What is Fuerza?
Fuerza was founded in the fall of 2011 by student leaders in South Philadelphia to address the issues of education, labor, and immigration from a youth perspective. The high Latinx drop-out rate in the city of Philadelphia and the barriers to college access for undocumented youth are issues that Fuerza tries to address. The ways that we do this are through youth led communications like our Podcast (Cafecito Con Fuerza), political education as in webinars, college access support, and some legal support for example with DACA.
Youth-Led Communications
Fuerza members have been working on different forms of voicing their ideas and opinions. For example, our youth podcast Cafecito con Fuerza is a conversation led by LatinX Immigrant, and first generation youth involved with Juntos. Each episode dissects a different topic chosen by the youth. Youth have also worked on videos for Tik Tok or for Juntos’ Instagram, this allows the youth to get information to other youth and parents.
Political Education
As part of Juntos’ work, we create consciousness with our community members on important issues so they may mobilize against systems of oppression. Youth are engaged in political education topics tied to local or national issues through our campaigns and local partnerships.
Education Access Support
Juntos offers support to students trying to access High School and College. We know that for many families in our community this is the first time they are trying to access higher education. It can be a very hard and confusing process which is why we are offering support with high school applications and essays. For students applying to college we offer support with: FAFSA, scholarships, admission statements, or just information for your parents. The staff at Juntos knows how difficult to navigate this world on your own because many of us have been in the same position and can provide support.
DACA
Juntos is screening for DACA and helping people complete the application for free. If you don’t qualify for DACA - we can still be your political home!
