June 24, 2011
Evansville Hispanic youth learning about leadership
Members of the Hispanic Youth Group at Nativity Church in Evansville meet with Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. Abraham Brown, youth minister, has been introducing the youth to community leaders because he wants them to become community leaders themselves. Cindy Alfaro said the meeting was “very interesting” and “very positive.” Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Abraham Brown doesn’t just want Hispanic youth to succeed here in the United States, he wants them to become leaders.
And he’s doing something about it by bringing them to-gether to listen to community leaders and by teaching them the skills they need to lead.
Brown, the youth minister at Nativity Church in Evansville, explains, “Most Latino kids who come here, they don’t have the opportunity to learn about becoming leaders in their communities.” At Nativity “we ex-plain what the role is here in the United States and how important they are to the community.”
Two years ago there was no youth group at Nativity. “One Sunday it crossed my mind. I asked them if they wanted to come to a youth group. I asked and to my surprise a group of seven kids was waiting for me after Mass.
“I was so pleased and so happy. These kids came together and helped at the fish fry and the social.”
They also became the “bridge” in a parish that was filled with both Anglo and Hispanic members.
The Anglos watched as the Hispanic youth became engaged in a wide variety of parish activities. “They saw that the kids were helping and that the kids were good.
“The kids were helping all the time. The Anglos saw that the Latinos are good people, that they are hard working people. The youth group helped integrate both communities.”
Eliseo Nava was one of the young adults at the Mass who accepted Brown’s invitation to join the youth group. “He [Brown] said there would be a lot of activities and it would be a good way to meet people.”
Brown noted that “the Latino adults don’t mix with the An-glos, and the Anglo adults don’t mix with the Latinos. Their lives are set. The kids are forming the new society.”
It is his intention to take these young adults and “empower them to become leaders in the community.” When that happens, then the “process of integration will be a lot easier,” he believes.
Over the last year, the youth group has grown to about 25 members, and the focus has been on leadership. “We talked about what it means to be a leader in the United States.” This involved helping them have an awareness of the societal rules in the United States, including the topic of “how the society is structured, such as law enforcement.”
They also looked at the concept of “being on time. Hispa-nics are bad to understanding that concept,” he explained, “because so much focus in our culture is on relationships. If I’m talking to you and I have a meeting, I will keep talking to you because you are more im-portant.”
They also discussed the nu-ance of language. “In Mexico, when youth talk to adults they use a special pronoun to set the tone for respect. Here in the United States you have to use attitude to show respect. That’s a big thing, because sometimes they come across as disrespectful” because of the language.
Sessions focused on “respect for self,” which means taking care of their bodies with good nutrition and exercise, and Brown brought in community leaders to talk about the importance of education and the opportunities in Evansville.
Sam Garau, a banker who comes from Puerto Rico, talked about keeping his culture and his traditions alive. He encouraged the young adults to save their money for college and not to get absorbed by credit cards.
Evansville businessman Man-uel Ramirez is also from Puerto Rico. Brown says he is “very successful here in Evansville.” Ramirez talked about his experience here, and he told the youth group members that “if you have a dream, do whatever it takes,” emphasizing that “go-ing to school is a key to success.”
He told them that they have to make sacrifices in their quest to gain an education. “He has a master’s degree, and his example helped the kids understand the importance of education.”
Brown also introduced the group to Jonathan Weinzapfel, the mayor of Evansville.
“I wanted them to feel special,” he said, “to go to places where leaders of the community go,” so he chose the Legacy Room at Old National Bank for the meeting with the mayor.
“It’s a room for leaders, and he gave them a wonderful talk on what it means to be a leader and what Evansville needs from them.”
He focused on education, encouraging them to finish high school and continue their studies in college. “He told them to be more active in society, to get involved, to improve the living in Evansville.”
He also told them to “be authentic which means bringing with them their culture and never to be ashamed of their cultural heritage. They should be proud of their cultures, and to not forget where they come from, to not forget their roots.”
Of the meeting with the mayor, Nava said, “It was pretty cool.” He liked the venue, and he has taken note of all the encouragement to think about continuing his education.
“We have had trips to USI and Ivy Tech,” he said.
As the young adults have been learning about leadership, they are reminded that leadership is “being the best you can do. There are different types of leadership,” he believes, “and if you like something and you put your passion into it you will become a leader when you work toward that.”
Brown plans to continue the discussion with the youth, and he is hoping to get them in-volved in community activities. “We are looking to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity.”
They are receptive to the lessons Brown is offering. “They all want to grow. They have a need to be respected, to be accepted, to be considered as part of this society. And they know they will get it by showing they can work for their city and their community.”
A lot has happened in the months since Brown started the youth program and the discussions about leadership. “Six kids are applying for college or are already in college,” he says.
Nava agrees. He’s 20 years old, and currently a student at IVY Tech. The program “changed everything in my life,” he said. “It’s a great program.”
Cindy Alfaro agrees. She’s been attending Mass at Nativity with her family since she was 12 years old. Now she’s a student at USI, and has only praise for the youth program at the par-ish, and for Brown’s work with the youth there.
“He encourages them — even when their parents don’t. He tells them they can go farther beyond what they already have.”