17, adds: "This image represents artivism using poetry as a form of art to challenge the injustice challenges and struggles people go through. We added this image because it shows a deep meaning of a young man using his history and his mind and similar situations around him and writing it into poetry to voice the problems.”
Edith 67 Sueños
Edith is an alum of the seventh generation, and hers is one of the stories we highlighted on this summer's mural. Edith shared with us how being part of 67 Sueños gave her a safe space to step into her full power and magic. Since participating in the program, Edith has become part of our staff and continues to inspire the next generations of soñadores that are coming through 67.
As our youth were deciding how they wanted to depict her story, they chose parts of her interview that hit home. In this picture, we see Edith reading to the next generation of soñadores. It's a beautiful reminder that we pass on the torch to the next generation of leaders to step into their power.
Daniela, 14, adds: "Edith here is holding a book, symbolizing her dedication to mentoring and passing down knowledge. We added this image because we were deeply touched with Edith’s story. It shows the mentorship Edith has been giving to Bay Area youth for the past four years working with 67 Sueños. The quote above her says 'it starts with' -- representing the start of a journey coming here to the Bay Area and the representation of a new beginning."
Daniel 67 Sueños
Our next alum, Daniel, is from the 15th generation. He came into 67 as a 13-year-old participating in our Soñando Y Cambiando Mural, which was speaking about alternatives to incarceration for youth. This year Daniel participated in our HYPHY Program and was open to being interviewed by his peers and sharing his story. In the mural, the youth decided to paint him with a powerful message, “Agua Es Vida” (water is life). He reflected on how this image made him aware of his privilege and the importance of taking care of our environment.
“Sometimes water is something we take for granted, which we shouldn’t since without water we simply wouldn't be here," Daniel says. "It was important for us to include this in our mural because we want to remind everyone the importance of protecting our environments and water sources. Like my compañera Stephanie said, not only do we have to worry about AI, there are also lots of other companies and whole governments who pollute our water ways. Its time we stop prioritizing money over people.”
Yoxeli 67 Sueños
Yoxeli is an alum of 67 Sueños's founding cohort, and hers is another of the stories we highlighted on this summer's mural. Yoxeli was part of building the foundation of 67 Sueños. As a migrant youth growing up in West Oakland, dealing with family deportations and navigating school and her personal life, she found 67 to be that space where she could be herself and feel empowered being a migrant youth.
As our youth were deciding how they wanted to depict her story, they chose parts of her interview that hit home. In the mural we see Yoxeli being embraced by a tree. It's a representation of Oakland and what growing up here did for her.
Mateo, 13, adds: “This image shows Yoxeli hugging and being held by the tree. The tree represents Oakland. Her dream is for her family and friends to be safe, which is represented by the embrace. Yoxeli mentioned feeling embraced by Oakland -- not being scared to be alone, and how we should move out of our comfort zone so we can explore and find opportunities. This image connects to me because Oakland gave me a chance to be in spaces like 67 Sueños.”
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