Latinos in the heartland : building bridges, dialogue, and opportunity

Abstract

The 15th Cambio de Colores Conference was held in 2016 with the theme “Latinos in the Heartland: Building Bridges, Dialogue, and Opportunity”. The Latino population continues to grow across the Midwest, and the question of leadership in these communities is both a sign of and prerequisite for true inclusion. The 2016 conference proved to be a good place to explore inclusive leadership. Plenary sessions covered inclusion from a variety of perspectives including a focus on disabilities among Latino families, and youth development research focused on Latino prosocial and moral development. Dr. Juan Andrade explored leadership development through his own experiences and in his role as President of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI). An increasingly important demographic are Latinos who are settling in the regions and having children: nationally one in four young people under 18 in the United States is Latina/o. Cambio de Colores this year had a special focus on youth, families, and education. There were 22 presentations and 6 selected papers that address youth, leadership, educational experiences, 4-H, and family, seeking to provide knowledge and tools to enable change that engenders opportunities for their success as members of society and the wellbeing of their communities.