Event: Fiesta Mi Gente
Date: Sep 21, 2024
Location: Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
Population Served: Current foster youth & Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs)
Event Highlights:
On Saturday, September 21st, Child Advocates of Silicon Valley hosted the 2nd Annual Fiesta Mi Gente: A Celebration of Cultura, an event dedicated to honoring the vibrant cultures of Latin America. With 64% of our foster youth identifying as Hispanic, we designed this celebration to embrace their heritage and offer them a chance to explore and learn about different traditions.
Upon arrival, each foster youth received a cultural passport to document their experiences and note the favorite facts they learned throughout the event. They explored Twelve interactive stations featuring traditional Latin American foods, arts, crafts and sports from several countries. Activities included:
- Playing Lotería
- Creating piñatas and Cuban yarn dolls
- Carving Taino rock art
- Enjoying a soccer station hosted by Allera Sports
- and much more!
Our youth tasted various delicious Latin American foods, such as Mexican tamales, Salvadoran pupusas, Brazilian pão de queijo, Colombian coconut delicacies, plantains from Panama, Peruvian ceviche and many others.
After filling out their passports with personal notes on their experiences and tasting new foods, it was time to say farewell. As we said our goodbyes, each youth received a special souvenir, which included mini traditional instruments, Guatemalan worry dolls and their own personal Lotería game as a reminder of the day’s cultural journey.
Events like Fiesta Mi Gente allow us to serve our foster youth deeply and effectively by creating spaces where they can connect with their cultural roots. These experiences also encourage mindfulness through art, physical activity through sports and opportunities to build deep relationships with their CASA Volunteer and peers.
We are deeply grateful for the success of the 2nd Annual Fiesta Mi Gente, and we owe it to our community partners, dedicated staff and CASA Volunteers. Their support and the contributions of vendors such as Creations By Stina and Allera Sports made this event possible. If you are interested in sponsoring a youth-related event or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our development department at development@childadvocatessv.org.
